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Now that cosmetic surgery has made buttery, pleasing lips available to everyone, they’ve become more popular than ever.
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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 (when you’re chewing, for example), it acts like a purse string. Those vertical lines pleat and gather, making you look old.
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A Peel May Be All You Need
Sometimes a simple chemical peel or even a laser resurfacing around the mouth area will restore a smooth surface and 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
Juvederm, Restylane and Perlane are the most common fillers used for this purpose. These are made of hyaluronic acid, a substance that occurs naturally in the body. It’s been winning raves from plastic surgeons for its smooth consistency and ease of use.
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Juvederm works by drawing water to itself. The water adds volume to your skin and smoothes out the surface.
I inject it strategically into the lip area to plump up vertical lines and the lips themselves. These fillers can also be used to fill in the nasolabial folds (the parentheses around the corners of the mouth).
Radiesse is another type of filler that I use for filling deeper areas. |
An Outpatient Procedure
Injections are low-impact treatments.
- I’ll use a local anesthetic to make the injections painless. The process is similar to a visit to the dentist.
- You’ll go home shortly afterwards and, depending on how ambitious the scope of your augmentation is, you may even be able to drive yourself.
Longest-Lasting Fillers
Juvederm, Restylane and Perlane last from 10-12 months.
What’s the Down Time?
Recovery is a few hours to a day or so. Swelling or bruising can last a bit longer, however.
Second Line of Attack – Fat Injections and Surgery
Women who absolutely know they desire fuller lips and are ready for a permanent solution have two choices.
Fat Grafting
Here we insert your own fat into your lips to achieve fullness. The results vary from person to person, and are less predictable than hyaluronic acid fillers -- the body will reabsorb some of the fat.
- Recovery is a few hours to a day or so. Swelling or bruising can last a bit longer, however.
Surgery with Alloderm or PTF
- Alloderm is made from donated human tissue and contains elastin filaments, collagen fibers and proteins. PTFE poly(tetrafluoroethene) is a synthetic fluoropolymer.
- Each of these is placed as a surgical procedure. I perform this under local anesthesia in the office. You can expect more swelling initially but the results are permanent.
Will I Be Satisfied with My Result?
My patients have been thrilled with their lip augmentations, particularly women with genetically thin lips. They get renewed pleasure from dining out, and they report absolutely loving the way men respond to them after the surgery.
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