Woman Reveals How a Lip Flip Impacted Her Sex Life as She Details Procedure's Shocking Side Effects (Exclusive)
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In May, aesthetic nurse injector Brooke Carrero posted a TikTok video detailing the side effects of a lip flip, which involves injecting neurotoxin to the area above the upper lip for a plumper, fuller effect
Carrero used her video as a PSA to patients interested in the enhancement, which she said affected how she drank water and pronounced certain words
Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively, Carrero reveals how the effects, which lasted around 48 hours, also impacted her sex life: "My skill set probably went from a 10 down to a six"
Brooke Carrero, a registered nurse trained in aesthetic injections, is getting loose lipped about one of the most common cosmetic procedures.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R16ekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R26ekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframeShe posted a viral TikTok video in May revealing some of the side effects caused by the cosmetic enhancement, which involves injecting neurotoxin, a substance used by injection brands like Botox, to relax the surrounding areas of the upper lip to make them flip upward, giving them a fuller appearance.
Right now, Botox is not FDA-approved to treat the lips, unlike fillers, which is why it is considered "off-label" for lip flips as opposed to its relation to treating crow's feet and frown and forehead lines. Though, that doesn't mean lip flips are entirely off the market, causing curiosity around the procedure to grow; a report published by the National Library of Medicine discovered a 33% monthly increase in the search volume for lip flips from 2014-2024.
Carrero, who is based in Philadelphia and practices under Becker Plastic Surgery and Dr. Kirk Lozada, shocked viewers when she revealed how the treatment made it more difficult to do ordinary activities, such as drinking out of a straw, brushing her teeth, applying lip gloss and even pronouncing words with Bs and Ps.
But the most surprising admission from Carrero, 34, was how it impacted her sex life, a topic she was cheeky about in her TikTok video ("You can't blow out a candle, which means you can't blow anything. Use your imagination there," she joked), but open about in her interview with PEOPLE.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1cekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2cekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe"My skill set probably went from a 10 down to a six," she says. But, "I feel like I've gotten used to the way that my mouth kind of moves," she says, adding that her husband is so used to her experimenting with different treatments that he "laughs at me with my side effects."
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Luckily, Carrero notes that side effects usually last one to two days, while the lip flip itself can last up to three to four weeks.
A playing factor is the number of units of neurotoxin injected into the patient. For her clients, Carrero commonly uses around four to six units (each of which costs around $14 at Carrero's practice), which the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery also suggests.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1hekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2hekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframeYet currently, Carrero has 16 units injected around her mouth — and yes, she did them herself. "I am somebody that needs to try everything and expose myself to complications so I'm able to relate to my patients," she tells PEOPLE on why she goes to extremes for research purposes.
Brooke Carrero
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After her video went viral, Carrero received tons of comments from people thanking her for cluing them in on the temporary hinderances of a lip flip. "No one tells you this!" one person wrote, while another person agreed, sharing that they wish they knew this before getting the treatment.
At the end of the day, Carrero approaches the conversation around cosmetic treatments with an open mind. "There's nothing that you need to have done, like nobody needs a lip flip and nobody needs cosmetic procedures, but it's a matter of want. If it makes you feel good, don't let anyone make you feel otherwise."
Read the original article on People
