Lip Augmentation

    Lip Augmentation is a surgical procedure that performs the action of plumping up the lips and thereby reducing the instance of wrinkles around the mouth. Lip Augmentation can also help to correct a downturn of the mouth, due to loss of good skin texture, caused by the natural aging process and aggravated in some cases by smoking over a long period of time.
    Patients may desire lip improvement for a number of reasons. The lip(s) may be too thick or too thin, wrinkled, or simply aged. The typical features of the aged lip are that it has usually thinned, lengthened in a vertical dimension, has wrinkles which radiate outwards, has poor skin texture, droops, may be downturned and when the mouth is opened the lower teeth are displayed first. These effects are usually worse in smokers. An aged mouth will affect your expression and can make you look grumpy, surly, angry or unhappy.
    If the lips are too thick or too thin tissue can either be removed or added. We prefer to augment lips with fat which has the advantages of being readily available and easy to harvest, free, easy to insert under local anaesthesia and safe with no adverse reactions. Although about 60% of the fat will be resorbed, usually what remains at 6 weeks will be permanent. Patients often benefit from repeated procedures. Other options for lip augmentation include using non animal derived hyaluronic acid (such as Perlane or Restylane) which can be injected in the rooms.
    Treatment for the aged lip is directed at the particular aspects which are undesirable. Fillers (fat, hyaluronic acid), resurfacing (peel or needling), Botox injections and other modalities may be used on their own or in combination.
    Most surgery is fairly minor and takes less than an hour. Procedures are usually performed as day cases under local anaesthesia. Lip enhancement can be done at the same time as other procedures such as facelift, eyelid improvement, etc. Bruising and swelling may last 2-3 weeks. Overseas patients can return home after a few days.
    Another lip augmentation Method is the Dermo-Fat-Graft. This generally involves the removal (from an existing scar area on the body like an appendix scar) of a section of the dermis that boasts an underlying portion of fat. The graft is then trimmed to the correct size and inserted in the desired area of the lip through a tiny incision made on the inside of the mouth. Although some of the fat will be re-absorbed into the body, the portion that remains after approximately 6 to 7 weeks will stay in place. Swelling goes down in matter of days following the procedure.

    Post-Operative Care

    Cold compresses are critical to minimize swelling. Pain medication is needed for a brief postoperative period. The patient cleans the suture lines with peroxide and applies ointment. Avoiding excessive smiling and manipulation is necessary. The patient is instructed to drink through a straw and is to avoid eating or drinking hot or cold substances. The patient usually resumes using lipstick within one week.
    Patients are up and around immediately following fat injections. Any discomfort following the procedure can be controlled with medication. Some swelling at the treatment site may last up to 2-5 days. There may be some bruising, which can be covered with makeup. Your initial injection should last from four to six months. Over the first few months some of the fat may be absorbed by your body. The remainder will usually stay in place for years. For results that will last years, patients usually receive two treatments over a six month period.
    Fat transferred to the face can last as long as several years or even be permanent.

    Lip Lift:
    The mouth undergoes many changes as it ages. The upper lip lengthens and sags, the vermilion thins out and takes on a "set" look, the corners droop, and the architecture becomes muted as the "lip roll" and the philtrum flatten and the "cupid's bow" loses its curves. Eventually, the lower teeth, rather than the upper teeth, show when the lips are slightly parted. Vertical wrinkles appear, nasolabial creases become furrows, and deepening "marionette lines" give the person a downturned and unhappy look. The lower lip changes similarly but less dramatically.
    The lip lift is performed to shorten the long lip of aging, allowing the upper teeth to show again when the lips are slightly parted. It also everts more of the upper lip vermilion, thus-making the thin upper lip appear more youthful. The scar that lies in the shadow crease between the nostril sill and the lip is virtually invisible.