What is the easiest and best way to plump thinning lips?
Posted on Thu, Oct 28, 2010
By Dr. John D. Stover
Patients so often ask me what is the best way to plump thinning lips and still look natural and not overdone. They want subtle filling, softening of the fine lines around the lips and restoration of the natural contour of the lips, particularly the upper lip.
Experience matters
I have been performing lip augmentation for over 12 years and have tried every technique available through the years, from collagen, fat, skin, Gore-Tex and now the new injectable fillers. Many years in cosmetic surgery training, completing my PhD in Anatomy and teaching head and neck anatomy for many years has given me an in-depth understanding of the detailed structure of the lips. So many times we see lips that have been filled and look disappointingly round and even all the way across.
Hyaluronic acid for the best results
I almost always recommend one of the excellent hyaluronic acid soft tissue fillers. Injectable hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm are totally natural, reasonably priced, easy to inject and extremely effective. They typically last 4-6 months in the lips and feel totally natural.
We offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas), topical numbing cream and local anesthetic blocks to numb the lips and make the procedure virtually painless. The main draw backs are that there is a chance of bruising and the lips look a little swollen for a day or two. Many patients request to have the plumping done in multiple sessions so as to not experience a dramatic change.
The ideal injectable filler
In the fall of 2010 I attended a cosmetic dermatology and laser conference in Innsbruck, Austria, LaserInnsbruck. It was excellent and there were many cosmetic dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons from all over the world. As always I was able to learn meaningful pearls of wisdom.
The topic of one of the sessions was “The Ideal Injectable Filler.” One of the speakers stressed that hyaluronic acid fillers such as Restylane are the closest material that we have to the “ideal filler” because they are completely reversible.
Hyaluronidase is an enzyme product that will dissolve hyaluronic acid, so if an area is over-bulked or an unwanted lump cannot be massaged away, we can inject the area with hyaluronidase and reduce or soften the area. We do not have the ability to reverse any other of the soft tissue fillers available. We have hyaluronidase available at all times in all three of my offices, Hilo, Kona and Waimea. Most lumps or irregularities resolve themselves within a few days with just massage.
How to achieve esthetically pleasing lips
Most people agree that lips that are oversized out of proportion to the rest of the face are not esthetically pleasing. The contour and the shape of the lip create the pleasing, youthful effect. Most of us lose the detailed contour as we age, particularly the cupids bow to the upper lip (the small ridges above the center of the upper lip.)
When I fill the lips, I like to focus on recreating the cupids bow first, defining the small vertical lines between the nose and the mouth, and add a central pout to the middle of the red part of the lip. Then I slightly bulk the lateral part of the upper lip. I fill the central portion of the lower lip next in balance with the upper lip. Last I add filler to the lateral part of the lower lip to gently lift the corners of the mouth up.
A quick test
Look at the natural form of a young adult’s lips and compare them to your own. I did, and saw that mine were looking flat and thin. I did not want larger lips, just better detail. I injected a vial of Restylane and love it. I am sure you will too.
To speak to a Cosmetic Consultant about using Restylane for your lips, call us at (808) 885-4503.
More before and after photos.
