Lip Fillers
Looking picture-perfect is a highly sought-after trait in today’s society. Between social media photos, professional headshots, and just wanting to look your best, who wouldn’t want to do whatever they can to look nice for the camera?
Someone’s smile can be their best feature, but many people struggle with self-consciousness stemming from their lips’ appearance. Fortunately, there is a simple and easy skin care procedure that can help patients enhance one of the most prominent features of their face.
Lip augmentation is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that can help anyone who struggles with thin lips achieve a more filled-out appearance.
There are several types of lip fillers. Anyone interested in the details of the procedure, including its benefits, risks, and costs, can learn more by reading on.
What Are Lip Fillers?
Lip fillers, or lip augmentation, is a cosmetic procedure used to treat thin lips. A medical professional can inject dermal fillers around a patient’s lips and mouth to increase volume.
Dermal fillers known as hyaluronic acid fillers also contain hyaluronic acid, a protein naturally found in the body that can increase skin elasticity and volume.
Types of Lip Fillers
Hyaluronic acid fillers, or HA fillers, are among the most common types of lip fillers used today, though they’re not the only option available. Here are a few of the most popular brands of lip augmentation products.
Belotero Balance
SBelotero Balance is an HA filler that can treat moderate-to-severe lines and wrinkles around the mouth. This product is a prescription treatment that is injected into the affected areas to fill and smooth the skin.
Belotero Balance can treat smile lines, lip lines, chin wrinkles, and lines around the mouth and at the corner of the lips.
Restylane
There are multiple products in the Restylane line. Restylane and Restylane-L are injected into the lips for lip augmentation. The products in this line contain hyaluronic acid and help correct age lines, wrinkles, and folds.
Besides being approved as a lip filler, Restylane can smooth the skin on other parts of the face. These areas include smile lines, marionette lines, crow’s feet, and wrinkles at the corner of the mouth.
Juvéderm XC
Like Restylane, the Juvederm line of products has several options available. Both Juvederm Volbella XC and Juvederm Ultra XC can be used to treat lips.
It’s possible to plump lips and smooth age lines around the mouth with the help of Juvederm Volbella XC. Juvederm Ultra XC can add volume to facial tissue, including volume to the lips and mouth.
Radiesse
Unlike the other dermal fillers mentioned, which are HA fillers, Radiesse is a type of calcium hydroxylapatite, or CaHA filler. It’s the first and only product of this type that’s been FDA-approved.
When this product is injected, the CaHA particles help stimulate the production of collagen, which helps keep the skin plump and elastic. Radiesse can treat wrinkles and folds of the face, including nasolabial folds, the lines that form between the corner of the nose and the corner of the mouth.
Radiesse can also help with volume loss in the lips and in the back of the hands.
What Are Lip Fillers Used For?
Lip fillers can help add volume and shape to the lips. A skilled medical professional can inject the product into targeted areas of the lips and around the mouth to help patients achieve their desired look.
This process is highly customizable as long as the patient discusses their desired results with their medical provider.
Lip augmentation products can also help smooth age lines, fine lines, and other facial wrinkles around the lips and mouth. The lip filler injection process can help patients achieve and maintain a youthful appearance.
Benefits of Lip Fillers
Injectable lip fillers are a minimally invasive procedure. Surgical cosmetic treatments may be available that can achieve the same outcome as lip fillers, but lip fillers involve much less preparation and downtime. Treatments only take 15-30 minutes, so patients can return to their daily routine immediately afterward.
Other benefits of lip fillers include long-lasting results and less bruising and bumps compared to plastic surgery options like Botox. Enhancement can usually be seen immediately after the procedure, with the final results materializing within two weeks.
Side Effects and Risks
Most side effects of lip augmentation treatments are minor and should subside within a few days. These common side effects include:
- Swelling or bruising at the injection site
- Bleeding from the injection site
- Redness, tenderness, or bumps at the injection site
- The reappearance of cold sores on the lips or surrounding areas
Other more severe side effects include infection, severe or prolonged swelling or bruising that lasts over 10 days, or allergic reactions including swelling or itching around the lips.
If a patient experiences any of these more serious side effects, they should call their medical provider or seek medical treatment.
Cost of Lip Fillers
Lip filler treatments are usually priced by how many syringes are used. The cost of the procedure will vary depending on the patient’s desired outcome and how much of the chosen product is needed to achieve it.
Other factors that contribute to the cost of treatment include the patient’s geographical location, the experience of their medical provider, and the type of procedure they choose. On average, lip augmentation treatments can cost anywhere from $500 to $2000 per session.
Since lip augmentation is considered a cosmetic procedure, most medical insurance plans don’t cover them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do fillers ruin your lips?
Lip fillers, including the products mentioned in this article, are FDA-approved and are considered safe. An experienced medical provider like a board-certified plastic surgeon should always be the one performing lip augmentation procedures.
Certain side effects like lip asymmetry are possible but usually temporary. If too much filler is injected, it’s possible to permanently stretch the lips. That’s why patients need to consult with an experienced provider when seeking treatment options.
Does lip augmentation hurt?
Lip fillers are injected with a very thin needle that is well-tolerated by most people. Still, patients may opt for a numbing cream or gel to be applied to the treatment area.
Some lip fillers also include an anesthetic like lidocaine to make the procedure more comfortable.
How long do lip fillers really last?
The results of lip augmentation treatments are long-lasting but are not permanent. Depending on which product is used, the results can last approximately 6-12 months.
Patients may opt to return to their doctor’s office more frequently for follow-up treatments so that each treatment requires fewer injections.
At what age should you get fillers?
The FDA has approved the use of lip fillers to help increase lip volume for anyone at least 21 years of age. Any patient who is unhappy or self-conscious about the way their lips or mouth look should consider lip filler treatment.
What should I avoid after fillers?
Patients should avoid strenuous exercise, hot temperatures, and excessive salt for at least 24 hours following lip filler treatment. Other good aftercare practices include drinking plenty of water and using an ice pack to reduce bruising.
Conclusion
Cosmetic procedures like lip fillers can be an excellent way to restore patients’ youthful appearance and self-esteem. Many options are available today for this type of procedure.
Patients who are considering lip augmentation should consult with a medical professional who is experienced in facial cosmetic treatments. A general practitioner or dermatologist is a good place to start, as they can provide a referral to a reputable plastic surgeon.