Who hasn’t dreamt of a beautiful mouth with well-defined, shapely lips? To boot, your smile is one of the first features others see!
Time takes its toll on our lips: they tend to get thinner, wrinkle, lose their volume, and become less well-defined thus modifying the proportions and balance of the rest of your face. The white lip between the nose and the mouth lengthens, accentuating further the impression of pursed lips. It is also possible that our face and this area may be naturally shaped that way.
A young mouth has relatively plump lips with a short distance between the nose and the mouth whereas the lips of an aging mouth lose their volume and the distance between the nose and the lip increases.
The good news is that there are simple, rapid solutions available, with or without surgery, to reverse the effects of aging on the lips, increase their volume, or redefine the contours.
You have most probably heard of hyaluronic acid injections used to naturally plump up lips that are too thin. I also use another technique to correct lips deemed too flat or not shapely enough: a lip lift. This procedure is indicated when the white lip – between the nose and the mouth – lengthens.
Depending on the desired result and your shape, there will probably be one option or a combination of the two that will suit you better.
What are the advantages of hyaluronic acid injections in the lips?
If you do not wish to undergo surgery, or if you wish to “test” beforehand with temporary results, hyaluronic acid injections are a priori the best option if you wish to plump your lips and smooth vertical wrinkles between the nose and the mouth. Furthermore, this rapid, non invasive technique can be carried out at the office.
I use hyaluronic acid-based gel fillers to increase the volume of the lips and/or smooth the white lip area.
There are different types of hyaluronic acid such as Emervel lips, Restylane lips, or Filorga lips that are suitable for the lip area and with the varying volumizing action of the different textures it is possible to adapt to the expectations of the patient.
You don’t have to worry about ending up with “duck lips”: I prefer to inject gradually for an elegant, subtle result. The result is immediately visible and we can decide to add more product to achieve the desired effect you feel at ease with.
The main drawback of hyaluronic acid injections in the lips is that the result is temporary. The body gradually breaks down the hyaluronic acid. In addition, the lips are a very mobile area so the product is eliminated even more rapidly than in other areas of the face (such as the cheeks or the nose). How rapidly it is broken down also depends on the individual: some people dissolve hyaluronic acid more rapidly. Smoking also accelerates its destruction (the smoke itself and the movement of the lips caused by the cigarette).
However, if your white lip is very long, a hyaluronic acid injection in the upper red lip can be unsightly and unnatural as it will result in disharmony between the “young” lip that has been plumped and the “aging” lip that is lengthening and sagging. In this case, a lip lift is the solution to rectify the entire harmony of the zone.
Lip lift: a permanent result
A lip lift is a simple plastic surgery procedure that makes the upper lip look plumper and therefore younger. It involves reducing the distance between the nose and the upper lip to lift the latter and make the lips appear plumper and more well-defined.
This technique is usually performed under local anesthesia or with sedation; it is simple, rapid and leaves no visible scar as the incisions are carefully hidden in the natural fold under the base of the nose. I also voluntarily use nonabsorbable stitches. Why? Absorbable stitches disappear due to an inflammatory response of the body that digests them so to speak. This creates additional inflammation that can, in exposed areas on the face, result in a slightly more visible, redder scar. In this case, nonabsorbable stitches – under normal conditions of healing – produce a perfectly concealed scar. Healing is quick.
What are the advantages of a lip lift?
- A shortened upper white lip and therefore a shorter distance between the nose and the mouth
- A more balanced, rejuvenated face from the front and side
- A slightly plumper upper lip with no addition of a filler
- Perfect if you do not wish to add any volume to your upper lip while obtaining a naturally more refreshed mouth
- A more well-defined mouth
Depending on your anatomy and your expectations, hyaluronic acid injections can be combined with a Lip lift! I can advise you on the best approach to obtain a result that will enhance and restore the balance of the lines and volumes of your mouth while blending in perfectly with your face.
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