Dr. Jeffrey Popp from Popp Cosmetic Surgery does a deep dive on everything you need to know about Lip Filler, Lip Implant and Lip Lift procedures. Dr. Popp provides helpful insights into before the procedure, during the procedure and after procedure recovery.
Lip Procedures
Whether a person’s lips have thinned with age, they want to balance a fuller top or bottom lip, or they simply never had naturally plump lips, lip liners and lipstick may not be enough to create a perfect pout. Several procedures are available to enhance lips and provide a beautiful, natural-looking result: lip fillers, lip implants and lip lifts.
Lip fillers are the most common procedure of the three. This nonsurgical options typically lasts six months to a year, requires no downtime and is reversible.
Lip implants are soft, solid silicone implantsthat are long-lasting but reversible, and the minor surgical procedure requires minimal downtime.
Lip lifts are more common in people who’ve noticed the philtrum (the area from the bottom of the nose to the top of the upper lip) lengthen with age, or who have a naturally long philtrum with thin lips. This surgical procedure creates minor scarring that should fade within a year and takes a longer recovery time than fillers or implants, but results are permanent.
Before the Procedure
Because lip fillers are a nonsurgical option, preparation is simple, with patients given a topical numbing cream before injections begin. Lip implants are considered a minor surgical procedure, so the lip area is anesthetized in preparation for two small incisions. A lip lift requires local anesthesia and the patient may also choose sedation, which may require general surgical screening.
Patients who experience frequent cold sores and are not under treatment for this condition may be advised against lip procedures, and patients with certain autoimmune diseases may not be good candidates for fillers and implants.
The Procedure
Lip fillers include hyaluronic acid products under brand names like Restylane’s Kysse or Juvéderm’s Volbella and are injected through a canula slowly and incrementally. In addition to the topical numbing cream applied before the procedure, pain is mitigated with tissue-cooling devices and the injections contain a local anesthetic. Patients usually feel an initial burning and stinging sensation followed by numbness. The process takes 20-30 minutes, depending on whether only the upper lip, only the lower lip, or both lips are treated.
Lip implants require an injected local anesthetic. Two small incisions are made, one on each side of the lip, and the implant is inserted in a tunnel created in the tissue between them. The incisions are then stitched closed. The Permalip implants are available in different diameters and lengths, so the cosmetic surgeon will choose the size that best fits the patient’s anatomy and desired results. The procedure usually takes about 30 minutes per lip.
A lip lift procedure typically takes 1 to 2 hours and involves an injected local anesthetic and the option for sedation. Before the procedure, the patient and surgeon will have discussed the options of lifting only the central part of the lip, adding a lateral lip lift to also bring up the edges, and combining the procedure with lip filler. The incision site is at the junction of the base of the nose and the philtrum; it is relatively inconspicuous and should fade within a year, but the patient can conceal the scar with makeup as soon as three weeks after the procedure.
After the Procedure
Pain after a lip procedure is usually minimal. Patients are encouraged to apply ice to the area to help address bruising and swelling, which will usually last only days after fillers but diminish over a period of weeks following implants or a lift. Patients may be advised to massage the area around an implant during the postsurgical period. Patients should expect full recovery quickly after fillers and within weeks of an implant or lift procedure.
