Plump Me Up!
Let’s talk lips this month. They have become a major focus in beauty recently. We often either love them or hate them, but even if you love them when you are 20 or 30, you may start to notice they begin to change as you age. How? Well, as with the rest of the body and face, some of the volume of the lips begins to decrease.
So, if you love your lips, you have very little to do besides protect them, use an exfoliant (scrub), keep them moisturized well, hydrate well, and use a great lip plumper (we have an excellent one that does all of this and makes them beautifully pink called Lip Benefits). However, for the rest of us that want to change them a bit there are treatments that can be done to do this easily such as dermal fillers and threads. Some examples of these treatments may be used by themselves or in combination are the following:
Lip augmentation or enhancement to create a fuller, plumper lip
To create a more pronounced lip line
To create a more perky/pouty lip
To redefine the philtral columns (the 2 lines running from the cupid’s bow to the nose because, yes, these deflate too as we age)
To fill in any lines inside the lips or above or below the lips
To even correct asymmetry in the lips that are naturally-occurring or not
Many of us have thin lips naturally and want to make them fuller. Others need or want shape changes or a more balanced lip or any of the mentioned above changes to occur. The best way to do this is with a lip filler that will plump and re-contour the lip. This is done by using a product, I use either Juvederm Ultra XC or Juvederm Volbella XC, depending on the look desired for each person. When this is done, I place a topical numbing agent on the lips for a few minutes to aid comfort during the procedure, and use ice as well. In addition, an injectable numbing agent is also used and the dermal filler also has numbing medication in it. The lips tend to swell quickly and one should expect to be swollen for about 2 days, but can be swollen for up to a week. Bruising can also occur. The lips will feel firmer than normal for a few weeks’ time as well. After the procedure, touch-ups may be required in about a month if there are any irregularities or if you desire any additional filler. This type of filler lasts up to 12 months.
Additional options for treatment for the lips, lip lines and other problems or corrections are with Novathreads which are placed very simply through a cannula or needle and leave a type of suture that takes awhile for the body to absorb. The Thread called a Twist plumps up the tissue (a coiled thread). Other Threads that are Smooth are used primarily to stimulate new collagen growth in the skin for a more youthful appearance. Twists are a great option to line the lips for a subtle change in the lips appearance while Smooth Threads are more useful to improve lip lines (above or below the lips) over time. When treating for the lip lines, this should be done every three months for continued stimulation.
If you have any questions about this or would like to schedule a consult, please call the office, 406-742-5256. We’d love to hear from you.
Shari J. Twigg, MD
Advanced Aesthetics
Board Certified in Aesthetic Medicine by the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine