Lip enhancements include a series of micro-surgical procedures which restore or add volume one’s lips and also smoothen out lines and wrinkles around the mouth and lips.
While surgical procedures, like lip implants are an option, more and more cosmetic surgeons prefer to conduct minimally invasive procedures to achieve the best natural-looking results that could last for over 1 year or more. Whether you have a smile that is ‘gummy’, down-turned corners near your mouth, wrinkles above your lips, or are only looking for an Instagram-worthy pout, there is always an option available to augment your lips.
Dermal fillers
This has to be the most straightforward way of shaping your lips and giving them the desired level of thickness, size and pout which you desire by injecting/placing dermal fillers into your lips. The fillers should last about 4 to 10 months. A major trend that is being noticed is the use of off-label fillers to attain more long-lasting results along with better structure and shape. Hyaluronic acid fillers, along with a few medically-safe additives, allows the ‘lip job’ to last a little longer, even for 6 to 12 months. Even more long-term results can be achieved by grafting fat to your lips. Your own fat is grafted from different parts of the body via liposuction, then the fat is filtered and processed before it is placed into your lips, to get an ideal shape. This procedure can last for years, hence, it is the most durable of the other alternatives.
Fine lines or “smoker’s lines”
Lip lift
This is a surgical way to get rid of upper lip thinness, permanently, and achieve a fuller pout. This procedure involves an incision right under your nose, removing a small amount of skin and then giving the lip a ‘lift’ towards your nose, thus ensuring added height, and a more prominent pout than before. This procedure is a viable option for elderly patients who notice lengthening between their upper lip and the base of their nose. Lifting this area not only provides a pout but this can also help attain a more youthful look.
Neurotoxin injections
If you wish to got for a subtle pout on you lower/upper lip and want to avoid getting fillers, then getting a safe neurotoxin injected into your lips, is a good option. Tiny amounts of Dysport, Xeomin or Botox are inserted into the middle of your upper lip and after a few days of reaction time, a visible pout emerges. These chemicals relax your muscles where they are injected and give an aesthetically pleasing pout which should last you about 3-4 months, at most.
“Gummy” smile
You must have seen a few people who cover their mouths with their hands when they laugh, because their smiles and laughs expose a little too much of their gums. It is so important to feel uninhabited, especially when one wants to smile or laugh to express happiness. To fix the issue of a gummy smile, a small amount of neurotoxin is injected into the skin just above your upper lip, and viola! In a few days, your gums will no longer be exposed, and the injections would not affect your smile in any way. The results would be visible for 3-4 months.
Between surgical and non-surgical options available for your lips, you need not settle for gummy smiles, thin lips, fine lip wrinkles near your mouth and lips dis-proportionate to your face. As always, your surgeon would be able to tell you more about the most aesthetic and cost-friendly options available for you.
