Kathy Griffin Says It Was 'Painful to Laugh' After Lip Tattoo: 'Didn’t Know It Would Be That Bad' (Exclusive)

“Between the lip tattoo and the microblading, I can finally stand to look at myself in the mirror without any makeup on,” the actress and comedian tells PEOPLE

Kathy Griffin wasn’t expecting how swollen she’d initially be after getting her lips tattooed.

The actress and comedian, 62, recently documented her experience getting her lips tattooed and her eyebrows microbladed in a YouTube video. After getting her lips inked with a blush hue, the star spoke to PEOPLE about the experience, which initially left her lips bright red and swollen.

“I didn’t know it would be that bad,” Griffin tells PEOPLE of the swelling. “I could not stop laughing even though it was painful to laugh for about four days.”

She adds that her husband, marketing executive Randy Bick, was “scared initially but thinks they look incredible!”

Lip blushing, or lip tattooing, is a semi-permanent tattoo that can enhance the color and shape of your lips and give the impression of more fullness, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This is done by depositing color ink into the lips and along the lip line to improve the overall look. The color is typically subtle in order to give natural-looking results.

After seeing the results once the swelling went down, Griffin admits that her practitioner “nailed the color.”

“They did 90% in the first visit and I have one final tuneup in a few weeks,” she says of the process.

Related: Kathy Griffin Gets Her Lips Tattooed, Friends Are Shocked by Her 'Swollen' Appearance

Additionally, the Search Party star was pleased with getting her eyebrows microbladed.

The microblading procedure involves the permanent transfer of pigment under the skin to areas of the face such as the eyebrows and lips to enhance those features with a look similar to permanent makeup.

“I like this microblading thing,” Griffin says. “I had it done the first time about eight years ago and this is only the second time I have had it done.”

“Between the lip tattoo and the microblading, I can finally stand to look at myself in the mirror without any makeup on,” she quips.

Although she’s loving her new look, Griffin says she’s “not considering any permanent makeup or facial changes at this time.”

“Believe it or not, the one procedure I would be too afraid to get is a boob job,” she admits. “I heard they take your nipple off. I don’t need that aggravation!”

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Related: TikToker Shares Shocking Results of a 'Failed' $50 Lip Blushing Treatment: 'Not Worth It'

Griffin also shared that her health has continued in a positive direction, having revealed her diagnosis with stage 1 lung cancer in 2021, despite having never smoked, and the subsequent surgery to remove half her lung to treat the cancer.

After undergoing surgery on her left vocal cord in May, Griffin says she’s “generally doing very well.”

“I’m still cancer free and I appreciate very much when people express support,” she tells PEOPLE. “I work out religiously five days a week with my power walks and Pilates and eat very well except for some cookie dough I had last night. Oops.”

“The secret to having so much fun is to eat as much cookie dough as you can. Just kidding. Don’t listen to me,” she teases. “I have always been, and will always continue to be, a bad influence.”

The actress previously told PEOPLE about the procedure and her recovery while referencing her infamous 2017 incident in which she posed for a photoshoot involving a bloodied replica of former President Donald Trump's head.

“I feel like I figuratively lost my comedic voice because of the Trump photo scandal. I literally lost my voice due to the cancer surgery and now I finally have my voice back,” Griffin said at the time. “I’m a grateful, naughty comedian again!”

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