Lip Augmentation Overview

If nature didn't give you plump lips, lip augmentation can. Plump lips are associated with youth and health, and can make a statement about you without uttering a word.

Lip Enhancement Options

Lip augmentation, also called lip enhancement, can take several forms. Some types, such as injections of fillers, can be temporary. Some of these filler materials last for a while and are slowly absorbed by the body. The upside to that is that, if you don't like the looks of your augmented lips, they are not permanent and will revert to their former size. The downside is that to keep the look, you have to have the injections regularly.

The science of injectable fillers is rapidly advancing. Newer filler materials are coming onto the market with regularity and some are now considered semi-permanent and even permanent. The plumping effects last longer and, with some of them, some of the size improvement remains. Filler products include collagen (Zyderm and other brands) and hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Perlane, and other brands).

Injectable fillers are considered a minimal cosmetic procedure. Because there is a risk of an allergic reaction with some of these products, you may have to have a patch test done a week or so before having the injections. For this, a small amount of the filler is injected in the skin of your arm and you watch for any redness or swelling.

Fat Grafting for Lip Augmentation
One form of injectable filler for lip augmentation is fat grafting. The filler being used is fat harvested from elsewhere on your body that has been refined and is then injected into the area being augmented. There is no risk of allergic reaction, but the body can reabsorb the fat.

Lip Implants
Another type of lip augmentation is a lip implant. This is a more invasive cosmetic procedure in which incisions made at the corners of each lip. The surgeon then threads a thin flexible implant from one corner of each lip to the other, trims them, and then closes the incisions. Lip implants are most commonly made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Gore-Tex) or other substances.

Lip augmentation with implants is permanent, but the implants can be removed if there are any problems. If an infection occurs, the implants may need to be removed.

Both types of lip augmentation are performed under local anesthesia.

Disclaimers