Dr. Kayle recommends alternatives to try. You’re one step closer to fuller lips
I really want to have fuller lips but hate the idea of fillers as they can look really unnatural. What other options are there?
One alternative to temporary lip fillers for lip augmentation is to use implants. This treatment brings a permanent change to your lip shape through a surgical technique. During your lip consultation, your doctor will determine what size lip implant would be best. The 30-minute procedure is done under local or general anaesthesia and generally the implant insertion is an in-office procedure. First, the skin is sterilized around the surgical area. Next, the lips are anesthetized. Once the lips are numb, an incision is made in each corner of the mouth. A tunnel in the lip is created using a tool called a curved alligator clamp. The lip tunnel carefully follows the shape of the lip. Once the curved alligator clamp has reached the end of the tunnel, the clamp opens. The implant is grasped and dragged into the lip tunnel. The implant is positioned underneath the lip fat and above the lip muscles. Once the implants are in place, the incisions are closed with one or two absorbable sutures. Although absorbable sutures are used, lips can be swollen for approximately three weeks post-surgery.
Another option you may want to consider is using your own tissue for lip augmentation, in a procedure called autologous lip augmentation. Fat transfer is one type of autologous lip augmentation and is another great option for lip augmentation. Like lip fillers, fat transfer to the lips is an in-office procedure. Fat transfer to the lips is performed under local anaesthesia. During fat transfer to the lips, fat is harvested from your abdomen (around the belly button), purified, and transferred into your lips. Fat transfer to the lips takes about sixty minutes to perform. The patient can go home the day of the procedure. Lips augmented with fat stay plump for five years or longer.
One more option would be purely surgical, namely lip advancement surgery. This is done under general anesthesia where the lips shape is surgically modified to give them more volume and projection using the lips’ tissue itself. The procedure takes around 90 minutes, absorbable stitches are used, the patient goes home the same day, and there will be severe swelling for about three weeks. The new shape will last for good and is not reversed except with another surgery.
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