Thin Lips

The lips are one of the central features that enhance facial beauty. This is the reason that humans have enhanced the appearance of the lips for thousands of years. The first lipstick was crushed gem stones used to enhance the lips about 5000 years ago. Styles may have changed but the lips still play a significant role in our appearance.

You may have been born with thin lips or you may have developed thin lips as you have aged and you would like to do something about it. You want to do something but you are concerned about having “duck lips” or looking unnatural like some of the women on Real Housewives.

As we age, we lose volume in our face and that can affect the lips. The lips will deflate and then lose the color. The edges of the lips called the vermillion border also become less well defined as we age. Sun exposure, smoking and volume loss are the main components of thin lips.

Lips that have good volume can be enhanced by giving more definition to specific areas of the lips. Lips that have lost their borders can also be more defined with current techniques. Asymmetries of the lips can also be corrected.

Treatment:

• Protect Your Lips – Sun exposure speeds up the aging of your lips. Using a lipstick or lip balm with a minimum SPF of 15 can help protect your lips from the damaging UV rays from the sun.
• Topicals – There are topicals that can enhance the lips by increasing blood flow and others like the ZO Liprebuild Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment can restore dry cracked lips and will help plump the lips.
• Dermal Fillers – There are multiple dermal fillers available for lip injections. These include: Juvederm Ultra XC, Restylane Silk. These products have been shown to be safe when injected into the lips. There are other fillers being injected into the lips but they have a higher incidence of side effects.
• Fat transfer – Fat transfer is an option for long term results but is more time consuming and has more risk. Also, fat can have variability in survival of the fat cells that may lead to asymmetry. We are working with ALMI to improve fat transfer and results. The advantage is that you will be using your own tissues.
• Lip Implants – There have been many different lip implants produced over the years. With the advent and safety of the newer dermal fillers, implants have largely been replaced.