What's the Best Lip Enhancement and Plumping?

Lip augmentation is one of my favorite procedures as it can give the face a very youthful and appealing appearance.  There is no one filler that is best for everyone, but that also means there are options to help everyone achieve their specific desired goals for their lips. Lip fillers last anywhere from 6 months to two years depending on the specific product used. 
There is a full range of desires when it comes to lip augmentation.  Often when patients come in for the first time they are often worried of looking “over done” or having the dreaded “duck lips.”  However just like a breast augmentation, if patients could change anything after their lip augmentation they wish they would have gone bigger! 

Lip augmentation is an art as you can mold and shape the lips.  The perfect lip augmentation is about giving the lips a natural, sexy appearance.  Just making the lips bigger is not beautiful.  Enhancing the size while creating a shape makes the face look more youthful.  Lip augmentation can create a cupid’s bow and improve the overall shape of the lips. 

Restylane Refyne and Restylane Silk are both great products for patients that want a subtle augmentation to their lips.  The Refyne is a new product that last up to a year giving patients a lasting result. 

Juvederm Ultra Plus and Restylane and the workhorse products for fillers as they have been around for years and patients tend to love them.  They last about a 6-months in the lips. 

Resylane Defyne and Juvederm Vollure both last about up to a year.  Both of these products will give patients a little more volume and fullness to their lips.  The Vollure and Defyne will also last up to a year giving patients a lasting results the will love for their lip enhancements.

Juvederm Volluma is the longest lasting product on the market and lasts up to two years.  It is typically used for a mid-face lift.  However, in patients that want a full luscious appearance to their lips this can be an incredible option. 

Lip enhancement can be done as a simple procedure in the office.  Patients come to the office have numbing cream applied to their lips.  I give them about 15 to 20 min to let the cream take affect and then the actual process of the lip injections takes about ten minutes. 

Patients can return to work or their daily life immediately after the simple office procedure is completed. 

Please consult with your board-certified plastic surgeon about your lip augmentation options.  

Thank you for your question. Patients get a nice improvement with lip fillers. Volbella, Restylane, and Juvederm are good to create a symmetrical lip. NovaThreads can be used to improve lift and shape. Implants or fat are alternatives. Technique will be important here, so you'll want to see someone meticulous. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a facial sculpting expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Lip augmentation using hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers such as Juvederm products can produce a beautiful rejuvenated mouth with minimal downtime.  The goal of lip augmentation will vary depending on each patient however the general goal is improved volume and symmetry.  HA products now available allow injectors to treat a variety of patients according to the desired outcome.  For example, soft product such as Juvederm Volbella can treat lines around the lips and also the lips themselves.  This product creates a subtle pout without significantly altering one’s natural shape.  Alternatively, products such as Juvederm Ultra can be used help “build” more significant border and structure to a lip.  Hyaluronic acid fillers are not permanent and can be reversed if necessary.  Fillers may last anywhere from 6-12 months depending on the product used.  Seek out a skilled injector at a board certified plastic surgeon’s practice as technique of product is extremely important for a natural outcome.

Your options for lip augmentation are threefold. # 1 Filler (restylane is my favorite as it is the most proven with time)# 2 Fat transfer: the most natural and longest lasting# 3 Surgery lip lift: I only use this in a certain population. It creates a scar that will require laser or resurfacing of some sort to look nice.Hope this helps.Best of luck,DrC

There are numerous options for lip enhancement or augmentation.
The most common methods involve the use of injectable fillers, particularly the hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm Ultra Plus or Restylane Silk.  My current personal preference is to use Juvederm Ultra Plus for increasing volume (plumping the lip) and Restylane Silk for improving definition of the edge (vermillion border) of the lip.  There are many other injectable fillers that are similar and can also work very well.
Other options would include synthetic implants (made of various different materials) or using your own tissue (either fat grafting or other tissue such as a SMAS graft).  I generally advocate that patients start with injectable hyaluronic acid fillers as these are simple to perform and relatively easy to reverse if needed.  The exception would be the patient undergoing facial rejuvenation with a face lift.  These patients often have SMAS tissue available for transplant to the lips, and this tissue is only available at the time of the lift.  This is a highly effective technique with natural results and minimal risk for complications.
All the best,