Lip Augmentation Info and Photos

What is lip augmentation?

Lip augmentation gives you fuller lips and can be done to the upper and/or lower lips. Most patients prefer to do both lips. Lip Augmentation is very popular because it produces immediate results, which can be subtle or dramatic, according to the needs of the patient.

Lip augmentation can be performed in a very short amount of time, while under local anesthesia or sedation. The lip can be augmented with the patient's own tissues (fat injections), biologic tissue fillers (Restylane, collagen, alloderm), or soft synthetic implants (Advanta, SoftForm, Gor-tex).

Who can benefit from lip augmentation?

The lips are an important feature of your facial appearance. Anyone who wants fuller lips is a candidate for this procedure. If a patient has a long upper lip, she might want to consider a lip lift (in conjunction with the lip augmentation) for an overall rejuvenation of the lip.

For the lips, when is fat injection preferable to fillers?

Fat injections are used when the patient wants to use their own tissues. We get fat from the hip area (using liposuction), process it, and then inject it into the lip which gives a very soft look. Some think the fat doesn't 'last' but this is not entirely accurate. When done properly, some of the fat is reabsorbed, but a significant percentage is retained permanently. Because of this, we tend to 'over inject' knowing that in three to four weeks the final result will be closer to what the patient wants.

However, the lip is an area where I don't see fat grafting as the first choice because the lip moves a lot and it interferes with the take of the graft--the graft will not survive as well in the lips as it does in other areas of the body. For this reason, I actually prefer synthetic fillers in the lip, or a lip lift.

What are the types of fillers used for lip augmentation?

Biologic tissue fillers such as Restylane and Alloderm are absorbable. Restylane is distributed by Medicis Aesthetics (now known as Medicis-Inamed) and is made from a component of naturally occurring joint fluid. Alloderm is a skin derivative . Restylane last several months to a year, and alloderm lasts one to two years. We do not favor collagen as it is absorbed relatively quickly and some patients have developed reactions to it.

Implants such as Advanta and Gor-tex are permanent. However, some patients don't choose them because they don't like the fact that they will 'feel' the implant. Of the implants, the Advanta implant is preferable and has a high patient satisfaction rate because it is very soft.

What's involved in the lip augmentation procedure?

In the case of fat injections, the fat is liposuctioned from the hip area, processed, then injected to the lip. With Restylane, a prepackaged syringe is used to inject the material into the lips.

With Gor-tex, Advanta, and alloderm, a tiny incision is made into the corner of the lip, and the implant is then threaded into position. It can be done under a local anesthetic or 'twilight anesthesia.' The procedure lasts anywhere from 10 minutes (injection of fillers) to an hour for fat injection.

What's Right For Me?

To learn if you're a candidate for a lip augmentation, take our interactive plastic surgery quiz, watch Dr. Rodriguez discuss lip options in his lip augmentation vs lip lift video, and see his Lip augmentation, duck lips, and lip lifts blog post.