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.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
