Lip Enhancement Procedures

Full lips represent youth and beauty and this feature is highly desired by women of all ages. Plastic surgeons have always been searching for the single quick fix permanent solution to enhancing lips. The perfect solution has yet to arrive however; there are a number of options to create a natural fuller lip with surgery as well as use of injectable fillers. Dr. Applebaum recommends two main options for lip enhancement in his practice today which he believes offer the best and safest results over time. For the patient that desires the instant results with no recovery, injectable fillers have continued to improve and are safe as well as effective. For years collagen was the gold standard by which all fillers were compared. Today several fillers have replaced collagen and have fewer side effects and last longer.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: Probably the most commonly injected fillers today are: Restylane, Hylaform and Juvederm. These gel like fillers have essentially replaced collagen as the number one injectable because of the safety and longevity of these products. The most common sites of injection of hyaluronic acid fillers include plumping of the naso-labial fold (laugh line) area, chin, cheek and lip areas. The areas around the eye have gained recent popularity with the hyaluronic acid fillers. Depending on the areas treated one can expect 4-7 month longevity of the result.

Fat Injections

It's a secret that's been known for years by plastic surgeons: injecting a patient's own fat cells for anti-aging treatments. Fat injections have come back into vogue in the last few years, mainly because results have greatly improved and some patients are, naturally, wary of putting risky synthetic materials into their bodies. Fat is a great natural filler for providing structural support in areas of the face and body. In the face, fat is usually placed into the lips, laugh lines and cheek areas to give a natural fullness to these areas. In the body, fat is used in several ways to create a fuller, more youthful contour, as well as in treatment of post traumatic soft tissue injuries, when a depressed scar needs to be filled.

The biggest difference in today's fat injections is that the technique of harvesting the fat has been improved, and the injection has a percentage of permanent assimilation of fat cells. In many cases the procedure is done with local anesthesia or with only a light sedation. The recovery time for facial injections varies from 2 to 5 days, depending on the areas injected and the amount of fat placed.

Who doesn’t have a little fat they wouldn't mind donating to a good cause? Aesthetic contouring with fat injections is recycling in the true sense of the word, and because it creates a healthier, more youthful appearance in the most natural of ways, you can think of it as a genuine gift to yourself.

Commonly Asked Questions about Fillers for the Lip

Q. How do I choose which synthetic filler to place in my lip?

A. A consultation with Dr. Applebaum will provide a number of options for the use of fillers in to the lip. Each filler has its own characteristic result and depending on the look that one is trying to obtain will determine which filler to use.

Q. Are there different lip shapes that can be obtained with filler?

A. Each lip has its own inherent shape to start with. Adding a filler to a lip will enhance the both the volume and the shape of the lip. Dr. Applebaum can place the filler to enhance specific characteristics to obtain a desired shape.