Designer lips in high demand

Cosmetic nurse Alicia Henry says that she has her hands full with the growing demand for women who are seeking 'puckering lips', not only to enhance their beauty but to add confidence in their personal aesthetics.

Through her business The Aesthetic Blueprint, Henry offers a variation of non-surgical enhancements starting at US$400.

Jamaica-born Henry moved to Canada at age 18, where she graduated from George Brown College and trained as a nurse.

"Right out of nursing school, within the first six months, I started injecting," she recalled. "This was 2018, pre-pandemic, the industry was completely different at that point so I've been injecting since the early part of 2019."

Her clientele consists predominantly of women ages 25 to 50. Her foray into the Jamaican market began by chance.

"I was injecting here, working for a clinic, and a friend in Jamaica asked me to bring a syringe of fillers. I did her lips, she did an Instagram live, and I woke up to a hundred DMs asking for lips."

Henry soon became a sought-after figure in Jamaica's budding cosmetic injection scene. Her client base expanded rapidly, encompassing social media influencers, business people, and even other medical professionals. One factor driving demand is social media.

"They come to me because they trust me and want work done," she said. Henry also attributes the rising popularity of non-surgical procedures to their minimal downtime compared to surgical options.

"If you can get near-surgical results without the risks of anaesthesia or taking time off work, you're more inclined to try something less invasive," she said. This appeal is bolstered by the immediate results these procedures offer, providing clients with a "dopamine hit" that reinforces their decision. She noted, however, that "some things can't be done non-surgically" but clients who have had surgical procedures often come for touch-ups. She is very meticulous when it comes to her candidate selection.

"If I feel like you have unrealistic expectations, I will refund your deposit and not treat you," she stated. "The idea of fillers is not to change a person but to do a small enhancement."

Henry said that once clients' lips have been injected, they should have products in the lips for over a year.

"But what I do find with most procedures, clients get their lips done, it's swollen for the first few weeks. They like that swollen look, they like that juiciness. And then they're like 'Oh, I want to do it again' because that juiciness settles and the lip will look a lot more natural. So the shape is there, the size is there, but it's not as glossy and juicy as when you first do it. So it's on me to educate clients that listen, you can't chase that swollen look because you don't want to over inject the lips and may end up with a duck shape," she said.

"I don't treat clients that are too young and if I don't think I can give you a good result, I will recommend other options, even surgical intervention," she added.

Henry advised those considering getting lip fillers to avoid alcohol and blood thinners before appointments to minimise bruising and swelling.

The cosmetic industry has seen a notable shift in client attitudes, with persons proudly showing their enhanced looks on social media.

"I think one of the biggest misconceptions with dermal fillers and Botox was that it's not for black people," Henry said. "When you see representation, every day people like yourself getting it done and achieving good results, it gives you more confidence to try it."