Dr. Buckingham’s Q&A

October 15, 2011

What type of lip enhancement best eliminates fine lines and indents in my lower lip?

Filed under: Lip Augmentation,Lip Enhancement — admin @ 2:38 pm

Question:
I have a lot of fine lines and indents in my lower lip. They make me look so much older than I already am and I would like to fix these imperfections. What type of lip enhancement would work the best to eliminate these issues?

Answer:
Lip improvement usually involves a combination of filling and skin resurfacing. Filling is usually performed with hyaluronic acid. The common names for these products are Juvederm, Restylane and Perlane. The filling helps replace lost volume and skin fullness. The fine lines that are in the skin are then removed using a CO2 laser. Both of these procedures can be performed in the office.

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May 31, 2011

I want lip augmentation via injectable fillers.

Filed under: Lip Augmentation — admin @ 3:09 pm

Question:
I want lip augmentation via injectable fillers. I am most interested in hyaluronic acid fillers. After the injections, will my lips swell and if so, for how long? Will my lips feel soft and natural or does the filler make them somewhat harder?

Answer:
Your lips will swell after hyaluronic acid injection for 24 -48 hours. They will also be a little tender and there may be a little bruising. Usually they look very good at 24 hours and even better at 48. The bruising is usually, but not always minor and can usually be covered by make-up. The lips will usually feel quite soft, but if the injection is significant they can feel a little firm. I personally feel that Juvederm provides a softer result in the lips than the other HA fillers.

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May 6, 2011

Is fat injection effective for enlarging the lips?

Filed under: Fat transfer,Injectables,Lip Augmentation — admin @ 9:45 am

Question:
Is fat injection effective for enlarging the lips?

Answer:
Fat is effective for enlarging the lips, but the effects are likely temporary. For patients who are undergoing fat injections for the parts of the face where the results are permanent such as the cheeks and lower eyelid area, if desired we will place fat in the lips and perioral area as well with the understanding that in these areas the fat will likely resorb. The reason for this is likely that the constant movement of the lip and perioral area prevents adequate vascularity to in-grow into the fledgling fat cells. In some patients we do see some long term results with lip injection, but predicting those patients that will have a long term result is difficult.

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May 4, 2011

I do not recommend silicone injections for lip augmentation.

Filed under: Injectables,Lip Augmentation — admin @ 4:58 pm

Question:
I would like shapelier lips. I am not interested in surgery at this time, but I am leery of silicone injections. Are silicone injections the best method at this time for lip augmentation?

Answer:
I do not recommend silicone injections for lip augmentation. The permanence of the result is appealing, but the risks in my opinion out-way the benefits. Unfortunately, I have seen patients with terrible results from silicone including grossly enlarged and nodular lips the only treatment of which is surgical reduction. I would stick with absorbable fillers for lip injection such as Juvederm or Restylane or consider a permanent, but reversible implant such as permalip.

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February 5, 2011

I’m interested in getting lip augmentation to plump up my lips

Filed under: Lip Augmentation — admin @ 10:40 am

Question:
I’m interested in getting lip augmentation to plump up my lips. What are my options?

Answer:
Your options for lip augmentation are hyaluronic acid fillers, autologous fat, or permanent implants. Hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane provide well controlled reliable filling of the lips, but the results are temporary lasting about 6-9 months. Fat grafting can be performed to the lips, but in our practice we only perform this when the patient is having grafting for other areas of the face, such as the cheeks or lower eyelids. Fat grafting is very reliable and lasts years in the upper part of the face, but is not as reliable in the lips. It will often resorb in a year or so, however some patients will get a long lasting result from fat and so it is worth trying if other areas are being grafted. permanent lip implants are made of silicone and the procedure can be performed in the office under local anesthesia in about 15 minutes. The implants to not provide the same degree of flexibility as a filler, but the results are permanent. If for some reason the patient does not like the implant they can be removed without great difficulty.

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Dr. Edward Buckingham is a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon who specializes in Rhinopalsty, Facelifts, Eyelid Surgery, BOTOX, and many other
Cosmetic Facial procedures. His office is located in Austin, Texas and services the surrounding areas including: Sunset Valley, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park,
Round Rock, and many of the other nearby Texas cities. © 2011 Austin Texas Facial Plastic Surgery
Dr. Buckingham is a Eyelid Surgery and Rhinoplasty expert in the Austin metropolitan area on RealSelf.