Lip Injections

Achieving a Harmony of Lip Balance

The human lip is a symphony of form and function. It is one of the more delicately controlled muscles of the body and one of our most potent facial features. Enhancement of the lip can offer fantastic results for the entire face when done appropriately. To understand lip aesthetics you have to understand lip anatomy. The lip is not a tube. Its named after cupid, specifically cupids bow and cupids bows peak. Below is a photo of human lip illustrating the parts. When do lip augmentation, you must keep all of these structures, if you obscure any of these structures in favor of volume, that’s when you get an unnatural fake, “PVC pipe” type of look. The human lip should never be flat. It should be voluptuous and curvy, like Venus. Any intervention that we undertake in our practice adheres to this principle. We make natural lips better, not fake lips. This may seem minor. It is not.

Any lip augmentation intervention must harmoniously balance the lateral lip elements, the central dimple, the philtral columns, white roll (aka the “got milk” commercial line of lip milk) and cupids bow in the upper lip. The key to a natural lip augmentation is the white roll. The white roll is the skin as it meets the pink of your lips. Another way to describe it is “got milk”. Prominence of the lip without prominence of the white roll gives a fake look. We believe lip augmentations should offer tangible but subtle results.

Not all patients require or desire excessively large lips. Some people prefer that look, but, most men and women want a natural but meaningful increase in lip volume. We take great pride in offering the option of subtle, natural changes, or large volume changes to the lip without violating the natural anatomy of the lip. By maintaining the natural anatomy of the lip, small subtle, and large volume augmentations can provide durable natural results.

Types of Lip Fillers

This is the current mainstay for lip augmentation because of their reliability, safety, and their reversibility. Results are seen instantaneously, and can be enjoyed for up to one year or longer. There are a number of options for lip augmentation with these fillers, and while one is not necessarily better than the other, all of the fillers act and react differently, and one size never fits all in the human face. Products we use avidly in the lips include:

Juvederm XC Ultra Plus

If you are looking for the Kylie Jenner look, look no further than Juvederm XC Ultra Plus. High degree of crosslinking in this product provides superior volumization throughout the upper and lower lip. Results last up to 12 months.

Juvederm Volbella

We call this filler “internal lip gloss”. This product produces a soft, elegant augmentation by smoothing and plumping the lips. This specific product splits its volume effects by providing a subtle lift to the lip with a subtle degree of augmentation. This is our most popular lip filler. It can be used as a standalone, but for those who want the best possible outcome, we will combine a tube of Volbella with a tube of either Juvederm XC Ultra Plus for maximal volume, or with Refyne for those who want soft lips with deep, firm structure.

Restylane Refyne

One of our most popular products for lips is Refyne. Refyne offers a robust augmentation to the lips through what is called “animational technology”. The more the area moves, the faster the product integrates and exerts its effect. Because of this, we believe that this product integrates the best into the female lip, especially if it is thinner than average. This product predictably provides a full lip augmentation that lasts up to 14 months.

Restylane Kysse

New to the market in 2020, this product is specifically designed for lips. It combines the best of Refyne and Volbella in one platform. Designed to provide fullness without distorting lip anatomy, this product is a softer version of Refyne, but it still provides good structural support like its thicker counterpart. Results can last up to 12 months.

Belotero

For those who do not want to change their lip, but want to erase the lip lines only, look no further than Belotero. We call this filler “Human Happiness sold in an orange box.” It literally only removes wrinkles. For those patients who do not want to change their lips, but want to erase the lines, this is your solution. Results are instantaneous, and can last up to 1 year, but usually stay 6-9 months.

Hyaluronic acid fillers with Botox.

For men and women with a poorly defined cupids bow. By combining these two we can naturally accecuate the natural cupids peak. Same benefits as avove. But, difficult to use a straw. + Longer lasting results because no muschle is moving arounds

Non-Injectable Options for Lips

Fat grafting with laser resurfacing.

Benefits, lasts 5-7 years. Soft, naturalNegaitves, light anesthetic, brusing and swelling lasts 3-5 days. Most coft effective over time.

Before: This patient has severe volume loss, as well as poor overall skin quality. Not only does she have those upper lip lines, but she also has significant volume loss to her upper and lower lips, as well as significant marionette lines laterally.

After: We addressed the volume loss with structural fat grafting, restoring normal volume and projection to the lateral lip elements, cupid’s bow’s peak, and the lower lip. Laser resurfacing was undertaken to improve overall skin quality and improve collagen.

Lip implants

Permanent. We do not advocate their usage bc the complication rate for these procedures far outweights the benefits at this point. WE believe it’s too risky. This also goes for permanent fillers.

We do not use Radiesse, Sculptra, or Renuva in the lips because the behavior of those specific fillers in the lip is unpredictable. They are all very well positioned to be used in other areas of the face, just not the lips.

Lip Lift Surgery

This is a fantastic option for someone who has reached their limit with fillers, but wants full voluptuous lips without losing their natural anatomy. This procedure, done under local anesthesia, elevates the lip and creates greater show to the upper lip by directly removing the excess skin beneath the nose.

The incision for a lip lift is made within the crease between the nose and upper lip, and then extends into the nasal floor, and across the nasal columella. The procedure is usually done under local anesthesia, but can also be done with Twilight anesthesia for those patients who want minimal discomfort.

Caption – Lip lift under local anesthesia. Note in the after picture the decreased interval between the nose and the upper lip. Also, there is better fullness and balance to the upper lip after elevation.