Surgical and nonsurgical options to plump up your lips

Nowadays, women and men crave fuller looking lips. Celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Bella Thorne have made fuller lips the "in" look. What is the "go to" procedure for achieving fuller lips? Should I get lip fillers or lip implants? The real question is, do you want a temporary or permanent solution to lip augmentation?

Lip fillers, such as Juvederm, are a series of injections that shape and plump up your lip. Lip fillers are only a semi-permanent solution. Lip implants, like Permalip implants, are a soft, solid silicone implant shaped like a natural lip. The Permalip implants come in several different sizes. Because the Permalip implants are a solid and not a liquid, this type of silicone implant will not leak or rupture. The Permalip implants are a permanent solution to lip augmentation.

Lip fillers

Lip fillers are injected into the upper and lower lips. There are several different types of lip fillers, including Juvederm, Restylane, Voluma, and Perlane. Lip filler augmentation is an in-office procedure. During your consultation, your doctor will assess your lips and overall facial balance. Your doctor will take pictures of your lips to determine the symmetry and shape of your lips. Then your doctor will determine which areas of your lips need to be fuller and plumper.

For temporary lip augmentation, it is recommended to use Juvederm Ultra Plus since this filler has lidocaine. Lidocaine is numbing medication. After your doctor determines how much and where to inject the lip filler, you are ready to proceed.

The lip filler augmentation procedure takes about fifteen to thirty minutes to complete. Lip filler augmentation is a quick procedure that you can even do over your lunch break. The patient can go home the day of the procedure. The cost of the procedure ranges from $600 to $800 per syringe. Since lip fillers only last six to eight months, lip filler augmentation is only a semi-permanent solution.

Lip implants

One alternative to temporary lip fillers for lip augmentation is to use implants, which is a more permanent option. During your lip consultation, your doctor will determine what size lip implant would be best. The Permalip implant insertion is an in-office procedure. First, the skin is sterilized around the surgical area. Next, the lips are anesthetized. Once the lips are numb, an incision is made in each corner of the mouth.

A tunnel in the lip is created using a tool called a curved alligator clamp. The lip tunnel carefully follows the shape of the lip. Once the curved alligator clamp has reached the end of the tunnel, the clamp opens. The implant is grasped and dragged into the lip tunnel. The implant is positioned underneath the lip fat and above the lip muscles. Once the implants are in place, the incisions are closed with one or two absorbable sutures.

The duration of the implant insertion procedure is about thirty minutes, and the patient can go home the day of the procedure. The cost of this procedure ranges from $2,000 to $4,000.

Fat grafting

Another alternative to artificial fillers and implants is using your own tissue for lip augmentation. Using your own tissue for lip augmentation is called autologous lip augmentation. Fat transfer is one type of autologous lip augmentation and is another great option for lip augmentation. Like lip fillers, fat transfer to the lips is an in-office procedure. Fat transfer to the lips is performed under local anesthesia.

During fat transfer to the lips, fat is harvested from your abdomen (around the belly button), purified, and transferred into your lips. Fat transfer to the lips takes about sixty to ninety minutes to perform. The patient can go home the day of the procedure. Lips augmented with fat stay plump for five years or longer. The cost of this procedure ranges from $3,000 to $6,000.

Tissue grafting

There is another type of autologous lip augmentation. In addition to using fat for lip augmentation, a piece of your own skin or dermis can be used for lip augmentation. During this type of autologous lip augmentation, skin is removed from the lower stomach area. Sometimes, a C-section scar can be resected and used for lip augmentation. Sometimes, the skin removed during a facelift can be used for lip augmentation.

After the skin is resected, the top layer of the skin (epidermis) is removed. The remaining piece of skin is a strip of dermis and is rolled into a cigar-like shape. This piece of dermis is then inserted into your lips. This type of autologous lip augmentation is also an in-office procedure and can be performed under local anesthesia. The duration of the dermal transfer to lips procedure ranges from sixty to ninety minutes. The patient can go home the day of the procedure. Your lips should retain their shape and volume for five years or more. The cost of this procedure ranges from $3,000 to $6,000.

Ready to plump up your lips?

Whether it is lip injections or lip implants, patients will notice significantly more pouty lips. For all lip augmentation procedures, patients will be able to see their results right away. If you're ready to start your lip augmentation journey, be sure to use the ASPS Find a Plastic Surgeon tool for a list of board-certified plastic surgeons in your area.