I have scleroderma and my lips are disappearing. Are there options to make my lips look normal again? (photo)

Question

I'm almost 34 and my lips disappear when I smile. My mouth has also shrunk to almost half its size. This has been bugging me for a few years (scleroderma started about six years ago) - my lips were never huge, but I could at least wear lipstick without looking like I drew a line on my face.

Robert M. Lowen, MD · Answer

The answer in general would be fat grafting to the lips. If the soft tissue is contracting around the lip, that would not be helped, but to give some volume to the lips themselves fat grafting would be worth looking into. An in person evalution by a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in fat grafting would be recommended as an intial step.

Robert A. Hardesty, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question.several options exist:1) temporary fillers: Juvederm, Restaylane, Perlane, etc2) your own tissue: fat, dermal graft 3) artificial materials: Gortex4) dermal matrix: Alloderm, Stratice, etcplease make a appointment with with a Board Certified Physician who has training and expiernce in all of these techniques

I have scleroderma and my lips are disappearing. Are there options to make my lips look normal again? (photo)

Answers (2)