A plump pout is one of the hallmarks of youth. As we age, like other parts of our bodies, lips lose some of their fullness, partly because the skin is so thin and delicate, making it particularly sensitive to environmental factors like the sun, and partly from loss of springy connective tissue beneath the surface.
While there are topical lip plumping formulas, they wear off quickly, which can be bothersome for someone who wants her lips to appear more youthful around the clock. Solutions range from semi-permanent procedures like hyaluronic acid fillers to more permanent lip implants made from Gore-Tex™ or silicone.
Here’s a rundown of some of your lip plumping options.
Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: Restylane®, Juvederm®
Photos of Restylane® enhanced lips courtesy of Dr. Diane Cantrell, M.D.
Hyaluronic acid exists naturally in the body, and has the added benefit of binding well to peptides and to up to 1000 times its weight in water. In addition to this, it has a high viscosity that allows it to work well as a filler in the skin (Dermatologic Surgery).
Dermal fillers help to restore volume to area where it might have been lost. Unlike Botox™, these don’t affect your muscles or nerves, but simply fill in space. This helps to give back some of the firmness and elasticity to skin.
Typically for lips, dermatologists will use Restylane® or Juvederm®. These have little downtime and last between six and 18 months. I use hyaluronic acids that contain a local anesthetic to ensure my patients have the most comfortable experience possible and also provide topical numbing gels and painless local nerve blocks when necessary.
Botox™ and Dysport™
Botox and Dysport won’t add the kind of volume that hyaluronic acid fillers will, but they can be used to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles around the lips to give them a fuller appearance. Both of these have little downtime after the procedure and last for up to six months.
However, these often don’t deliver the same kind of volume as fillers and injections and, if done improperly, can lead to temporary issues with speech, eating, and drinking (since they paralyze the muscle). As with any procedure, it’s important to seek out a doctor you trust who will be able to expertly inject you in the right places to sculpt a frown-line free face.
Other Lip Injections and Implants
Traditional collagen lip injections don’t last quite as long as hyaluronic acid fillers, but there are new forms that are often made from biocompatible material from the patient or a donor.
For example, AlloDerm™ is collagen taken from donated skin that’s injected into the lips. This is a temporary effect and needs to be repeated regularly, but the benefits are that there is little downtime and the AlloDerm™ eventually integrates with the tissue of the body (The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery).
Surgical lip implants are a typically a permanent lip augmentation.
Permanent solutions include Gore-Tex™, which are typically well tolerated by the body, and silicone such as in the FDA-approved PermaLip™, which is commonly used in other cosmetic implants (New York Magazine). In this case, it can take up to a week for patients to return to typical activities. These treatments are not easily removable if you don’t like the results, and removal can sometimes leave scars within the lips.
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a more youthful smile, temporary, semi-permanent, and permanent options can really make you look more youthful. Each has their own particular uses and some people tolerate one better than others. Whether you decide to have your lips injected with hyaluronic acid fillers or to get more permanent implants, the best way to decide the right lip augmentation procedure for you is to find an expert dermatologist who can explain the pros and cons for each one.