Lip Augmentation

Lip Enhancement (Lip Augmentation) Lip enhancement creates fuller, plumper lips, and reduces fine wrinkles around the mouth. Lips can be injected with a variety of substances including collagen (human or bovine), hyaluronic acid, synthetics (i.e. silicone), or fat which the patient donates from another part of his/her body. Hyaluronic acid, collagen, and fat are eventually absorbed by the body so repeat treatments are necessary to maintain results. Silicone is considered to be permanent filler but has more side effects. There are newer, more permanent options such as implantable materials like AlloDerm and SoftForm. Lip Enhancement Techniques: The materials described above can be injected or surgically implanted into the lips. One injection is usually sufficient to produce the desired result. Depending on the filler, injections need to be repeated periodically. Proper placement of the injected material is important. Implants, such as AlloDerm, (made from a natural collagen sheet), are inserted through tiny incisions inside the corners of the mouth. Once the AlloDerm implant is in place, it eventually becomes integrated with normal tissue. Gore-Tex, SoftForm and soft ePTFE are other synthetic implant options.