Want a plumper pout with fullness in all the right areas and a perfect shape to boot? Who doesn’t? That’s where the omnipresent lip filler treatment comes in. Yes, lip filler has been around for quite some time, but it’s evolved and improved over the years. Today’s lip injections are all about natural-looking pillowy lips that enhance the smile and the face while imparting a youthful look.
With so many techniques and types of lip filler available, it can be challenging to determine which one is best for you. Whether you’re a lip filler newbie or veteran, there are plenty of questions about this quick fix that women and men love.
Lip Filler Basics
When it comes to adding volume to the lips and enhancing their shape, hyaluronic acid fillers are the go-to. They’re easy to inject and can instantly create lips that are most flattering to your face and its shape regardless of age. Injecting filler into the lips not only improves the shape, projection, volume, and symmetry of the lips, but it also can improve the smile and the overall proportions of the face for a younger-looking you.
Temporary lip injections with hyaluronic acid filler are the go-to solution for those who want fuller, plumper lips without resorting to more invasive procedures like surgery or lip implants. The quick treatment can be done in under 30 minutes, and the results are instant. Injecting the upper and lower lips with dermal fillers allows your practitioner to shape the lips for improved projection, fullness, and size.
Although there are several different types of injectable fillers on the market, only hyaluronic acid fillers are appropriate for the lips. That’s because the more popular fillers for the lips include:
Besides selecting the proper dermal filler, proper placement is equally imperative. If an unskilled injector places filler into a blood vessel and the vessel becomes blocked, scarring and a loss of blood supply to the lips can occur. That’s why it’s important to only book your lip injections with a skilled injector who’s an expert at treating the area and understands facial anatomy and the world of dermal fillers.
What is Lip Filler?
Lip filler is a quick, non-invasive, downtime-free treatment that relies on hyaluronic acid dermal fillers to add volume, shape, symmetry, and projection to the lips. Since no two lips are the same, the approach to improving your lips is completely customized. This way, you can be assured that your lips will look natural and best compliment your face and its features.
Lip filler can address various issues, ranging from fullness and better facial balance to volume loss and lines and wrinkles around the mouth. Younger patients usually seek lip filler to improve age and genetic-related asymmetry, making the lips and mouth appear ‘off’ or out of balance. Naturally thin lips also respond well to lip filler since adding volume can increase the size and shape of the lips. For those bothered by a gummy smile that shows off too much of the upper gum when smiling, lip injections (sometimes combined with other non-invasive treatments) can make a difference. The key is always to create well-balanced lips that complement the lower third of the face without detracting attention away from other features. Proportional lips are critical to a natural look that will have everyone guessing whether you’ve had your lips done or not.
You don’t have to go full force and inject a lot of product into your lips in a single setting. Instead, a slow and steady approach is often best. This way, you can acclimate to the filler and see if more filler is necessary.
How Does it Work?
Adding volume to any aging feature and losing collagen, elastin, and volume can give it an instant boost and improve its appearance. That same rule of thumb applies to the lips, which is why lip filler and lip injections are popular treatments. Unfortunately, with a loss of collagen and elastin also comes dryness and thinning, both of which hyaluronic acid lip injections can improve.
Injecting the lips with hyaluronic acid filler attracts water to the area. Drawing water to the lips replenishes the moisture content and creates the look of fuller lips with more volume. Most patients favor lip filler because it’s an easy way to achieve good results with next to no downtime (you may experience some swelling and possible bruising in the first few days post-treatment).
Lip injections can quickly correct both the size and shape of the lips. In addition, injecting hyaluronic acid filler into the lips helps redefine their overall shape to improve their proportions and appearance. While most patients choose to inject their upper and lower lip, some only need to treat one or the other depending on where the volume is needed most.
The results of lip injections are not permanent (never inject permanent filler into the lips) and can last anywhere from six to 18 months depending on the filler itself, how much is injected, and how your body naturally breaks down the product. Plus, there’s a lot of movement in the lips from constantly talking, pursing them, and making expressions and movements, so filler in the lips tends to wear away faster than other areas of the face.
Most people are good candidates for lip injections. However, if you are someone who wants to improve or enhance the fullness, shape, size, projection, or symmetry of your lips, lip injections may be a good solution for you.
What Does it Feel Like?
Lip filler is a quick and relatively painless treatment. Most injectors choose to first numb the lips with topical numbing cream. But you can also rest assured knowing that the hyaluronic acid filler to be injected also contains lidocaine in the solution. The numbing effect sets in as soon as the product hits the lips, making the treatment more comfortable. Some patients find that the treatment doesn’t hurt and opt not to use numbing cream.
