Lip Refinement
Full lips can bring a youthful appearance to the lower facial area. It is typical that over the years collagen and fat in the lip area will decrease giving an aged possibly wrinkled look to the area. Alternatively many patients are simply unhappy with the shape or size of their lips. They may be too small or wrinkled. The upper lip may be too long covering the entire upper dentition. Patients may be unhappy with their lips turning down at the corners making them look mad or sad. Less commonly patients may feel that their lips are too large or full and want to have them reduced.

Whatever the issue the patient may have with her perioral area, careful assessment and discussion can lead us to the appropriate choice for rejuvenation of this area. Injectables continued to be the mainstay for rejuvenation of this area.

Injectables/Fillers
Judicious assessment and adequate placement of injectables can take care of most complaints patients have. They can very adequately plump and fill the lips and also take care of any turning down of the corners.
Reestablishing subcutaneous fullness can not only make them look larger but will smooth any wrinkles as well. The benefit here is of course minimal anesthesia required an easy recovery. The down side is the most injectables are not permanent and will resolve over time requiring reinjection.

Lip Implants

Many patients seek rounder fuller lips and although injectable fillers are regularly used to achieve this goal, lip implants have become a very popular choice due to their safety profile and permanence. The Permalip™ implants which we use come in different lengths and widths to be sure we are able to do our best to meet each patients’ needs. They are inserted into the lip through a small incision where the upper and lower lips meet, typically under local anesthesia. The whole procedure takes about 30 minutes and patients typically get a small amount of bruising and swelling that resolves within a few days.

Lip Shortening
Another procedure employed to rejuvenate the lips is a lip shortening. Lip shortening, which is typically performed by removing a width of tissue along the base of the nose, results in a more youthful look by both reducing the length of the lip and everting the upper lip giving a somewhat pouty look. This procedure is typically performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia or possibly local anesthesia with sedation with minimal recovery related to bruising and swelling. Kip shortening is frequently performed along with a form of lip augmentation.

Botox™
More recently the use of Botox has proven useful in some perioral rejuvenation areas. Judicious injection of the appropriate muscles can reposition the lips and softened wrinkles.