Lip Enhancement

Candidates: Anybody male, or female who wants to get fuller, plumper lips, and reduce fine wrinkles around the mouth.

Expected Results: Lip enhancement creates fuller, plumper lips, and reduces fine wrinkles around the mouth.

Description of Procedure

Lips can be injected with a variety of substances including collagen (human or bovine), hyaluronic acid, synthetics (i.e. silicone), or fat which the patient donates from another part of his/her body. Hyaluronic acid, collagen, and fat are eventually absorbed by the body so repeat treatments are necessary to maintain results. Silicone is considered to be permanent filler but has more side effects. There are newer, more permanent options such as implantable materials like Radiesse.

The materials described above can be injected. One injection is usually sufficient to produce the desired result. Depending on the filler, injections need to be repeated periodically. Proper placement of the injected material is important.. Once the substance is in place, it eventually becomes integrated with normal tissue. While many techniques exist for lip augmentation, none are perfect. You and your physician should discuss the risks and benefits to decide if lip augmentation is for you.

Healing & Downtime

Immediate return to normal activities is the norm. In some patients bruising and swelling may last 7-14 days Other Considerations:

– Allergic reactions, which are rare, can cause prolonged redness, swelling or itching, or firmness at the injection site. Other possible complications include infection, bleeding, lip asymmetry, and migration or extrusion of implants. Normal swelling and bruising lasts from three days to a week.
– Patients with a reaction to the pre-treatment collagen skin test; who have a serious allergy history; or are allergic to lidocaine (a local anesthetic) should not consider lip augmentation. Treatment is sometimes postponed for patients with active inflammatory skin conditions or infections.
– Collagen injections have a short-lived effect, approximately 9-12 weeks.
– Soft-form is a foreign body and may become infected or be rejected.

While many techniques exist for lip augmentation, none are perfect. You and your physician should discuss the risks and benefits to decide if lip augmentation is for you.