Lip Enhancement

Lip enhancement is any kind of treatment that provides the lips with more volume, shape, and healthy-looking hydration. Oftentimes, we lose volume in our lips as we age, which can significantly alter the appearance of the lower face. By restoring volume and structure to the lips, lip enhancement can make the lower face appear more youthful and contribute to an overall enhanced appearance. A lip enhancement is not solely meant to reverse the signs of aging; younger people can choose to have more voluminous lips as well. ⁽¹⁾ Lip enhancements can be surgical, with a lip lift or fat grafting, or non-surgical, with filler augmentation or a lip flip with neuromodulators like Botox.

At Austin Plastic Surgeon, our team can help you determine which approach to lip enhancement is best for you. Our talented surgeons and certified professionals understand the intricate structures of the lips and how they play an important part in the overall appearance of the face. If you are currently dissatisfied with the appearance of your lips or simply want to achieve lips that have a fuller, more hydrated look, call any one of our locations to book a consultation today:

Alternatively, you can fill out our online contact form to request an appointment. We look forward to speaking with you!

About Lip Enhancement

A lip enhancement procedure can focus on defining specific features of the lips. ⁽¹⁾ For example, the upper lip often has the Cupid’s bow feature that provides the lips with their distinct shape. This prominent feature, however, can begin to flatten out and sag as gravity weighs down on the face. ⁽¹⁾ With either surgical or non-surgical methods, we can bring this part of the upper lip back up toward its original position, making for a more youthful, yet subtle, change in facial appearance. ⁽¹⁾ The upper lip is the feature that has the most potential for sagging as a person ages and addressing this issue can complement the position of the other more static features. ⁽¹⁾ The effects of every lip enhancement procedure can vary, and the best approach for you will depend on the appearance and condition of your lips.

Surgical Methods

Lip Lift

A lip lift is one surgical way that allows us to bring the upper lip up toward a more youthful position. With a lip lift, we can decrease the area between the upper lip and the nose, while also lending a more voluminous appearance to the lips. ⁽¹⁾ A surgical lip lift is also helpful when patients wish to have more red show to their lips. Often patients don’t want bigger lips then just want to improve the overall appearance and shape of the lips. This procedure can also help alleviate the frown shape that the lips can take on. There are several different types of lip lifts, each focusing on lifting a specific area or feature of the lips to improve the overall shape. The most common type of lip lift is when your plastic surgeon makes an incision right along the bottom of the nose in order to lift the middle and sides of the upper lip. However, there are also lip lifts that can lift just the center, just the sides, or subtler variations of both. ⁽¹⁾ The incisions for these kinds of procedures are discreet.

Fat Grafting to the Lips

Fat grafting is when fat is taken from somewhere else on the body and moved into the lips. The plastic surgeon can suction the fat out of areas like the hips, abdomen, or thighs–wherever a patient has sufficient excess fat–with liposuction technology. ⁽²⁾ A small cannula is used to reinject this fat into the lips, making for a more natural plumping effect. ⁽²⁾ The specifics of the fat grafting procedure, such as where the fat is taken from and where it is injected, can be tailored to the individual needs of each patient. There are several new technological advancements that have allowed precision processing to make the results more predictable than ever before with fat grafting to the lips.

Non-Surgical Lip Enhancement

We offer a variety of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers for lip augmentations. Some people prefer lip augmentation injections to surgical methods because they are less invasive and still provide great results. However, all of these fillers do eventually dissolve, and the patient will need to schedule touch-ups (retreat occasionally) if they want to maintain their results. The procedure for injecting lip fillers can be as quick as 10 minutes though most patients will numb for about twenty minutes prior to treatment.

Lip enhancement has evolved over the past several years. Our injectors truly focus on contouring and shaping the lips as many patients want more of a focus on creating the perfect pout and shape rather than older techniques of just adding volume to the lips. Newer techniques allow trained injectors to shape and sculpt the lips without overfilling them.

RHA Fillers

Resilient Hyaluronic Acid (RHA) fillers are designed to address the effects of aging that can occur in areas of the face that move a lot, like the lips. ⁽³⁾ These kinds of fillers are able to give the lips more elasticity and the ability to maintain shape after being pulled by different facial expressions. ⁽³⁾ RHA fillers make the lips more plump and shapely, without making them stiff and unnatural-looking. There are several different variations of RHA fillers, each differing in the depth of lines they are best suited to address.

Juvederm Ultra

Juvederm Ultra is another kind of HA filler. This kind of filler is known for having long-lasting results. In one study, Juvederm Ultra was shown to maintain volumizing effects in more than half of the patients in the study after 5 months. ⁽⁴⁾ Overall, 90% of the patients in this study felt that this filler helped them achieve their cosmetic goals, while also exceeding their expectations. ⁽⁴⁾ We can inject Juvederm Ultra into the upper lip and lower lip to improve the volume or thinness of the lips. Juvederm Ultra gel is thinner than other fillers, making it a great temporary solution for fine lines on the lips as well.

Restylane Kysse

Restylane Kysse is another HA filler we offer at Austin Plastic Surgeon. In one study, over 70% of patients still experienced aesthetic improvements from Restylane Kysse, even after 1 year. ⁽⁵⁾ The XpresHA technology that Restylane Kysse uses effectively allows patients to enjoy flexible and volumizing results. Restylane Kysse was one of the first fillers designed specifically for the lips.

