Lips are the focus of much attention in pursuit of beauty – as attested by the vast inventory of products that women use. Having full, luscious and shapely lips is considered beautiful in any society. The good news as far as aesthetic surgery/cosmetic medicine goes is that lip enhancement and re-shaping are very effective and relatively easy for a woman to undergo. Many are done as office procedures. A detailed list of possibilities follows.
- Defining Lip border and contours for that sculpted look. This is done using filler gels and very fine needles to precisely outline and bring up the borders prominently. Of course this is done after giving an injection of local anesthetic cream to the area.
- Lip volumizing. Cosmetics merely give an illusion of lip volume. For a true increase in volume, several options exist as mentioned below.
- Lip shaping. It is possible to change the shape by using the filler gels skilfully. More or less fullness can be created in specific parts of the lip within limits of course. A groove can be created especially in the lower lip that can look very attractive.
- Smile alteration. If one has down turned lip corners, this can be changed to an upturned smile using fillers and Botox. This is an advanced application only for the experienced aesthetic practitioner.
- Lip reduction. Many are embarrassed by very big lips, lower lip hanging down, and sloth-bear like lax lips or may suffer from repeated drying of the large lips. An elegant lip reduction can be done easily to put this problem behind you. There are no visible marks and it is easier than it appears. Of course it must be done with the right attention to aesthetics and function.
- Rejuvenating ageing lips: A combination of several procedures like fillers, fat graft, lasers, and lip lift surgery can be combined to turn back the clock on ageing lips.
- Correcting nose-lip-chin problems. If the nose is too long and droopy, it hides the lips. Similarly if the chin is receding or small, the lip’s beauty is marred. A combo procedure of profile-plasty including work on nose, chins and on lips if required can give dramatic improvements.
Options for lip augmentation:
- Fillers. Gels like Restylene, Teosyal. This is done in office, painless procedure under local anesthetic and lasts about 9-12 months
- Fat grafting. Done in minor surgery and lasts several years. Can be repeated.
- Lip advancement surgery. This may be required in those who only have a pencil line lip. More red lip tissue is brought out from the inner side. This is a minor surgery under local anesthetic. Swelling is expected for a week.
- Lip implant. A new silicone implant is available for permanent augmentation. This is not injectable oil. Requires a minor surgery as office procedure. There are no marks.
- Lip plumping by tissue. If you are undergoing any surgery where skin is removed such as abdominoplasty then two strips of deeper part of skin (dermis) with a bit of fat attached can be prepared and inserted into the lips. Results are long lasting.