Lip Augmentation Methods

They say that a woman's lips are one of the most sensual things. So it is not surprising that many would want to have fuller, more expressive lips. Thanks to the advances of plastic and cosmetic medicine, that dream can come true.

What Can You Do For Your Lips To Have That "Kissable" Look?

Various shadowing techniques using make-up in many cases will be enough. Or you may step into an aesthetics clinic for a more serious overhaul. There are a lot of ways to plump up your lips: injections, implants, or surgical procedures.

Let's start with the soft tissue fillers. They are natural or synthetic substances which can be injected or implanted into lips for augmentation purposes. There is a wide range of such products: usually from bovine or human collagen.

Fascia lata allograph (available now as injection material), autollogous fat, or artificial products like Gore Tex, Artecoll, or Restylene. And the list continues with revolutionary new materials awaiting FDA approval: hyaluronic acid gel, hybrid fillers, and micro-droplet silicone.

Procedures To Add These Fillers Into Your Lips

Some fillers are injected under the surface of the lip. This is the simplest method to create more sensual lips.

However it has a short life span, which depends on the substance used and various local factors. For a longer effect, a maintenance program is recommended. The procedure may be repeated several times in order to achieve the desired effect and make it last longer.

Other tissue fillers should be implanted into the lips through a small surgical procedure. This usually produces a longer-lasting effect and the implanted substances can function as a foundation on which injectable fillers can be added.

Risks And Side Effects

With some procedures and fillers you might need a local anaesthetic to avoid pain.

The risks are minimal.

Non-allogenic implants (bovine collagen, for instance) and some artificial substances may cause allergic reactions. And with implants there is a risk of migration.

You should recognize that lips contain lots of nerve endings. Any intervention on them could create a loss in sensitive perception, though this is a temporary event.

What About Surgical Interventions?

There are various surgery techniques useful for beautifying the looks of your lips: lip lift, lip advancement or Z-plasty. They may include a stage of implanting various materials such as breast capsules, deepithelialized flaps, or the patient's own dermis. They offer a long-lasting lip enhancement.

Naturally, the decision on the specific procedure should be reached with your surgeon.

What Should Be Your Procedure Choice?

Generally injections and implants are recommended to those who have not had surgical procedures in this area. The temporary effect gives you time to get accustomed to the new look. Also they have little side effects and the recovery period varies from 2 days to 2 weeks, depending on the substance used and various local conditions.

Another long-term option is tattooing the outer line of the lips. In this case it is best to have had no prior collagen injection. However, there have been successful results by injecting collagen into tattooed lips

Surgical interventions are suited especially for people with small lips, or major impairment on the lips and surrounding skin (e.g. age wrinkles or smoker's lines).

To sum up, any of these techniques can give your lips a softened, natural appearance to produce a youthful and sensual look.