Do You Want Hot lips?

From the start of this article I wish to disclose that I do not like big lips, it is simply not my cup of tea. I am a natural gall and like subtle natural results. So if you are looking for dramatic pornstar lips, you have come to the wrong website I am afraid.

Women often visit my clinic looking for a specific set of lips. They say, “I want to look like Angelina Jolie” or . Megan Fox. However, “Angelina Jolie lips” don’t suit every face. Some of us are genetically blessed and are born with great lips. Most of us mere mortals have lips whose appearance could be “tweaked”. Thankfully dermal fillers allow us to enhance lips to improve their aesthetic appearance.

Lip enhancement treatments are as much “an art as a science”. There are a few key principles that as a doctor I must be cognisant of in order to recreate the best lips for each individual face. Firstly, I always explain to my patients that there are proportion guidelines called The ‘golden ratio” or Phi. Phi is the perfect ratio between upper and lower lips, i.e. 1:1.618. So it’s about 40% in the upper vs 60% in the lower lip.

Unfortunately more often than not though, women often visit my clinic knowing what they do not want, “I do not want to look like Leslie Ashe”. This press is what has given lip enhancement treatments a bad name. It makes my job so much harder trying to convince ladies to have lip treatments when they really need lip injections purely because of what they have read and seen in the media.

If you are one of those women who steer clear of lip injection treatment for fear of the dreaded wonky disproportionate ‘trout pout’ of looking like Tulisa, fear not and consider plumpifying your pout. As a doctor it is good to showcase your work. For me it is a way for me to constantly assess my work and ensure I am producing good results. I have tried to produce a portfolio of some of my cases to show you what I am about.

There are two distinctive treatment aims which I clarify with my patients from the outset. Are you looking for lip enhancement (slight plumping) or lip augmentation (making lips look bigger)? These are two completely distinctive objectives and once I understand this, it will result in a more satisfied patient.

Case 1. Before and after lip enhancement in a lady in her 20’s

This lady wanted lip augmentation but still wanted to retain a very natural look. After 1 ml Emervel dermal filler we achieved a result which she was happy with.

Case 2. Before and after lip augmentation in a lady in her 30’s who wanted volume yet a natural soft result.

This lady presented with small lips to be enlarged. 1 ml Juvederm Volbella was used in this case to enhance lip projection and improve profile.

Case 3. Before and after lip enhancement in a lady in her 30’s who wanted ultra natural results.
1ml juvederm volbella was injected in this case.

Case 4. Correcting lip asymmetry and shape enhancement.

With ageing our lips change resulting in collapse at the lip corners (an indentation at upper lip corners) altering lip shape and the lip border looses it’s definition and becomes more wrinkled. This lady needed more definition of her lip border, treatment of her upper lip lines and dermal filler was also placed in the body of the lips to recreate some volume.

Finally, many patients are afraid of dermal filler injections as they have heard reports that treatments are painful. Dental block or an injection of local anaesthetic is available for lip dermal filler treatments. Therefore you shouldn’t feel discomfort during your procedure. Often we also use Ice which is an effective method to decrease pain and reduce the risk of bruising.

Side effects /risks with dermal fillers

Bruising and swelling is common after dermal filler treatments. Sometimes one side is slightly fuller than the other. This may be adjusted during your follow up appointment. Infection is a very rare complication, but always a possibility when the needle enters the skin. Often with lips, it may take several syringes of product to get to where the patient wants to be.

Cost from €350 to €450 per 1 ml depending on product selected.

So… Forget fish lips or trout pouts, natural lips are in fashion. I am an advocate of lip enhancement rather than augmentation.

Do you think these results look natural? Please feel free to leave a comment, I welcome any feedback.