LIP ENLARGEMENT (Lip Augmentation)

Full lips are an important feature of facial beauty. They represent youth, warmth, and give a person a smile that others will notice. Many people complain of their lips being too thin. In evaluating the lips, a careful determination must be made how much enlargement would be desirable to create symmetry with other facial features such as the cheek bones, nose, eyes, and chin. Lips that are too full can be as detrimental as lips that are too thin. View our past clients before and after pictures.

There are many methods of correction of thin lips. These include the following:

Collagen Injections

This can create the “Paris lips” with injections along the lip border or vermilion border. Also, collagen can be used to fill the lips. The unfortunate part about collagen is that most of it will disappear within 6-12 weeks after its placement.

Hylaform or Restalyn

These are fillers that are relatively new and will last perhaps as long as 3-4 months. They are safe and well-tolerated and used primarily along the lip border and to fill the lips. This product gives a very soft and natural result.

Radiesse

This is a longer-lasting material that may give results up to 12-18 months. It is place along the upper and lower lip borders to restore structure and provide a mild lip augmentation. It is also used in the naso-labial folds (laugh lines). Careful placement of the product must be taken to avoid clumping and nodulartiy. However, if this does occur, it usually softens after a short period of time.

Fat Grafting

This is a more permanent technique and, again, is very safe and well-tolerated. The worst part about this operation is that in order to be effective, it has to be significantly overcorrected at the time of the procedure. As much as 50 or 60 percent overcorrection will be accomplished because at least 75-80 percent of the fat that is injected will be absorbed within the first 4-6 weeks. To obtain the best result, 2 or 3 treatments might be necessary. The fat is usually removed from the inner knee area or from the hip area in undesirable bulges.

Dermal Fat Grafts

This is skin and fatty tissue taken from a previous scar somewhere on the body. By using incisions inside the mouth, it is a very effective method because it uses the patient’s own body tissue. Again, a little bit of overcorrection is necessary because some absorption does occur, but far less than occurs with fat grafts.