Juvederm Vollure

What makes Juvederm Vollure different from other fillers is that it is made with Vycross technology. Vycross technology helps to create the Juvederm Vollure gel that is structured, yet still allows for movement. To do this, it combines different molecular weights of HA. ⁽⁶⁾ It is also long-lasting and has less HA in its makeup than other fillers. Its plumping effects can also help alleviate some wrinkles. ⁽⁶⁾

Restylane Defyne

Restylane Defyne is a HA dermal filler that, like Restylane Kysse, uses XpresHAn technology. ⁽⁷⁾ By smoothing the deep lines that can appear in the lips, Restylane Defyne can enhance the size and shape of the lips while still allowing for great flexibility. Restylane Defyne is more supportive than Restylane Kysse, so it may be used for more severe sagging. ⁽⁷⁾

Lip Flip

A lip flip is a non-surgical procedure that uses injections like in the aforementioned augmentations. However, instead of HA fillers, these are neuromodulators, which are substances that relax key muscles in order to enhance the appearance of the lips by exposing more red show of the lips. ⁽⁸⁾ Instead of being injected directly into the lips, these neuromodulators are injected into these surrounding muscles. ⁽⁸⁾ This technique relaxes specific muscles and allows the lips to rotate and improve the shape of the lips. At Austin Plastic Surgeon, we offer lip flips by using Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, or Daxxify.

Benefits

A lip enhancement procedure can have many benefits for the patients who receive them, such as:

Candidates

If you are currently dissatisfied with the appearance of your lips, you will most likely qualify for one of our surgical or non-surgical lip enhancement treatments at Austin Plastic Surgeon. Lip enhancement candidates usually want to enhance the appearance of their lips, are 21 or older, are in generally good health, and have realistic expectations about what each treatment is capable of. During a personal consultation at Austin Plastic Surgeon, we will help you determine if a lip enhancement is right for you.

Personal Consultation

During a personal consultation at Austin Plastic Surgeon, you will meet with one of our talented professionals to discuss your lip enhancement goals. Together, you will consider which kind of lip treatment is best for you. Whether you are looking for a surgical or non-surgical resolution for thin or dehydrated lips, our attentive staff will hear all of your concerns and come up with a personalized treatment plan.

To schedule a personal consultation, you can either fill out our contact form or call the Austin Plastic Surgeon office of your choice:

Preparation

Our team at Austin Plastic Surgeon will give you specific instructions about how to prepare for your personalized lip enhancement procedure, but here are some things to keep in mind:

Recovery

Your lip enhancement recovery will look different depending if you went forward with a surgical or non-surgical procedure. Surgical lip enhancement procedures will take longer to fully heal; a lip lift can take around 6-8 weeks. For non-surgical augmentations and lip flips, there may be swelling and bruising in the lips as the injectables settle. This swelling will decrease over time and usually goes away completely after 2 weeks.

Results

After a lip enhancement procedure, patients enjoy long-lasting results that leave the lips looking hydrated and full. Results from surgical methods will last longer than those that are non-surgical. Lip fillers tend to dissolve after 6 months to a year. To maintain these results, patients can receive repeat treatments.

Cost of Lip Enhancement in Austin, TX

The cost of your lip enhancement will largely depend on the type of treatment you receive, be it surgical or non-surgical. To receive an accurate cost estimate of your lip enhancement procedure, contact Austin Plastic Surgeon to talk about setting up a personalized consultation at one of our office locations:

References

1. Zhao H, Wang X, Qiao Z, Yang K. Different Techniques and Quantitative Measurements in Upper lip lift: A Systematic Review. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Published online March 1, 2023:1-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-023-03302-5
2. Vasavada A, Raggio BS. Autologous Fat Grafting For Facial Rejuvenation. PubMed. Published 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557860/
3. Sundaram H, Shamban A, Schlessinger J, et al. Efficacy and Safety of a New Resilient Hyaluronic Acid Filler in the Correction of Moderate-to-Severe Dynamic Perioral Rhytides: A 52-Week Prospective, Multicenter, Controlled, Randomized, Evaluator-Blinded Study. Dermatologic Surgery. 2021;48(1):87-93. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/dss.0000000000003238
4. Fagien S, Maas C, Murphy DK, Thomas JA, Beddingfield FC. Juvéderm Ultra for Lip Enhancement: An Open-Label, Multicenter Study. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2013;33(3):414-420. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1090820×13478609
5. Hilton S, Sattler G, Berg AK, Samuelson U, Wong C. Randomized, Evaluator-Blinded Study Comparing Safety and Effect of Two Hyaluronic Acid Gels for Lips Enhancement. Dermatologic Surgery. 2018;44(2):261-269. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/DSS.0000000000001282
6. Segurado MA, Urdiales‐Gálvez F, Benítez PA, et al. An expert consensus report on the clinical use of the Vycross ® hyaluronic acid VYC‐25 L filler. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2021;20(10):3155-3164. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.14398
7. Nikolis A, Bertucci V, Solish N, Lane V, Nogueira A. An Objective, Quantitative Assessment of Flexible Hyaluronic Acid Fillers in Lip and Perioral Enhancement. Dermatologic Surgery. 2021;Publish Ahead of Print. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/dss.0000000000002917
8. Montes JR, Wilson AJ, Chang BL, Percec I. Technical Considerations for Filler and Neuromodulator Refinements. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open. 2016;4(12 Suppl):e1178. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000001178