Hello! New here! DIY Filler Questions!
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

Mon Nov 12, 2018 5:50 pm

Hi everyone! My name is Stephanie and I am 42 years old. I feel like I've done some major aging the last 5 years and I have wanted lip fillers for 10 years or so (Angelina Jolie fan, haha). I have entertained getting them filled, especially in the last few years as I begin developing smokers lines. I have watched 10 million technique and face anatomy videos on youtube. I have also heard that some people buy restylane and juvederm online and go at it for themselves. As a mother of 4, I just cant afford my vanity, haha. I found a supplier of Restylane. I know that they might not be the actual product, but I have researched the company and think they are legit (foreign surgeons use them and tag them on Instagram). I have tried to join the skindeepchat forum and am still waiting on acceptance. But I just wondered if any of you have had success with self injection? I'd like to make some friends that are for me and not against me. I already know the risks and have seen lots of occlusion pics. I'm just trying here for other gal's insight and support. Thanks!

Sun Nov 25, 2018 7:22 am

Who is the supplier?! Haha
I justtt joined this site and have searched for somewhat similar threads.
I admittedly injected HA in my skin years ago. It did just fine, though the results didn’t ‘stick’ because the science to ‘hold it in place’ wasn’t there. It worked so well that I decided to ‘graduate’ to a real filler! I ordered it, but then I chickened out because it was an off-label brand from China and I had no idea what was reallllyyyy in it.

Sun Jan 20, 2019 9:10 am

I've been doing my own filler for about 3 years now. At first I ordered from a website that sold out of England, but now I order my filler from a vendor on Alibaba. There are thousands of vendors on there that sell it - for WAY WAY cheaper than the big name brands. And it's the EXACT SAME thing. Actually, if you do some research, the process of making Hyaluronic Acid is very easy for these labs. These big name pharmaceutical companies charge so much solely for the name recognition and to fund their entire operation- not on the product itself. Anyway, I usually order a 5ml syringe of the "Deep" and a 2 ml syringe of the "Fine". The difference is the size of the particles, and therefore the thickness/viscosity is the product. For the lips you would want "Fine" or "Ultra Fine". With how thin the skin is there and how much the lips move, you want a very thin or runny consistency of the filler. Thicker fillers in the lips will look unnatural, be a little less comfortable to move your lips and you have more of a chance at forming nodules/granulomas (the body reacts more to the larger particles).

I have to say though, that the lips are the most difficult and painful area to do, and it took me two years to work my way up to doing them on myself. They are very vascular (therefore bleed a lot resulting in bruising) and the pain is pretty bad without lidocaine. If I didn't pre-treat with lidocaine I honestly don't think I could block out the pain enough to focus solely on the procedure - which is a MUST if you want a decent result. Also, because it is such a small area and the skin so thin you have to be very precise with the amount of filler you place. Your injection technique has to be extremely even and consistent along the entire lip, otherwise you'll have one side of your lip larger than the other. You have to know the precise depth- too deep and you'll only see a bulge on the inside of your mouth, too superficial and you'll get bubbles or blisters of filler right under the skin that will pop and ooze out filler.

If you want to go the DIY route- I HIGHLY recommend getting proficient at it on other areas first. The areas to start or learn on are the areas that have the thickest skin- which would be the cheeks and jawline. Areas with the thinnest skin are the hardest and going to hurt more. And I can't suggest enough the use of a micro cannula instead of a needle (you can buy on EBay for about $5 per cannula). To summarize it- you poke a hole in the skin with a needle, then remove the needle and slide the cannula through that hole and under the skin. The tip is rounded, therefore it doesn't slice the tissue as it moves through the skin. Basically the cannula just slides right by the veins instead of slicing through them with a needle. There is WAY less trauma to the tissue therefore less bruising, less painful, more control of depth, etc. But this is a whole other technique to learn as well.

I've become very very good at it- to the point where my sister who is a ER nurse is trying to convince me to get the licensure needed to do it professionally. She says I know more than most of the assistants that do these injections in the clinic.

My advice- Watch a MILLION videos, study facial anatomy (nerve location, vein location, skin depth charts, etc) practice using a syringe (using even pressure so that the same amount comes out the whole time) and only do a little bit at a time. You can always go back and add more. Baby steps.

