Are there such a thing as silicone lip fillers? Or does this refer to silicone lip implants?

Silicone has never been approved for injection and under no circumstances should you do this.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Thank you for your question — it's a great one and a topic that causes quite a bit of confusion.

To clarify, “silicone lip fillers” are not the same as silicone lip implants. While silicone implants (such as the now less commonly used Permalip) are solid, medical-grade silicone devices surgically placed into the lips, injectable silicone refers to liquid silicone — and this is where it becomes controversial.

Liquid silicone injections are not FDA-approved for cosmetic use in the lips or face in the United States. In fact, injecting silicone for soft tissue augmentation can lead to serious long-term complications including inflammation, migration, granulomas, infection, and disfigurement. For these reasons, most board-certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons strongly advise against their use.

Instead, hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers — such as Juvederm, Restylane, and similar products — remain the gold standard for lip augmentation. These are semi-permanent, safe, FDA-approved, and reversible, making them much more suitable for enhancing lip volume and contour with minimal risk when performed by a trained professional.

If you are interested in a more permanent lip enhancement, some patients explore lip implants or fat grafting, but these are surgical procedures and should be discussed thoroughly with a qualified surgeon.

In summary:

Injectable liquid silicone for lips is not FDA-approved and can be dangerous.

Silicone implants are surgical and rarely used today.

Hyaluronic acid fillers are safe, popular, and effective for most people seeking lip enhancement.

Yes, there are doctors (myself included) who use medical grade liquid injectable silicone to achieve permanent augmentation. It requires special expertise and training for an injector to use this as it must be injected using a special serial injection, microdroplet technique. While controversies abound, after using this product for over fifteen years, I find medical grade liquid injectable silicone to be practically an ideal material for permanent augmentation. It does require several treatments ( most patients receive 2-5) to achieve the desired results. Feel free to look at photos on my website to see if this procedure might be right for you.