Please help determine the best size lip implants, 4 or 5 mm? (photo)

Thank you for your pictures and question.   Please make sure you find a reputable and qualified plastic surgeon who can assess you properly to give you a realistic idea of what outcome you can achieve.   Looking at your pictures, a 4mm would be appropriate for you.  Your top lip should be 1/4 in size and your bottom lip 3/4 in size.  To find a reputable doctor, you can research on Real Self by looking at patient reviews, ask to see your doctors credentials, how many lip implant procedures they have performed.  Always ask to see before and after pictures to gain a feel whether you like his results.  You need to attend a face to face consultation with them, to ensure you can put you trust in them to give you the result and appearance you are looking for.  All The Best 

Hi BetterMe4Me, Thank you for your question regarding which size of Permalip permanent silicone lip implants you should get.  Based on your single picture and not a thorough physical examination, nor more extensive history, I would suggest a 5 mm Permalip permanent silicone lip implant for the upper lip and a 5 mm Permalip permanent silicone lip implant for the lower lip.  With your facial anatomy, I do not believe these 5 mm lip implants will be too big. If placed correctly, these 5 mm Permalip implants should sit correctly. I believe 5 mm upper and lower lip implants would look excellent for your face and desired look. I do not believe they will look like "sausages".  I hope I have answered your questions about what size Permalip permanent silicone lip implants you should get.  Please be sure you have your Permalip permanent lip augmentation done by a board certified, experienced, plastic surgeon.  If you have any more questions regarding Permalip permanent silicone lip implants or lip augmentation in general, please contact my office.  Good luck! Sincerely, Dr. Katzen.

5mm lip implants may be too much for your thinner lips and are often harder to place. I would go with 4mm implants which are easier to insert and would avoid any risk of an over corrected look.

Thank you for submitting this question. I have a lot of experience in this area. I have been using the Perma Lip implant for several years. This rather quick and easy procedure can be done under local anesthesia in the surgeons office or under more anesthesia if your prefer. You would need to be measured and the surgeon can guide you. The patients seem to prefer the 5 mm implant for the upper lip and the 4 mm implant for the lower lip.  You can visit my website or travel to see me.BodyReshaping.com

 Hi, I have performed many lip augmentations over the past 30 years using either dermal fillers or lip implants. From the photos, your lips are very thin with the upper lip about 25% as full as the lower lip.  Following my beauty principles that I have developed over the past 3 decades, the upper lip should be approximately 75 % the size of the lower lip for the lips to appear balanced. The lips can be augmented using a dermal filler or a Permalip implant.  If you choose a permalip implant for permanent enhancement there are limitations to what size (thickness) can be used as there's an issue of overwhelming the existing lip tissue that would result in extrusion of the implant.  In other words, there is a finite amount of implant volume that can and should be placed in each lip.   In my humble opinion, the 5 mm lip implant is associated with the highest % of unwanted side effects which in my mind is compounded when the lip(s) are very thin which would not provide sufficient tissue coverage for a thicker implant.  I tend to use the 4mm implants which avoids those issues.  I would suggest using a 4mm in both the upper and lower lips to provide the maximum, safest degree of lip augmentation that can be achieved using this type of lip implant.  For additional lip volume, following Perma lip implant placement, your best course of action is to have the lips filled with an off the shelf dermal filler.  Whatever volume is derived from the implants is a permanent enhancement which is the main benefit of having lip augmentation with implants versus dermal fillers.  That however doesn't mean that there's an unlimited degree of augmentation, to the lips, that an implant can or should provide.
 I would like to mention that in my opinion, dermal fillers and lip implants offer a much more reliable volume for augmentation of the lips than permanent fillers or fat injections which are associated with increased, unwanted, side effects.Hope this helps.