Even if you were born with thin lips, lip implants can provide a person with luscious lips. There are a number of choices to consider when thinking about undergoing a lip implant procedure.
Just look through any magazine or take a gaze at the television and you will see proof of the popularity of lip implants. Lip augmentation procedures have grown in number and choice from silicone to collagen to fat, lip implants vary in time to heal, permanence and cost.
Collagen Lip Implants
Collagen lip injections or lip implants can be performed using collagen derived from one of a number of different sources:
Collagen can be injected into the upper and/or lower lip with small needles. The body will slowly absorb the collagen so the procedure will need to be repeated after several months.
Regular “collagen” injections are prepared from the collagen found in cow skin and though the tissue is purified it may cause allergic effects in some people because it is non-human tissue. Sensitivity tests should be performed before receiving a cow based collagen lip injection.
Autologen, uses collagen derived from the patient’s own skin. Skin and tissue is removed from a donor site during a procedure such as a tummy tuck or a face lift. The effects generally last for a long time and there is not a risk of allergic reaction.
Dermalogen is collagen extracted from a human donor’s skin. The donated tissue is screened and processed and is used for other procedures in addition to lip implants. The effects may last for several months but generally must be repeated periodically.
Hyaluronic Acid Lip Implants
Hyaluronic acid is a lubricating product designed to give bulk by holding water. Injections of hyaluronic acid in the form of Restylane or Juvederma will act as lip implants for a similar period of time to collagen lip injections. The procedure must be repeated every 2 to 6 months but generally produces no allergic reaction.
Fat Transplant for Lip Implants
Using fat removed by liposuction from a fatty area of the body such as the abdomen or buttocks, a cosmetic surgeon can then inject or transplant the fat tissue into the lips. Transplant will involve local anesthesia and incisions to implant the tissue for lip augmentation.
Fat transplant lip implants will often be permanent while injections of fat may be less successful. This procedure has a higher lip implant cost because of the cost of liposuction procedures performed at the same time.
Silicone Lip Implants
Silicone lip implants offer a permanent lip implant solution. Two options are offered with the Surgisil “Permalip” implant providing the most obvious, immediate results.
Permalip is a flexible soft silicon shape that will not rupture offered in 3 sizes. This requires local anesthesia and at least 2 incisions per lip that can be removed in the event of complications. MicroDroplet silicone injections are small amounts of silicone injected for lip augmentation which can be performed over several months for increasing the size.
Saline Lip Implants
Saline lip implants in the form of Verafil saline products can be implanted into the lips in a similar fashion to silicone. Though they are less likely to cause complications, there also is the possibility of rupture.
Other types of Lip Implant
AlloDerm is a human derived substrate that can be implanted with incisions which will last for up to a year.
SoftForm, a micro porous implant allows tissue to fill the holes, securing the implant in place. It has replaced Gore-Tex as a popular lip augmentation implant as it does not shrink and will not be absorbed into the body.
It may be easily removed in the event of complications. A sister implant product known as UltraSoft is 3 times softer and designed to feel more like natural tissue.
Gore-Tex, though decreasing in popularity is still used but is considered to be stiffer and less natural looking. Advanta is a newer implant, similar to UltraSoft which offers softnes, reduced migration and shrinkage, which is growing in popularity.
Cosmetic Lip Enhancement
Cosmetics used for lip enhancement are also available over the cosmetics counter to provide a non surgical approach to lip augmentation. Creams, glosses and lipsticks are designed to promote blood collection in the lips by irritation.
They use ingredients such as mint, cinnamon or cayenne pepper to promote blood flow to the lips, plumping them to give the appearance of a lip implant. Naturally, the effect is temporary but easily replicated when reapplied. Cosmetics for lip augmentation may be a good choice to try if one has not fully made the commitment to get surgical lip implants.