Lip augmentation, also known as Cheiloplasty, is changing the shape of the lips with the use of surgery with lip implants, or the use of filler injections, or alternatively using fat transfer injections.
Young people have a natural s-shape to their lips, with a sharp vermillion border, which is the junction between the skin and the lips, as well as having a central cupid’s bow. However as we age, our lips become naturally thinner, more so aging of the lips will lead to volume loss, curvature, loss of cupid’s bow and increased vertical lines. Furthermore, facial aging of the lower third of the face includes volume loss of the cheeks and gravitational decent. The smile lines are called nasolabial folds and run from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth. Often thin lips occur in association with other changes in the face. In facial aging there is often loss of volume in the surrounding soft tissues and this may lead to a down turning of the lips, which will make you look sad.
The correct lip augmentation treatment can correct this sad face, and give you a more youthful appearance. Plus, since the recovery time after a lip augmentation procedure is typically short, making lip enhancement one of the easiest ways to make the face more visually appealing.
Lip augmentation can be beneficial
The type of lip augmentation treatment you choose to undergo, will be determined by the sort of results you are looking for and how long you want the results to last.
For example, fat injections are a good option for lip augmentation as they can be used to enhance the lips to create a fuller appearance. The benefit of using fat over other fillers are that they are longer lasting. Whereas injectable fillers like Juvederm or Restylane may give an instant result, they will only last for 6 months. This does not mean all fillers are limited to 6 months, a product like Alloderm can have a longer effect, but your doctor will discuss the different options with you based on the results you are looking for.
Lip augmentation is ideal for you if you are not pleased with your thin lips. This procedure will help to give your lips volume and reduce the appearance of lipstick lines by filling age related creasing along the lip border. Therefore most women are good candidates for lip augmentation. In fact any person, of any age can be a candidates for lip augmentation.
If you have any allergic reaction to the materials used for lip augmentation, you might not be a good candidate. In addition, if you are planning to undergo surgery to place lip implants should also report any respiratory problems that could potentially be compounded by anesthesia.
It is thus important to understand the risks, as not all the dermal filler and lip implants available for lip augmentation is safe for everyone. For the best results, your doctor will be able to suggest the best options based on your situation.
More about the procedure
Before the procedure you will need to follow the basic pre-operative instructions prescribed by your doctor. These can include:
- Avoiding certain medications, herbs, and vitamins a couple of weeks before surgery that could lead to blood thinning and to avoid bleeding during and after the procedure
- You should not drink or eat food just before midnight, before your treatment
- Do not apply make-up, or wear contact lenses on the day of surgery
- You should make arrangements for a ride home after the treatment. But with dermal fillers, since they are less invasive than fat injections that require liposuction or even lip implants, you will be able to drive yourself home.
The length of the procedure will be depended on the type of lip augmentation that was selected. Lip implants for example will take around an hour to complete, whereas fillers around 30 minutes.
Risks
The risks and complications of a lip augmentation procedure will be largely impacted by the sort of treatment that was selected. Lip implants, although invasive, are seen as relatively low risk. There are some complications that can occur, such as implant rejection, infection, implant migration, scarring, and stiffness of the lips. But an implant does last longer than fillers, as fillers will over time be absorbed into your body.
For fillers the risks associated are mostly determined by your own body’s reaction to the type of filler that was selected and your body’s ability to heal. The more mild side effects linked to lip fillers include redness, bruising, swelling, minor discomfort, tenderness, and infection. These reactions should fade over a week or two. However, there are more serious risk is that of an allergic reaction to the animal-derived lip fillers, though this is very rare.
