Lip Augmentation 101

Lip Augmentation 101

An experienced plastic surgeon answers your most frequently asked questions about lip augmentation with injectable fillers.

If you’re looking for a fuller or more defined lip at any age, injectable fillers can help you achieve the look.

Lip Augmentation Questions Answered

Here are some of the top questions clients ask Dr. Michael Weinberg, MD, FRCSC about injectable fillers:

What is the key to making beautiful lips?

The key to beautiful lips is to maintain good proportion. Sometimes, people think they want a larger upper lip, or lower lip, but the truth is that there is a perfect ratio we need to maintain between the two that is most pleasing. Similarly, aiming for lips that have the ideal proportion for one’s other features makes them most beautiful.

Why do some people look like a duck?

People look like a duck when they have too much filler in the lip, or too much in the wrong location. How much is too much can depend on the person’s initial lip size and shape. For example, someone with a very small lip at the outset may not look natural if they have the same amount of filler placed as someone with a much larger lip.

Will my lips deflate or wrinkle if I stop using the filler?

This is a common question. The answer is no. They just go back to what they used to look like.

Will my lips look weird when I am older if I fill them when I am young?

No, your lips will not look weird when you are older because you did injections when you were younger—your lips age normally after you stop doing the injections.

Can I kiss someone?

Yes! Of course you can kiss. Your lips will feel soft and natural after injections. When the right filling product is chosen and the correct amount is used, your lips will feel just like your own natural lips.

Can I feel lumps in my lips?

Occasionally one might feel (not see) minor bumps immediately after injection. However, lumps or bumps persisting beyond a few days are uncommon when lips have been treated by an experienced injector using the right product. The use of a too-stiff filling product can make more long-lasting lumps, as can poor injection technique.

If I don’t like it, can I take it out?

We use hyaluronic acid fillers in the lips, and these can always be removed easily if the need arises. I don’t think that permanent-type fillers (other than fat) should be used in the lips—unlike temporary hyaluronic acid agents, permanent fillers cannot be removed easily, and have been associated with complications.

What happens if I get bumps?

If you get bumps from a temporary filler, they can be massaged away or removed with another injection of something called hyaluronidase. If you get bumps from a permanent filler, this may require steroid injections and/or surgery to remove.

Can I share a syringe of product with my girlfriend?

Splitting a syringe with a girlfriend is offered by some clinics. Of course, when this is done by trained medical personnel, half of the product is first removed into a separate syringe. Two people must never be injected from the same syringe. However, one must bear in mind that a syringe is 1 cc of product (a very small amount) and we find that most women like all—or almost all—of one syringe for lip augmentation.

What’s the best product to use for lip augmentation: hyaluronic acid (HA) or fat?

There are advantages and disadvantages with both. Problems with fat include the fact that it’s not predictable and that it can form nodules. Fat is also a permanent filler, and can’t be easily removed. HA fillers are totally predictable, fully reversible and very versatile. Having said that, for women who have experienced hyaluronic filler, and know they like the results, fat is a more long-lasting option.

By Dr. Michael Weinberg , MD, FRCSC

Dr. Michael Weinberg, BSc, MD, MSc, FRCS (C), serves as. the Division Head of Plastic Surgery at Trillium Health Centre, and is a lecturer at the University of Toronto Medical Schools of plastic surgery residents for the University of Toronto medical residency program. He is recognized as an innovator in cosmetic procedures and treatments, is an active researched and widely published medical writer.

 

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