Types of Lip Augmentation:
Lip augmentation, which can be done in several ways, is a type of medical cosmetic procedure that aims to alter the appearance & shape of the lips to quite an extent by increasing their “fullness”. The most common lip augmentation process is the lip filler, a process that involves injecting dermal fillers in & around the mouth. These fillers contain hyaluronic acid, a natural substance in the body that helps increase the volume of the lips. While the lip filling process is temporary, there is a more permanent option known as lip implants, which involve using soft but solid silicone implants shaped like natural lips. Then, there are other options such as fat grafting & tissue grafting. Let us study all these methods in a bit more detail.
Lip Fillers:
There are many types of fillers, the most common type of fillers used for lip augmentation is hyaluronic acid, a natural substance in the body that helps increase the volume.
In the lip filler augmentation process, the doctor needs to assess the symmetry & shape of your lips & overall facial balance. Based on this, it is decided which areas of the lips need to be fuller & plumper. Fillers are then injected into either or both, the upper & lower lips. The gel in the filler supports & shapes the lip tissues.
The lip filler augmentation procedure, which is an in-office process, takes about 15-30 minutes, allowing you to go home the same day. It is also a temporary solution that lasts between only six to eight months.
Lip Implants:
A more permanent option, implants are positioned underneath the lip fat & above the lip muscles, in a thin tunnel that the surgeon creates to accommodate the implant. Usually, surgeons choose the corners of the mouth to make the incisions, but they may zero-in on somewhere else on the lips, depending on the specific technique being used.
Three types of lip implants are the most popular: GORE-TEX, SoftForm, & AlloDerm. It takes about half an hour to complete this in-office procedure, & you are then sent home the same day.
Fat, Tissue Grafting:
A third method, called autologous lip augmentation, is using your own fat & tissues to add fullness. As in the first two options, this procedure is also an in-office procedure. Fat grafting involves fat harvested from your abdomen. The procedure, performed under local anaesthesia, takes about 60-90 minutes. Lips augmented with fat stay plump for five years or longer.
Tissue grafting involves using dermis or deeper layer of the skin, usually from the abdominal wall or scalp, some times the tissue is harvested as a by product of other operation(abdominal reduction, breast reduction, face lift). This too takes about an hour, with the results lasting for up to five years.
Lip fillers are the least expensive option, while fat & tissue grafting procedures the most costly. Regardless, a difference can be immediately noticed in all cases.
The lips should feel natural on healing, though it is advisable to avoid lipstick or similar products after the procedure. One of the main benefits of these two procedures is that you seldom have an allergic reaction or reject the tissue as the fat or tissue is taken from your own body.
Hyaluronic Acid Filler Benefits
Hyaluronic acid fillers have several advantages:
- Hyaluronic acid fillers stimulate new collagen, give volume & soften fine lines
- The doctor can control the volume of substance injected, & thus control the lip volume
- Injections can be staggered till desired results achieved
- Lumps created by lip movement can be dissolved easily
- Bruising is less compared to other dermal fillers
- Reasonably lasting results, though not permanent
- An allergic reaction is unlikely as hyaluronic acid fillers are made from substances similar to those found in the body. But the doctor should be told if you are allergic to lidocaine
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