Studies show that most people want natural looking lips1. Lips that are soft and kissable in proportion to facial features. One of the major concerns among those considering lip fillers is that their lips will look unnatural after the treatment and they will end up with “duck lips”. However, with a qualified healthcare practitioner and the right kind of product, you will be able to achieve the natural result that you desire.
What is a lip filler?
Almost all fillers that are used today contain gels that are based on hyaluronic acid (HA). Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in our bodies that binds large amounts of water and thereby makes our body tissues soft and flexible. Not least our lips! Natural hyaluronic acid in our bodies forms and degrades within 1-2 days. Therefore, the hyaluronic acid used in fillers has been stabilized so that the effect of the treatment lasts up to one year or more.1
A non-permanent treatment
By consulting a qualified healthcare practitioner, you will ensure that you will have the naturally soft and plump lips that you desire. As HA fillers are based on HA, naturally occurring in the body, the body successively breaks down the filler. This means that re-treatments are needed to maintain the look and feel you desire, also that if you end up with a result that you are not satisfied with, it will dissolve over time.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
We all have different ideas about what is beautiful and what the best version is of ourselves. Whatever the result you want from your treatment is unique to you.
Leading healthcare practitioners recommend treatments that make the lips look natural and in proportion to your facial features. According to Luiz Avelar, Plastic Surgeon, Brazil: “A good result in my opinion is a result that nobody knows the patient had; this is a natural result.”
A qualified healthcare practitioner also knows when not to treat: “The Guardian in 2016 called me’ Doctor No’; I say no to a lot of patients because patients very easily lose objectivity” says Kuldeep Minocha, Aesthetic Physician, UK. “I think as clinicians and physicians we kind of have to be the boundary and draw the line between what should be done and what shouldn’t be done, and that does mean sometimes saying no, and that is important ethically.”
Choosing the right kind of filler
Filler treatment technology has advanced and become more specialized over the years and there are several different types of fillers for different types of treatments in different areas. Firmer hyaluronic acid gels are used to correct lines and wrinkles or for providing structure in for example the jawline or nose ridge. The hyaluronic acid gels that are used in lip fillers are softer and more flexible. Still, lip fillers must be firm enough to retain plumpness and volume over time. In other words, it is key to have the right type of lip filler to get natural, plump lips.
From thin lips to natural, plump lips with the right kind of lip filler?
With the specialized lip fillers that are used today, it is possible to achieve truly natural results. The image below shows a close-up of the gel used in the study. The gel is specially developed for lips—soft but with a certain firmness to create plump lips that feel and look natural.
Avoiding over-treated lips
To provide volume to thin lips, it is not only about the choice of lip filler but also about the technique. Most people want to avoid over-treated lips. Over-treated lips can look stiff since there is not much space left for the lips to be soft. If you have very thin lips to begin with, a good idea could be to gradually build volume by having three to four sessions in the first year of treatment.
Always contact a qualified healthcare practitioner
To get the result you desire, you should always contact a qualified healthcare practitioner that you feel you can trust and who understands your own beauty goals. It can be hard to know where to start—how do you find the right practitioner for you? In this article you will find five steps that will help you find a clinic that can give you the results that you want.
How to find a clinic that you can trust
References:
1 Andriopoulos B et al. Poster presented at AMWC 2019.; Data on file (MA-39364).; Rzany B et al. Dermatol Surg 2017;43:58–65.; Narins RS et al. Dermatol Surg 2008;34:S2–S8.; Talarico S et al. Dermatol Surg 2015;41:1361–1369.; Ascher B et al. Dermatol Surg 2017;43:389–395.; Hilton S et al. Dermatol Surg 2018;44:261–269.
2 Said H, Sattler G, Berg AK, Samuelson U, Wong C. Randomized, Evaluator-Blinded Study Comparing Safety and Effect of Two Hyaluronic Acid Gels for Lips Enhancement. Dermatol Surg 2018;44:261–269.