Are your lips Valentine's Day ready?

February is host to the most romantic holiday of the year, Valentine’s Day which comes around every year on February 14^th.  Whether you love Valentine’s Day or hate it, you’re likely familiar with some of the symbols of Valentine’s Day such as kissing, Valentine’s Day Gifts and overpriced flowers.  Full luscious kissing lips have always been a symbol of Valentine’s Day.  Unfortunately, it is a time where many of us notice the thinning of our lips.  Adding some volume to your lip is one the simplest ways to create a more youthful natural appearing lip.  The key word being Natural.

Part of the normal ageing process is loss of volume in our face and lips.  If you look at younger people you might notice that they have rounder, fuller faces and full lips.  As we age we lose some of that volume.  Dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons have recognized for years that we can make people look younger by replenishing volume and for many people avoiding surgery.

One of the more popular areas to fill is the lip.  Thinning of the lips makes us appear old and angry.  When some people hear about lip fillers the first thing that comes to mind is someone they know or have seen on TV with unnatural looking overfilled lips.  The reason you notice what I call “crazy lips” or “duck lips” is because of failure of proper technique.  There are many inexperienced individuals providing this treatment.  Lips are naturally fuller in the central portion and taper at the corners.  A duck like lip can be obtained when too much filler is injected at the sides of the lip.  Another common error is to fill the upper lip and have it too large in proportion to the lower lip.  The goal of lip augmentation is to enhance what you have and give a natural yet fuller appearance.

New and improved fillers have become available to create a natural look.  Some fillers are FDA approved for lips.  In addition, physicians have been using fillers for years to fill lips as an “off label” use.  Physicians commonly use drugs and devices such as injectable fillers “off label”.  If a physician thinks a patient will benefit from a drug or device outside of the narrow FDA approval it is common practice to do so.  However, manufacturers can only promote and advertise based upon the narrow FDA approval.  Juvederm and Restylane are the two most popular families of fillers in the United States.  Both have fillers that are FDA approved for lip augmentation.  Different fillers have different properties so I would choose one filler for someone seeking more subtle changes and a more robust filler for someone looking for a more dramatic change.

Most fillers used for lips are made of hyaluronic acid.  This substance is naturally found in the body.  The most common side effect is bruising so I don’t recommend filling in close proximity to a major work or social event.  When I inject lips I fully numb the lips so that there is no pain during the treatment.  There can be initial swelling for a couple of days.  After the injections most people will have months of fuller, natural looking and feeling lips.  If you’re seeking natural lip enhancement, call us today.