Lip Augmentation for a More Alluring You

Plump lips are sexy. As a secondary sex characteristic, lips send signals that register deep in the male brain. Whether men consciously realize it or not, they're programmed to desire women with succulent lips.

Now that cosmetic surgery has made plump, pleasing lips available to everyone, they've become more de riguer than ever.

Actresses Are Raising the Bar
Doesn't it seem as though there are more full-lipped actresses around than there used to be? Even the most Aryan types, like Nicole Kidman, seem to be sporting fuller lips than we used to see on Caucasian women.

Apparently a new standard has entered the culture. Buttery lips are in. They're now seen everywhere from Seventeen magazine to Vogue. They're part of what makes both youthful and mature faces alluring.

Great for Rejuvenating the Face
Aging gracefully almost always involves some special attention to the lips. This is because aging thins out the lips, scoring the edges with unattractive vertical lines. When the sphincter muscle beneath the lips contracts, those vertical lines draw attention to themselves and make you look old.

Sometimes a simple chemical peel around the mouth area will restore a smooth surface, and bring back youthful contours. However, if there's an unusual amount of atrophy in the lips (from smoking, bad dietary habits, or genetic factors) more aggressive measures will be required.

Many Options
The good news: women have many options for improving the appearance of their lips.

First Line of Attack - Injections
The most basic approach to lip augmentation is through injections. There are a variety of volumizing agents available for lip plumping, but I prefer using Juvederm. It gives the most satisfying results.

As you probably know, Juvederm injections have to be refreshed every six months or so. So if you like the results you get with Juvederm, and you want to find a more permanent way to keep your lips plumped up, we can explore more long-lasting fillers.

Longer-Lasting Results
Radiesse lasts 12 to 18 months, but rather than being used to plump the lips, it's probably more useful in treating lines around the mouth.

Here is the choice of substances I have at my disposal.

Collagen

• This version of collagen is extracted from cows.
• Drawbacks: It's a temporary fix, and can last from as little as four weeks to three months. Use of this product is good if you just want to get an idea of what lip augmentation might be like without having to make a more permanent decision. There is also a risk of allergic reaction, so a pre-test will be required. Frankly, it is so short-lived I rarely recommend it.
  

Restylane and Hylaform

• This is lab-manufactured hyaluronic acid, which occurs naturally in your skin. It works by drawing water to itself, plumping up the areas we treat with it. o
• Drawbacks: This is also a temporary fix, but your body should not reject it. Effects last about 4 to 6 months or so. Very satisfying results.

Juvederm

• Hyaluronic acid, like Restylane, from a different manufacturer. Similar properties, very soft. Can also be used to plump vertical lip lines and nasolabial folds. Less soreness after injection than with Restylane.
• Drawback: Lasts about 6 months or so.
  

Meg Ryan before and after lip augmentation

An Outpatient Procedure
I'll use a topical anesthetic to make the injections painless. The process isn't all that different from going to the dentist. It only takes around 30 minutes. You can drive yourself home.

Second Line of Attack - Fat Injections and Surgeries
The most ambitious lip plumping involves fat injections and surgeries.

But first, let's discuss a couple of methods I don't favor: Alloderm and Gortex implants.

• Alloderm
  Collagen sheets derived from deceased humans. They're inserted through tiny incisions made on the inside part of the lip. This material offers a temporary fix, lasting up to 12 months. I use this material throughout the body, but NOT in the lips. I have seen some patients with scarring after Alloderm to the lips.
  
  
• Gore-Tex, SoftForm
  These are synthetic options that are permanent. Unlike some of the other options we've listed above, your body will not absorb these. In some cases there have been significant scars. I do not use these in the lips.
  

Better choices include:

• Fat grafting
  Here we insert your own fat into your lips to achieve the desired fullness. You may achieve permanent results, but this method varies from person to person. Because it's your own fat, there is a chance that your body can reabsorb it.
  
  

  Before and after fat grafting

  
  
• Lip Advancement
  Lip Advancement is a surgery that increases the size of your lips. It can be performed under local anesthesia using your own lip tissue. Lip advancement is permanent, so there are no more repeat injections.
  

What's the Down Time?
Your down time will depend on your lifestyle and which procedure you undergo.

• Injections - recovery is a few hours to a day or so. Swelling or bruising can last a bit longer, however.
  
  
• Fat grafts from elsewhere in your body and local lip flap surgery - recovery can take up to two weeks after the surgery. For lasting results the lips must look "way overdone" for a week or two.
  

You will need at least three days off from work, at minimum. If you are physically active, you will not be able to exercise the day of the injections and perhaps for a week after fat grafting or local flaps.

How to Prepare

• For your consultation: Most definitely bring in photographs of the kind of lips you would like to have. We can discuss these, and I'll give you a realistic assessment of how appropriate these lips would be for your face, and how close I can get to creating them in reality.
  
  
• For your surgery: If you are a smoker, you may be required to stop smoking for a period of time before the procedure. As with all surgery, you should not take aspirin or anti-inflammatory medications. I'll give you a full set of instructions when you make your appointment. These will give you all the information you need to be fully prepared for your lip augmentation.
  

Can Anyone Get Lip Augmentation?
You are not a good candidate for lip augmentation if you have oral herpes, certain diseases such as diabetes or lupus, any scarring or connective tissues disorders, or blood clotting problems.

Patients with a reaction to the pre-treatment collagen skin test; who have a serious allergy history, may not consider lip augmentation. Treatment is sometimes postponed for patients with active inflammatory skin conditions or infections.

Will I Be Satisfied with the Result?
I have many patients who are thrilled with the results of their lip augmentations, particularly women genetically predisposed to thinning lips.

Researchers are coming up with new cosmetic fillers all the time, so in the coming years it may be possible to lend your lips a subtle fullness that's also permanent.

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