But it can certainly be done. I've saved myself thousands and thousands of dollars over the years. Just be smart and safe.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2019 8:41 pm

Hi Trizzy123, you are so brave. I can't even do my own needling with a roller!

Good luck with getting the licence too if you decide to do it.

Trizzy123 wrote:

I've been doing my own filler for about 3 years now. At first I ordered from a website that sold out of England, but now I order my filler from a vendor on Alibaba. There are thousands of vendors on there that sell it - for WAY WAY cheaper than the big name brands. And it's the EXACT SAME thing. Actually, if you do some research, the process of making Hyaluronic Acid is very easy for these labs. These big name pharmaceutical companies charge so much solely for the name recognition and to fund their entire operation- not on the product itself. Anyway, I usually order a 5ml syringe of the "Deep" and a 2 ml syringe of the "Fine". The difference is the size of the particles, and therefore the thickness/viscosity is the product. For the lips you would want "Fine" or "Ultra Fine". With how thin the skin is there and how much the lips move, you want a very thin or runny consistency of the filler. Thicker fillers in the lips will look unnatural, be a little less comfortable to move your lips and you have more of a chance at forming nodules/granulomas (the body reacts more to the larger particles).

I have to say though, that the lips are the most difficult and painful area to do, and it took me two years to work my way up to doing them on myself. They are very vascular (therefore bleed a lot resulting in bruising) and the pain is pretty bad without lidocaine. If I didn't pre-treat with lidocaine I honestly don't think I could block out the pain enough to focus solely on the procedure - which is a MUST if you want a decent result. Also, because it is such a small area and the skin so thin you have to be very precise with the amount of filler you place. Your injection technique has to be extremely even and consistent along the entire lip, otherwise you'll have one side of your lip larger than the other. You have to know the precise depth- too deep and you'll only see a bulge on the inside of your mouth, too superficial and you'll get bubbles or blisters of filler right under the skin that will pop and ooze out filler.

If you want to go the DIY route- I HIGHLY recommend getting proficient at it on other areas first. The areas to start or learn on are the areas that have the thickest skin- which would be the cheeks and jawline. Areas with the thinnest skin are the hardest and going to hurt more. And I can't suggest enough the use of a micro cannula instead of a needle (you can buy on EBay for about $5 per cannula). To summarize it- you poke a hole in the skin with a needle, then remove the needle and slide the cannula through that hole and under the skin. The tip is rounded, therefore it doesn't slice the tissue as it moves through the skin. Basically the cannula just slides right by the veins instead of slicing through them with a needle. There is WAY less trauma to the tissue therefore less bruising, less painful, more control of depth, etc. But this is a whole other technique to learn as well.

I've become very very good at it- to the point where my sister who is a ER nurse is trying to convince me to get the licensure needed to do it professionally. She says I know more than most of the assistants that do these injections in the clinic.

My advice- Watch a MILLION videos, study facial anatomy (nerve location, vein location, skin depth charts, etc) practice using a syringe (using even pressure so that the same amount comes out the whole time) and only do a little bit at a time. You can always go back and add more. Baby steps.

But it can certainly be done. I've saved myself thousands and thousands of dollars over the years. Just be smart and safe.

Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:36 pm

Hi can you send me a link to a vendor you use on alibaba ? Please and thank you

free skin care · Sat Oct 05, 2019 8:49 am

Could you let me know your supplier for HA please Trizzy123, if you wouldn't mind Very Happy

Jackie x

free skin care · Thu Oct 10, 2019 6:53 am

You are really brave. I never dare to do such a thing. I wish you more and more beautiful.

Sat Oct 19, 2019 10:10 am

Hey there! I'm looking for a reputable vendor and was wondering if you could PM/email me what vendor you use on Alibaba? I have an aunt who does lips (licensed) but want to provide my own product so I can get them done cheaper.

Mon Jan 04, 2021 4:46 am

Do not pay attention to the opinions of other people, do what you think is necessary. I wish you success in finding like-minded people!

Tue Aug 23, 2022 3:38 am

Self-injection is risky. To always look good, you need to contact specialists for help. For example, I would never perform a self-injection because I'm just afraid of doing it wrong...

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