Lips are one of the most important features that characterize your face. Lips should be in harmony with other features of your face such as nose, cheeks, eyes, eyebrows, chin and teeth. Plump and youthful lips are the symbol of beauty and a window to a tantalizing smile. As we age, movement of the mouth causes softness, loss of lip volume, and vertical lines can develop. These changes you look less attractive and aged. Lip Filling or Lip Augmentation can help you in attaining fuller lips that will add a sensuous appeal to your face.
Even for men, these subtle lip edge changes can take away what makes a masculine youthful appearance. Appropriate lip edge treatment restores these changes. However, it is important to educate yourself about the precautions to be taken and risks involved in a lip filling procedure before taking the plunge. Let’s talk about some important facts related to lip filling:
Who Is Eligible For Lip Filling?
Adults who are in good health and have naturally thin lips, a decrease in lip volume due to age, and those interested in fuller lips. Prior scaring or lip procedures can be improved with lip filling.
The Most Common Lip Filling Techniques
The widely accepted techniques for lip filling are:
• Injectable Lip Fillers
• Fat Transfer
• Lip Implants
Injectable Lip Fillers
The safest technique for lip augmentation is injecting hyaluronic acid or collagen based fillers, which provide pleasing results that last for four to 12 months. The results achieved by injectable lip fillers are temporary because the body eventually absorbs the filler. Some of the reliable fillers for temporary lip augmentation are Restylane®, Perlane®, Hylaform®‚ and Juvederm®. Lip augmentation with injectable fillers that result in temporary lip augmentation is a less time consuming procedure that is carried out under local anesthesia and delivers immediate results. Although longer lasting lip edge treatment is desirable, permanent fillers are generally not recommended in the lip because of the risk of nodularity along the lip edge. So fillers like Bio-Alcamid ®, or Artefill® which are designed to last a very long time in the tissues or be permanent, are generally not recommended in the lip.
Even though this is a low risk procedure, your reaction to treatment will depend on the type of filler and your ability to heal. Mild side effects related to lip fillers include redness, bruising, swelling, minor discomfort, tenderness, and much less commonly, infection. With proper precautions and care, these side effects can be minimized, and will fade within a few days. Allergies to these products can occur even if you have been successful treated with a particular product in the past. Unwanted fullness following a treatment can easily be adjusted with any of the hyaluronic acid fillers, which is why these have rapidly become the number one choice for lip augmentation.
Fat Transfer
Lip augmentation with fat transfer involves removing fat from one area of the body, usually the abdomen or the thighs with the help of liposuction. This fat is subsequently injected it into the lips with the help of a syringe. As only the body’s natural tissue is used, rejection or allergic reaction does not occur. The results are longer lasting with 50 to 60% of the transferred fat surviving to provide permanent augmentation. Depending on surgeon’s and patient’s preferences lip filling with fat transfer is performed under local anesthesia or a general anesthesia. Fat does need to be harvested from another site on the body, often the abdomen or flanks and healing is also needed at this site.
The side effects may include infection, bruising, swelling, and minor discomfort. Bruising typically is present for 2 weeks. This procedure, like all lip services requires a high degree of expertise and finesse because the fat needs to be injected to shape the lip. Care also needs to be taken that the fat cells do not die during the fat transfer. Lip fat transfer can be very helpful in establishing basic lip volume. However, lip fat transfer lacks the level of precision that can be achieved with the lip filler products like Restylane®. Once the transferred fat has achieved a blood supply, the volume is retained on a long term basis. Some offices freeze fat for later use. Evidence suggests that the freezing process damages the fat cells and volume persists after the use of frozen fat cell long as long as it takes the body to reabsorb these cells.
Lip Implants
Lip implants provide permanent lip augmentation. In the lip implantation technique the surgeon makes small incisions on the lips to accommodate the implant. To ensure that the lip implant is placed correctly for an even and natural result, the surgeon creates a fine tunnel through the lips. After inserting the implant in the lips, it is trimmed according to the length of the lips and the incisions are sealed. SoftForm, e-PTFE (generic replacement for Gore-Tex® which is no longer made for the lips) and AlloDerm® are the three popular types of implants used for permanent lip augmentation. It is important to consult an expert cosmetic surgeon to understand which lip implant is right for you.
Some of the risks associated with permanent lip augmentation include implant rejection, infection, implant migration, scarring, and stiffness of the lips. The main benefit of permanent lip augmentation is that it provides longer-lasting results than temporary fillers, which are eventually absorbed into the body. Although the effect of fuller lips is permanent with lip implants than with injections, lip implants carry a higher risk of scarring or lumping of the lips. Also lip implants lack the level of precision that can be achieved with the use of lip fillers. These risks can occur with highly qualified surgeons. It is important to discuss with your surgeon the best choices that are right for you. Many find that filling the lips to be an excellent alternative to surgical lip augmentation with and implant or even fat transfer.
How Do You Prepare Yourself for Lip Filling?
There is a possibility of an allergic reaction to any of the fillers that are used for lip filling. However, the risk is the lowest with the hyaluronic acid fillers. It is your responsibility to report to your surgeon, any pre-existing allergies or respiratory problems which could be compounded due to anesthesia. It is crucial to choose a professional facial plastic surgeon that uses only FDA approved lip augmentation products and guides you in choosing the right cosmetic procedure that is ideal and safe for you.
How Do I Choose The Right Cosmetic Surgeon For Lip Filling?
The most important step to take before undergoing a lip filling treatment is to choose the right cosmetic surgeon. Extensive research performed to identify your potential cosmetic surgeon is very helpful. Is your surgeon board certified in one of the core aesthetic specialities: Dermatology, Oculoplastic Surgery, Facial Plastic surgery, or General plastic surgery? Does you surgeon have hospital privileges at a University based hospital? There is a big difference between surgeons who operate at Major University centers and those who confine themselves to community hospitals. Does you surgeon publish scientific papers, teach other surgeons, and lecture? Does your doctor have medical malpractice insurance to cover the procedures you are considering? These are helpful clues to assist you in identifying a cosmetic surgeon of the highest caliber to assist you in achieving your goals.
