What You Should Know Before You Have A Lip Filler
One of the most popular – and arguably controversial- cosmetic treatments, lip augmentation or lip filler procedures can make a dramatic difference to your appearance (Hello Kylie Jenner!) But to ensure that your new lips are lauded rather than laughed at, there are some essentials you need to know.
1. Research is key…
You must ensure that you find someone who’s appropriately medically qualified and whether he/she has an aftercare plan in place, and what they would do if things go wrong.
2.Fillers are typically used to increase the volume and size of the lips…
Fat or hyaluronic acid-based filler are typical. Fat (using the patient’s own fat) works by plumping, while hyaluronic acid works by both plumping but also holding water within the lip for a more natural effect. It’s important that the material used has the same consistency as the lip’s natural mucosa – otherwise, it won’t look natural whenever the patient moves their lip in animation.
3. Go natural…
With lip augmentation, the aim every time is to maintain a natural appearance and take into account the patient’s facial symmetry and how to fill the lips in such a way that the result will complement and enhance their overall appearance. Injectable lip augmentation is a fine art – it’s not a matter of poking around the outlines and the doctor should focus on specific parts of the lips to ensure a natural looking result. Generally, the perfect lip will have a 1:1 ratio between the outer corners of the top and bottom lip. The middle of the lip and the outer corner should be 2:1 – think Angelina Jolie or Emily Ratajkowski and you are on the right track. That said, over time and with the seeping of social media into every facet of our lives, the perception of ‘natural’ has changed and evolved and very often patients may require something other than what the doctor has in mind so a thorough consultation is vital first. It’s all too easy to be trigger happy with injectables and many practitioners use far too much filler but usually there’s no need to go over 1ml in a single treatment and make small increases to that volume slowly to create the best result.
4 There are risks…
Lip augmentation is a medical procedure and all medical procedures carry risk associated with needle use, including infection, bruising, bleeding. In addition, there is the risk associated with the filler, including allergies. Immediately after a procedure, you can expect injection-site redness, swelling, pain, and tenderness, which may last around 24 hours. If this doesn’t settle down, you should contact your practitioner.
5. Results are not permanent…
The longevity of results depends on multiple factors including the filler used and the age of the patient but typically, top-ups are required every four-to-six months for a hyaluronic acid filler. In the case of fat, the results can last much longer.