Why All Lip Augmentations Aren’t Created Equal

Nowadays women have the choice to not only alter or enhance their appearance with cosmetics but with the help of advanced technology we’ve been able to introduce various materials to help alter the shape of body parts like our lips. Either with the intent to enlarge, shape, or color. As new as it sounds, these are practices that have been around for centuries, and have only gotten better over time.

Although it’s not the only cosmetic enhancement, lip augmentations can affect how youthful a face can look at any age. It’s a common procedure that is used on all genders, social and ethnic backgrounds. As we age, the volume in the lips is naturally lost. Restoring them to their previous size helps leave you feeling refreshed and youthful. 

What Causes Thin Lips?

Some people never develop fullness in their lips, some people deal with cosmetic deformities of the lips, and for everyone, as we age, there’s atrophy of the lips. Atrophy is the loss of plump, baby fat that develops in the lower face and lips of people who are aging. In addition to atrophy, our body starts to see a decline in production of hyaluronic acid. This gel is made from sugar that helps to support the cells in our skin. It’s also known to affect the lubrication of our joints.

Less and less hyaluronic acid gets produced in the cells located in the lower face and mouth. It’s just another contributing factor to aging along with environmental toxins like pollution, ultraviolet tanning beds and sunlight. 

When to Consider Lip Enhancement

• Thin or less full lips
• Little to no self-confidence
• Looking for balance in the face
• Higher self esteem

Lip Augmentations

With celebrities furthering the point that fuller plumper lips are the “in” look, many people are having a time trying to achieve fuller lips. Deciding what is the “go to” procedure or between enhancements such as lip fillers or lip implants. Temporary or permanent solutions?

With lip fillers like Juvederm on the market, your healthcare provider can use a series of injections that help to shape and plump up your lips. However, lip fillers are only a semi-permanent solution. Then there are lip implants. Some lip implants like Permalip implants are made of solid silicone, soft to the touch and shaped like a natural lip. They come in several sizes. Since silicone is a solid and not liquid, the risk for rupturing or leaking is zero. However, this lip augmentation procedure is permanent. 

Types of Lip Augmentations

Fillers – there are many lip fillers on the market today. Some include Juvederm, Voluma, Restylane, and Perlane. They are an in-office procedure where your technician injects the filler into the upper and lower lips. When having your first consultation, your doctor will assess your overall facial shape and balance with your lips. Your doctor will then determine which areas of your lips need to be fuller to keep symmetry and balance in your facial structure. 

It only takes a quick 15 to 30 minutes! Most patients schedule their lip filler appointments on their lunch break! You can continue your regularly scheduled routine right after the procedure without any recovery time. But because lip fillers are temporary, they only last six to eight months as a semi-permanent solution.

Implants – An alternative to temporary lip fillers like Juvederm is to use lip implants. These are permanent. Your doctor will assess your face and determine what size would balance your face naturally. They’ll assess your face structure and decide which will give you the most balance. 

Implants are an in-office procedure done in this order:

• The skin is sterilized
• The lips numbed
• An incision is made on the corner of the mouth and a tunnel is created
• A curved alligator clamp reaches the end of the tunnel where the clamp opens and the implant is pulled into the lip.
• The implants get positions under lip fat and above the muscles
• Incisions are then closed with absorbable sutures 

The duration of the implant insertion procedure is about thirty minutes, and the patient can go home the day of the procedure. 

Lip Lift – this is a surgical procedure that is meant to remove extra skin and lift the lips to help individuals with loose skin or have a downward sloping mouth. To increase the size of the upper lip, an incision is made under the nose and the skin is shortened. This helps pull the lips upward. Other techniques used can shorten the upper lip and show more teeth. To help with a downward turning mouth, small incisions are made on the side and the extra skin is removed. After the procedure is complete, there are small sutures put in place and then removed four to five days later.

Fat grafting – another alternative to lip filler and lip implants is fat grafting. These lip augmentations use your own tissue for enhancement. When your own tissue is used for lip augmentation it is called autologous lip augmentation. Fat transfer is used in many procedures and autologous lip augmentation is one of them. It’s also another great option to consider for plumping your lips. This is also an in-office surgery using local anesthesia.

Fat is transferred from your abdomen to your lips. The fat is removed from around the belly button, once purified it gets transferred to your lips. This takes anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes total. Individuals are allowed to go home the same day as the surgery. This option lasts around five years, sometimes longer.

Vermilion Advancement – this is a surgery that requires making an incision along the border of the colored part of the lips. The technician will then remove a strip of skin outside of the border and then pull the colored part of the lips to increase that area of the lips. This makes them appear larger.

Tissue grafting – one of the last types of autologous lip augmentation procedures is tissue grafting. Like fat grafting, not only fat can be used but a combination of fat and pieces of your skin (dermis). This procedure removes skin from the lower stomach like a scar from a C-section. It then gets resected and used to enhance the lips.

Once the skin has been removed it gets rolled like a cigar then inserted into your lips. This is an in-office procedure also done under local anesthesia. It could last from 60 to 90 minutes and the patient can leave the same day. This procedure helps to retain shape and volume for over five years.

Preparing For A Lip Enhancement Procedure

Preparing for your procedure will depend on the type of lip augmentation you opted for. Prior to your appointment, your doctor will provide instructions to help answer any questions you might have. For any surgical procedure, you might take a detailed medical history and perform a physical to determine your fitness.

In advance do the following:

• Stop smoking at least six weeks before this helps with healing
• Avoid aspirin
• Avoid herbal medications
• Avoid some anti-inflammatory drugs
• Hydrate before and after

When agreeing to lip augmentation procedures, all of them are usually performed on an outpatient basis. Any way you decide, be sure to have someone available to drive you home after surgery and even stay with you at least for the first night.

Looking to Plump and Augment Your Lips?

Whether you decide on lip fillers, lip implants, fat grafting or tissue grafting, patients will be happy with more full and voluminous lips. For every procedure available, individuals will be able to see results right away. If you’re ready to start your lip augmentation consultation, call Balshi Dermatology for more information!

Dr. Balshi Performs Various Forms Of Lip Augmentations. Call Balshi Dermatology in Delray Beach, Florida.

Dr. Balshi often uses Restylane or Juvederm, as pure forms of hyaluronic acids. Collagen, Botox, and sometimes even the patient’s own fat will often be used in the restoration of structure and volume to the lower face and lips.

For over ten years, Balshi Dermatology has provided the most exceptional state-of-the-art skincare and cosmetic services to patients of all ages in South Florida. Dr. Thomas Balshi is board certified in both internal medicine and dermatology. His specialties include the aesthetic enhancement of pigmented skin conditions, non-invasive skin rejuvenation, and cosmetic dermatology like lip augmentations.

To schedule a preliminary consultation with a board-certified dermatologist in Delray Beach, contact Balshi Dermatology at (561) 272-6000 or send us a message on our Contact Page to set up your appointment.