Lip Augmentation and Dermal Fillers

Fuller Lips, Wrinkle Removers

Lip enhancement, or augmentation, enhances lip contour and fullness to achieve a younger, more attractive and healthier appearance. Lips naturally sag and thin as we age while the arch of the upper lip arch (cupid's bow) flattens. This condition is intensified in women with naturally thin lips. Lip augmentation enhances the lips you were born with and contributes to reversing age. Sometimes, VY Plasty, a minor procedure, is used to supplement dermal fillers by restoring vertical height and proportion.

Dermal fillers, dermal injectables, wrinkle removers or skin plumpers have as many descriptions as there are alternatives; hyaluronic acid based, calcium and cellulose gel based, fat based and collagen based. They all have the same goal – enhancing your natural beauty by enhancing or augmenting lips or to eliminate or smooth wrinkles and to restore fullness, proportion and symmetry to the face in certain areas.

Perlane^® and Restylane^®- hyaluronic acid based lip augmentation or enhancement

Hyaluronic acid based dermal fillers are F.D.A. approved synthetic materials based on naturally occurring substances. While Perlane and Restylane injections require some local anesthesia, swelling is temporary, lasting only a few days, and there are virtually no side effects. The plumping effect can last 8 to 9 months. Both are FDA approved to treat facial wrinkles and folds and for lip augmentation or enhancement.

Radiesse^® and Sculptra^® lip enhancement

Radiesse is a quasi-permanent mixture of coral-like material and cellulose gel that is FDA approved to fill moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. Like Restylane and Perlane, Radiance needs a local anesthetic prior to injection. Swelling can last for a few days. Occasional nodule formations have occurred after injection of Radiance, so it is not recommended for lip augmentation.

Sculptra, which is made from poly-L-lactic acid, is anew and very promising FDA approved skin and tissue plumper known to last 2 years or more. Some nodule formation has been reported as well so its use is limited by the FDA to treating nasolabial folds (the creases on either side of your nose).

Collagen

With the great variety of dermal fillers available today, collagen, which is typically extracted from cattle hide, collagen injections are rarely used because they have been known to cause minor allergic reactions.

Lip Augmentation and Enhancement Using a VY Plasty and Fat Combination

For some women, who have minimal vermillion (pink portion) of the upper lip, a small procedure called a VY Plasty can provide the vertical height necessary to produce a pouting, attractive upper lip. Dr. Christian Drehsen, the Clinique of Plastic Surgery’s Medical Director, has developed a unique combination of fat injection and tissue lengthening (VY and fat combination) that can provide a permanent correction of a thin or disappearing lip. As with fat injection, this procedure is performed under local anesthesia. A healing time of about two weeks is necessary for the lip to recover a totally normal appearance.

We are looking forward to serving you, and would love to talk to you about your interests to help you achieve your ultimate dreams of beauty! Call us at 1-800-942-1606, email a question, reserve a consultation or register for an event.

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As with any medical procedure, there are certain inherent risks that should be discussed. Costs vary depending upon the extent of the surgery and areas treated.