Dermal Fillers in Fulham
Dermal fillers use hyaluronic acid, a substance found naturally in the skin, to restore volume, add structure and soften lines. At Banana Beauty Lab John uses them for lips, cheeks, chin, jawline, nose reshaping, the under-eye area, temples and lines around the mouth.
Filler works best when it's planned around the whole face, and that is why facial balancing is John's speciality. Larger plans are priced as packages by the millilitre, and hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved if it ever needs correcting.
Lips
Shape, define and add volume to the lips in proportion to your face.
- Treatment time
- Roughly 30 minutes
- Results
- Seen straight away; fully settled after 2 weeks
- Longevity
- Usually 6–12 months
- Downtime
- Swelling for 2–3 days
- Price
- £190
About Lips
With lip enhancement, a soft hyaluronic acid filler is used to put back or build volume, sharpen the lip line and cupid's bow, even out the upper and lower lip, or correct an imbalance between the sides. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule your skin already makes, which is why treated lips stay soft to look at and to touch.
For John, proportion comes before anything else. The goal is lips that fit your face and still look like yours — whether that's a light touch of hydration and shape, or a fuller look built gradually across more than one appointment.
Before & after
Key Benefits
- 01Puts back volume that fades with age
- 02Sharpens the lip line and cupid's bow
- 03Evens out lips that are uneven or lopsided
- 04Softens the fine upright lines around the mouth
- 05Feels soft and natural thanks to hyaluronic acid
- 06Can be completely reversed if you ever wish
Is this treatment right for me?
Lip filler is for adults who want more shape, hydration or fullness in their lips, or who've seen them thin out or become uneven. If you've never had it before, you're very welcome — starting gently is usually the best way to find out what suits you.
You may be suitable if…
- Your lips have become thinner or lost their shape
- You want a fuller or more even look
- One side differs from the other and you'd like it corrected
- You're 18 or over, aren't pregnant or breastfeeding, and don't have a cold sore at the moment
Your consultation will consider…
- How your lips relate to your nose, chin and the rest of your face
- Whether you're after hydration, shape, extra fullness, or a combination
- Any history of cold sores (John can talk you through prevention)
- Any lip filler you've had before and how it has settled
What to expect
Before treatment
Your first step is an in-person consultation with John. He looks at the area alongside the rest of your face, asks what you'd like to change and what would suit you naturally, and goes through your medical history. Bruising is more likely if you take alcohol, aspirin, ibuprofen or supplements like fish oil or vitamin E, so stop these for the week before where it's safe to. Leave at least two weeks between any dental work and your appointment.
During treatment
After the skin is cleaned, numbing cream goes on for about 10–15 minutes, and many of today's fillers have a local anaesthetic mixed in too. John then injects the hyaluronic acid gel with either a fine needle or a blunt-ended cannula, whichever suits the area, sculpting and checking both sides match as he works. Expect a sense of pressure and the odd sting, not pain. The appointment usually lasts 30–45 minutes. John works in small, careful amounts along the lip line and through the body of the lip, holding up a mirror with you so you can see the shape as it builds.
After treatment
The difference shows immediately, but the area will be slightly swollen, and the final shape takes one to two weeks to settle. John explains your aftercare, and if anything needs fine-tuning you can come back for a review at the two-week mark.
Watch
See this treatment in the clinic, in short videos on John’s aesthetics site, Trusted Touch Aesthetics.
Watch 12 videos →Results & longevity
The new shape shows at once, but lips swell more than most areas, so what you see in the first two to three days isn't the end result. You'll see the real shape at about two weeks, once the swelling has completely gone down. Lip filler usually lasts six to twelve months — because lips are always moving, it breaks down slightly quicker than elsewhere. The product, the amount and your metabolism all affect how long it lasts. Plenty of clients come back every nine to twelve months to maintain it, and the result often improves with repeat treatments.
Recovery, side effects & aftercare
No area swells as much as the lips, so for the first 48–72 hours they'll look clearly fuller than they will in the end. That's completely normal and passes quickly: most swelling is gone by the third day, and the real shape is clear by two weeks.
Side effects
The usual, expected effects are swelling, tenderness, redness and bruising, all of which fade within days. While the gel settles over the first couple of weeks you may feel small lumps or a little unevenness; these generally go on their own, and anything that lingers can be looked at. Less common risks are infection, an allergy-like reaction, or filler ending up somewhere it wasn't intended. On rare occasions filler can affect a blood vessel. John's technique is designed to keep this risk low, he checks for warning signs before you go home, and the clinic keeps the enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid on hand so it can be dealt with straight away.
Aftercare
For 24–48 hours, leave the area alone — no touching, pressing or massaging unless John has told you to. For 48 hours, avoid hard exercise, saunas, steam rooms, sunbeds and alcohol, and on the first night sleep with your head a little raised to keep swelling down. If the area is tender, a cool compress (not a frozen one) can help. Hold off facials, dental treatment and any other procedures on the area for two weeks, and don't put make-up over the injection points for the rest of the day.
Get in touch with the clinic immediately if you have pain that is unusual or getting worse, skin that turns patchy, pale or greyish-blue, blisters, redness that is spreading, or any change in your eyesight. You don't need to call about normal swelling and bruising, though you're always welcome to check in.
- Downtime
- Very little — normally a day or two
- Redness
- Slight, gone within hours
- Swelling
- Obvious for 48–72 hours
- Bruising
- Can happen; clears within a week
- Normal activities
- The same day; hold off hard exercise for 24–48 hours
Frequently Asked Questions
How much filler is needed?
A first treatment usually takes 0.5–1 ml. For a fuller look, adding it over two appointments tends to give the most natural result. John will suggest an amount when you meet.
Will my lips end up looking overdone?
Not when the treatment is guided by your proportions. John plans around your face and begins cautiously — more can be added later, and if you change your mind hyaluronic acid can be dissolved.
How long will they be swollen?
Swelling is at its worst over the first two to three days. It goes down quickly after that, and the finished shape is clear at around two weeks.
When can I kiss, use a straw or wear lipstick?
Give it 24 hours with no pressure on the lips, no straws and no lipstick. After that, carry on as usual.
I'm prone to cold sores — is lip filler still possible?
Yes, just let us know. Treatment can set off a flare-up, so John may recommend getting preventative medicine from your GP or pharmacist first.
Is it painful?
Numbing cream goes on beforehand and most fillers include a local anaesthetic, so what you feel is pressure and the odd sting, not pain. Expect the area to be a little sore for a day or two.
Can filler be undone?
It can. If needed, hyaluronic acid filler can be broken down with an enzyme — one reason it's the filler we choose — and the clinic always keeps that dissolving treatment in stock.
Will I need to come back for top-ups?
Your body slowly breaks filler down, so most people return for maintenance when the result starts to fade. Clients who come regularly often need less product as time goes on.
Your Practitioner
John Dixon
Founder & Aesthetician
John founded Banana Beauty Lab and runs his aesthetics practice, Trusted Touch Aesthetics, here. He specialises in facial balancing and harmonisation, alongside wrinkle reduction and skin rejuvenation. His training is CPD-certified, he is fully insured, and is known for taking the time to assess your face properly, explaining every option honestly and never over-treating — the aim is always a natural result that still looks like you. Clients regularly mention his calm manner, attention to detail and the aftercare follow-up that checks in on how you're healing.