Lip Enhancement Encompasses Several Different Procedures

Well-shaped, full lips typically represent a desirable sign of good health and youth. There are multiple temporary, as well as permanent, methods of lip augmentation or lip enhancement that are used by cosmetic surgeons at their practices. Permanent methods of enhancing your lips include implants such as alloderm or gortex. There are also newly-developing permanent injectables as well as lip advancement surgery. Lips may be augmented or enhanced by using one's own harvested fat. Plastic surgeons may also be able to use "extra" fatty tissue removed during a facelift. There are various forms of collagen that can be injected into the lower and upper lips that will produce dramatic changes. These changes will typically last three to four months. Usually, lip enhancement can be performed under local anesthesia.

lip enhancement, also called a lip lift, is performed in one of two ways. For the younger patients who have a slightly droopy or ptotic nasal tip (this typically hides the region of the nasal sill) an incision is made along the bottom edge of the nose, and tissue is excised. This will "lift" the upper lip. The scar for this procedure generally hides very well in this region. Many cosmetic surgeons will refer to this technique as the sub-nasal lip lift. In older patients, who may or may not have vertical wrinkles along the upper lip, the incision is instead made along the upper border of the red lip. The results of both methods are that the red portion of the upper lip increases in size. Also the distance between the lip and the nose is decreased. This can be even more useful to patients that have an overly long upper lip that completely hides their upper incisors.

Lip implants are inserted into lip enhancement patients to permanently and effectively increase lip projection and volume. Plastic surgeon's perform this procedue using small incisions at the corners of the mouth which are hidden in the red lip. The surgeon creates a tunnel under the lip mucosa and the implant material is introduced into position and then trimmed to fit. The incision is then closed with fine sutures. Common materials that plastic surgeons use for lip implants include gortex and alloderm.

A commonly performed procedure by plastic surgeons is using one's own fat to perform lip enhancement. Fat is usually harvested from the hips or abdomen and is placed in sub-mucosal fashion as well as into the muscle of the lower and upper lips. Some fat may disappear or reabsorb over time, but patients typically obtain long term results with this technique. Any fat that is still present after six months is considered permanent.