Question: I recently heard of something called lip sculpting. Is this different from lip augmentation?

Answer: Lip sculpting and lip augmentation are similar, but in lip sculpting we are not necessarily just trying to make the lip look bigger or trying to just augment the lip, but we are actually trying to improve the shape of the lip by placing filler in areas that you would not even consider to call the lip.  For instance, the philtral ridges are the small ridges that go from the nose down to the lip at the top of the Cupid’s bow.  These tend to flatten as we age and by placing an injectable filler in this area to recreate the philtral ridges in combination with recreating a much more significant Cupid’s bow to the upper lip, we can have a very nice rejuvenation and augmentation to the lip without making the lip look overly large.  Essentially, every lip augmentation procedure that I personally perform would be considered a lip sculpting procedure since we are going to customize the placement of the filler to give the patient the best result possible.  

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Question: I’ve been interested in lip augmentation for some time but I’m a little scared that I may not like the results. If I opt for lip augmentation with injectable fillers, how soon will the results wear off if I don’t like them?

Answer: For the most part, I recommend that patients stick to the hyaluronic acid fillers for lip augmentation since these are extremely safe and reliable and do not tend to create nodules or bumps like some other fillers can.  With that said, if you do not like the lip augmentation the injection of hyaluronidase will dissolve the injectable filler in a matter of hours, so the result can be reversible.  I will say though if you see an experienced injector there is very little chance that you will not like the results since customized injection techniques can create wonderful lip augmentation that looks very natural but significantly enhances this area of your face.

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Question: It’s been a full day since I had Restylane injected into my lips and I now have duck lips and severe bruising. What can I do?

Answer: Since it has only been one full day, I would not get too concerned as this occasionally happens with lip injections.  The bruising is going to add more swelling and the swelling is going to give you more of a duck lip type look and you, therefore, just need to be patient and allow the swelling and bruising to subside.  You can accelerate the process by keeping your head elevated, staying active, and intermittently icing the lips, but it may take about a week for all the swelling and bruising to go away and at that point, your lips should look like they did immediately after the injection.  Hopefully, this will give you the look that you desire but, if it does not, Restylane is reversible with the injection of hyaluronidase.

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Question: I’ve used topical lip plumper’s and I love the result but the look doesn’t last for long. Can I get the same look with injectable fillers?

Answer: You can definitely get the same look as lip plumpers by using injectable fillers, and the results will last somewhere around six to nine months in most individuals.  I would highly suggest seeing an experienced injector since a poor injection technique can lead to a lip that looks unnatural.

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Question: I’m a male interested in getting lip enhancement. Are there some products that work better for men? I want slightly fuller lips as mine are very thin, but I don’t want a feminine look.

Answer: The same products that are good for lip enhancement in women are also excellent for lip enhancement in men.  We certainly want to treat your lips differently than a woman though, and we really do not want to accentuate the cupid’s bow but rather just add fullness to the volume of the lip itself to create a fuller but yet still masculine lip.

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