Lip Augmentation

Another of the several characteristics of facial aging is the loss of facial volume, and this also includes a loss of lip volume. Thin lips, whether related to aging or genetics, can be particularly troublesome to women who view "full lips” as a desirable facial feature.

 

Lip augmentation has gained increasing popularity as injectable fillers have improved and become adaptable to that purpose. In addition, fat transfer (using one's own living fat) is an alternative method, with the possibility of a much more permanent result. Now, there is also a growing acceptance of the use of synthetic implants designed for permanent lip enhancement, such as Permalip®. With the exception of the fat transfer method, lip enhancement can easily be performed as a simple office procedure.

 

Another aging change of the lips is the visible increase in the vertical length of the upper lip. The distance between the free edge of the lip and the lip's beginning at the attachment of the nose becomes noticeably longer. This too is a feature that bothers patients who have interest in their lip appearance. Fortunately, this too can be surgically improved through a procedure known as a "lip lift.”

 

My lip lift involves the surgical elimination of excess lip length by discretely removing a strip skin along the line of attachment of the nose to the upper lip. The resulting scar blends remarkably well into the skin crease made by that line of nasal attachment. This procedure can easily be performed while awake under local anesthesia or asleep, under general anesthesia.