LIP AUGMENTATION

Fuller, more luscious lips can improve a woman’s self-confidence. Cosmetic lip augmentation or enhancement can plump and add volume to your lips. Dr. Moenster and Dr. Weyer offer a variety of fillers to help increase the volume of the top lip, bottom lip, or both.

Lip Augmentation Candidates Include:

• Individuals that have lost volume in lips
• Individuals that have developed fine lines or wrinkles in their lips
• Individuals with asymmetrical lips
• Individuals who desire fuller, more shapely lips
• Individuals with good health
• Individuals with realistic expectations

There are a few treatment options available for cosmetic lip augmentation.

Topical agents: Topical agents can improve the appearance of lip size temporarily. Typically these enhancers have some type of topical agent in them. These agents can sometimes be hot pepper or cinnamon oil or extract that causes a temporary enhancement or augmentation of the lips by stimulating an inflammatory response which causes the lip to temporarily swell. This again is a temporary fix that can be applied topically. The results are minimal. These topical agents are also usually mixed with a lip gloss. The shine of the lip gloss causes the lips to reflect more light which can enhance or highlight the appearance, making the lips appear larger.

Injectable Fillers (Juvederm): There are several options on the market, most of these being hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a product that is naturally found in our bodies that’s made in a lab. This comes in a gel form. The gel is injected into the lips either with or without a topical anesthetic agent. The lips will swell temporarily and can bruise from these injections. Over a period of two weeks, the gel will then absorb more of your body’s water and the swelling will decrease. Injectable lip augmentation can last anywhere from three months to one year, depending on the filler that is used. Juvederm is a good option to try out for lip augmentation as it is not permanent, but it can give you an idea of what lip enhancement would look like. This is currently the most common form of lip enhancement. Another bonus of using Juvederm is it is reversible if you do not like your new look.

Free Fat Transfer: Fat from one area of your body is removed, spun down in a centrifuge, allowed to separate and naturally filter, then reinjected into another area. This is more of a long-term option and can last anywhere from 3-5 years depending on how much of the fat takes. Typically, 50-70% of the fat from free fat transfer stays. This can lead to some unevenness which will usually require two more treatments to get the full effect of the enhancement desired.

Injectable Fillers: 30 minutes
Free Fat Transfer: 1-3 hours

Exercise should be avoided until your physician states otherwise. For free fat transfer, there is typically one to two days of downtime before resuming all physical activities. After a lip augmentation procedure, you will notice immediate results. It can take 2 -3 weeks for swelling and bruising to subside.

To learn more about lip augmentation, or to schedule your consultation with Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Moenster, please fill out the form on this page. You can call our Tucson location at 520-207-3100 or our Sierra Vista location at 520-458-1787. We look forward to seeing you soon!