Enhancement of the lips is one of the most requested treatments by cosmetic patients today. For two reasons virtually all people requesting this treatment are women. First, as we age, our lips thin as a result of the loss of fat and some muscle in the lips and the skin between the nose and upper lip.
The second reason is that full proportionate lips are a sign of youth-especially in women. Aging men with enhanced lips may have a feminine appearance so men rarely request this procedure.
One of the unusual fads is the tendency for some women, especially movie stars, to over-correct their lips. This practice results in a disproportionate and often very unnatural appearance. Dr Bernstein strongly believes in recreating a younger but natural appearing lip. No one should ever have lips which are unnaturally full or disproportionate.
The “perfect” lip varies from person to person and there are racial and ethnic variations. In general there are some guidelines, in an ideal situation the upper lip is thinner (See #1) and should project beyond the lower. However, the lower lip is fuller than the upper (See #2). We also have a slight slope from the base of the nose to the lip. Finally the “white roll” (See #3) is the junction between the lip and the adjacent skin. All of these characteristics change with aging.
Enhancement or rejuvenation of the lips is accomplished with fillers. My preference is hyaluronic acid derivatives such Restylane, Juvederm and Perlane. They are preferable to some of the denser fillers because they are softer and less likely to form lumps or nodules in the thin skin of the lips.
In our practice, all lip enhancement injections are performed by Dr Bernstein personally. We always use local anesthesia to eliminate painful lip injections. Hyaluronic acid derived fillers are natural and no prior testing is necessary. The chief “complication” is temporary bruising. Also, there is an antidote which will dissolve the material in a day or so if there is a need to remove the material.
Dr. Bernstein has been successfully treating thinning, aging lips for decades. Call for an appointment if you are interested in this treatment.
November 23, 2009 at 6:39 am |
Thank you for the article on lip enhancement. Explaining what the correct poprtions are for a nautural full lip was helpful. I had recently gone to another doctor for this procedure, and was quite dismayed at the result. My upper lip was way too large, and looked very unnatural. Dr Bernstein helped correct the disapportionment, and my lips look much better!
I do like the way my lips make my mouth younger (I also get the lines at the corner of my mouth filled) and will return to Dr B to “do it right the first time”!