Facelifts - Plastic Surgery - Annapolis, Severna Park, Maryland

Now that cosmetic surgery has made buttery, pleasing lips available to everyone, they’ve become more de riguer than ever.

Great for Rejuvenating the Face

Aging gracefully almost always involves some special attention to the lips. This is because aging thins out the lips, scoring the edges with unattractive vertical lines.

When the sphincter muscle beneath the lips contracts (when you’re chewing, for example), it acts like a purse string. Those vertical lines pleat and gather, making you look old.

A Peel May Be All You Need

Sometimes a simple chemical peel around the mouth area will restore a smooth surface and youthful contours. However, if there’s an unusual amount of atrophy in the lips (from smoking, bad dietary habits, or genetic factors) more aggressive measures will be required.

Many Options

The good news: women have many options for improving the appearance of their lips.

First Line of Attack – Injections

A variety of volumizing agents are available for lip plumping. Here is the palette:

Restylane

This lab-manufactured hyaluronic acid (a substance that occurs naturally in skin but becomes depleted with age) restores volume by drawing water to itself. The water plumps up the surface of your lips. Can also be used to plump vertical lip lines and nasolabial folds.
Effects last about 4-6 months or so. Very satisfying results. I use this mostly for lips now.

Juvéderm

Hyaluronic acid, like Restylane, from a different manufacturer.
Similar properties, very soft. Can also be used to plump vertical lip lines and nasolabial folds. Lasts about 4-6 months. I consider this close enough to Restylane that I do not carry both—but I could order it on request.

Collagen

We use collagen extracted from cows for lip augmentation.
It’s a temporary fix, and lasts from 4 weeks to 3 months. Best for people who just want to get an idea of what lip augmentation might be like.
There’s a risk of allergic reaction, so a pre-test will be required.
I rarely use this and only use it by request, so it must be special ordered. Same for Cosmoplast.

An Outpatient Procedure

Injections are low-impact treatments.

I’ll use a topical anesthetic to make the injections painless. The process is similar to a visit to the dentist.
You’ll go home the same day, and -- depending on how ambitious the scope of your augmentation is -- you can probably even drive yourself.

What’s the Down Time?

Recovery is a few hours to a day or so. Swelling or bruising can last a bit longer, however.

Second Line of Attack – Fat Injections and Surgery

Women who absolutely know they desire fuller lips and are ready for a permanent solution have two choices.

Fat Grafting

Here we insert your own fat into your lips to achieve fullness. This method varies from person to person -- sometimes the body will reabsorb the fat (which is why I am not a big fan of this procedure).

Recovery is a few hours to a day or so. Swelling or bruising can last a bit longer, however. Under- and over-correction can occur.

Flap Grafts

Local flap grafts take tissue and skin from the inside flap of your mouth and transfer it to the outside. The upper lip height (the distance from the pink lip edge to the base of the nose) can be shortened as well. This involves a scar along the base of nose. This is real surgery, so:

Recovery can take up to 2 weeks.
You’ll need 3 days off from work.
No exercise for a week.

Will I Be Satisfied with My Result?

My patients have been thrilled with their lip augmentations, particularly women with genetically thin lips. They get renewed pleasure from dining out, and they report absolutely loving the way men respond to them after the surgery.