All the Truth About the Lips

Today’s topic for discussion is here — fillers. Right now — taaaadaaaa! — I will answer the most compelling question: “What’s wrong with her lips?” I am aware that this is a burning topic, so let’s jump into it immediately.
I was very young, when I found a progressive salon in Moscow. Just so you understand, I did all sorts of manicures, pedicures and hair treatments there. Back then, the era of ubiquitous lip augmentations had not come yet, and new technologies were only being tested. So, one fine day, a brilliant doctor, magician, and sorcerer — who specialized in injections of various kinds —came to visit us from Paris. He was exactly the person who injected me with botox for the first time, after which my forehead smoothed out wonderfully!It was practically magic. Subsequently, this doctor (aka Bernardick) began to visit Moscow twice a year to “prick” Moscow beauties. I must say that his appointment list was full, and it was not easy to get to him.

During one of his visits, I asked, what could I do with my lips. I can’t say I had a problem with them, but my bottom lip was definitely bigger than the upper one. I wanted to find a way to equalize them. Bernardick, as it turned out, was recognized as “The King of Lips”, and allegedly, a couple of months prior he pricked Madonna herself. It was impossible not to trust Bernardick, that’s why in the following visit, I let the doctor do 2 injections into my upper lip (left and right). The pain was unreal!

Obviously, I was curious what kind of drug it was, and for how long it would work. The drug was called “Articol”, and it was supposed to last from 1-3 years. “This is good luck!” – I thought. The effect was wonderful, very natural… It was back in 1999. To be frank, and damn me if I’m not telling the truth, but I never did anything with my lips ever again!

About three years later after the injections, I was looking at my reflection in the mirror and realized that the effect of the drug wasn’t fading at all. At that moment, people didn’t inject their lips anymore, but, as a rule, all of my friends’ drugs lost their effects after three, maximum six months. It was collagen, and restylane, and some other hyaluronic acid-based nonsense. Nevertheless, my lips remained in the same shape.

As seven years passed, after giving the second birth, my friend, who was also my husband’s assistant, Tatiana (we used to reside at the same house, so she saw me throughout my different stages), noticed one morning: “Masha, it seems like your lips have grown… You haven’t done anything with them by accident, have you?” I was somewhat perplexed by her observation, because I had not touched my lips since 1999… What happened? Maybe, due to my pregnancies and weight changes, my face somehow altered too? At first it was bloated, then deflated, then something else. Tatiana observed me before, during, and after the pregnancy…

I began to examine my pictures — in fact, the lips in the photo from five years ago seemed more natural. Moreover, many people started to wonder if my lips were “made”. Frankly, this was unpleasant, especially considering the fact that the doctor last touched them ten years ago. By the way, I haven’t seen Bernardick since he pricked my lips and injected the last batch of botox.

I moved to America and was injecting botox for ten years at my favorite laser center with another doctor. Yet, by the will of fate, destiny later took me to Paris, so I took my children with me and sent them to a French school to learn all about life and wisdom. My family and I moved from Russia, first to the United States, and then to France. In Paris, the time had come for the next dose of botox (as I said, I injected it once every six months), and — what a miracle! — what a lovely thought came to me at that instance. I thought, “should I go ahead and find our dear magician Bernardick in Paris?” Quoting the classics: “Through telephones, faxes – it did not matter how, it was for love!”

I found him in the center of Paris between Rue George 5 and Rue Montagne in a beautiful clean white office. Bernardick hasn’t changed much and injected me with botox almost painlessly and very quickly (in about ten minutes) without any anesthetic creams. And here, ten years later when I saw him again, I did not hesitate to ask: “My dear, why did you prick such a terrible thing on my lips that ten years later appears to look as a bite of a flock of wasps?” He replied and told me, as if nothing had happened, that 10-12 years ago the “Articol” was not fully investigated, and the side effects are becoming clear just now. “Articol” is a material, namely polymethyl-methacryl, floating in synthetic collagen, which causes the body to release its own collagen in an unlimited volume. Consequently, over time, the lips just start to grow. It has silicone molecules, however, they are not implants — the texture resembles a liquid gel.

Hence, the side effect is an increase in the volume of the lips! Or, as he called it himself, “The Cicolina Effect” (the effect of a woman, a member of the Italian parliament, a porn star, and a muse of the magnificent Jeff Koons).

I was kind of reluctant to become Chicolina, and I asked what I should do now. I definitely needed to do something, otherwise one fine day my lips could have just bursted! He could not offer me anything other than surgical intervention. And I want to say that I am considering this option very seriously.

So, the secret of my lips has been revealed. And I am happy that I was able to share this story with you! The moral of this fable is — before you “put something inside”, you always need to think about the consequences, and this applies not only to the lips.

© Masha Lopatova