Designer lips are in high demand

Cosmetic nurse Alicia Henry says she has her hands full with increasing demand from women seeking “pursed lips” not just to enhance their appearance but to feel more confident in their own aesthetic.

Through his business, The Aesthetic Blueprint, Henry offers a range of non-surgical cosmetic procedures starting at $400.

Born in Jamaica, Henry emigrated to Canada at age 18 and graduated from George Brown College and trained as a nurse.

“I started doing injections as soon as I graduated from nursing school, within the first six months,” she recalled. “That was in 2018, before the pandemic hit and the industry was very different at that point, so I’ve been doing injections since the beginning of 2019.”

Her clients are primarily women between the ages of 25 and 50. Her foray into the Jamaican market began by chance.

“I was working in a clinic here, doing injections, and a friend of mine in Jamaica asked me to bring over some filler syringes. I gave her lips, she did an Instagram Live, and I woke up to 100 direct messages asking for lips.”

Henry quickly became a sought-after figure in Jamaica’s budding cosmetic injectable industry. Her client base quickly expanded to include social media influencers, businessmen and even other medical professionals. Social media is one factor driving demand.

“Patients come to me because they trust me and want to be treated,” she says. Henry also attributes the growing popularity of non-surgical treatments to the minimal downtime they require compared to surgical options.

“If I can get results similar to surgery, without the risks of anesthesia and time off work, I’m more willing to try less invasive methods,” she says. These procedures are immediate, giving patients a “dopamine rush” that helps them make the decision. But, she points out, “there are some things you can’t do outside of surgery,” and surgical patients often come in for revisions. She is very selective about her patient selection.

“If we feel you have unrealistic expectations, we will refund your deposit and not perform the treatment,” she said. “The point of fillers is not to change you, but to make you a little more beautiful.”

Henry said that once injected into a client’s lips, the product should remain in the lips for more than a year.

“But what I’ve noticed with most treatments is that for the first few weeks, their lips are swollen, and they love that swelling, that juiciness. And then the juiciness goes down and their lips look much more natural, so they think, ‘Oh, I want to do it again.’ They’re the right shape and size, but they’re not as shiny and juicy as they were the first time. So my responsibility is to educate my clients not to chase the swelling, because you might end up injecting too much into your lips and end up with a duck shape,” she said.

“I don’t treat patients who are too young, and if I don’t think they will get a good outcome, I recommend other options, such as surgical intervention,” she added.

Henry advised anyone considering lip fillers to avoid alcohol and blood thinners before the procedure to minimise bruising and swelling.

The cosmetics industry has seen a noticeable change in customer attitudes, with people proudly showing off their improved looks on social media.

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions about dermal fillers and Botox is that they’re not for black people,” Henry says. “Seeing people like me getting it every day and getting good results gives me the confidence to try it.”