Do you notice your lips beginning to show signs of aging? Are you unsatisfied with the shape or volume of your current lips? Have you always wanted fuller, more noticeable lips? If so, lip injections could be the perfect treatment for you to achieve the lips you’ve always wanted. These injections offer you a variety of filler options and can help you create your perfect shape, volume, and appearance in one easy step. They’re an excellent solution to common cosmetic concerns affecting your lips and are proudly offered by Ingrid E. Trenkle, MD in Redlands, CA.
What Are Lip Injections?
Lip injections are designed to increase the overall volume of your lips, typically according to your ideal image and appearance goals. They can consist of multiple substances, including hyaluronic acid, fat, and implants, and are injected into multiple points in your upper and lower lip to achieve an even, fuller appearance. Injections are highly customizable, which means that you can treat one lip or both lips, build volume over time, or correct unevenness by injecting filler into one section.
It’s always advisable to select only FDA-approved fillers and to seek the expertise of a trained doctor when considering and pursuing this treatment to achieve the best results.
Types of Injections
Botox, which has been one of the most popular dermal fillers since its invention, is a common option for those seeking injections. It’s commonly used to define the upper lip, providing volume and a smooth outline. Juvederm is a dermal filler with a base of hyaluronic acid, which is found naturally in our bodies. It’s used to plump lips and is often combined with injections in other parts of your face to achieve a more youthful appearance.
Another common choice for injections is Restylane Silk, which uses micro-hyaluronic acid molecules to create natural-looking volume in your lips. It can even address fine lines around your mouth. There are many more options for lip fillers available today. It’s important to discuss your expectations with your doctor so that they can recommend the treatments which will help you reach your lip goals.
Benefits
Our lips can be a source of insecurity during any stage of life. Aging can cause our lips to lose shape and volume and create wrinkles on and around our lips. Thin or undefined lips can affect your confidence when you look in the mirror. Lip fillers can help address these common concerns and more by giving your lips the boost they need to look their best.
These treatments are safe, effective, and offer immediate results that will make you feel more like yourself and let you stop worrying about your lips to focus on the important things in life.
How Do They Work?
Injections are administered in a one-step, single-appointment treatment, making them convenient for every schedule. Once you decide you’re ready to learn more, it’s time to start the process by scheduling a consultation appointment with your doctor.
Consultation
Your consultation is designed to let your doctor evaluate your lips and your ideal results. This will help them offer you the best lip filler option. In addition, a consultation allows your doctor to explain what to expect from this treatment in detail.
You’ll be able to describe exactly how you want your lips to look after treatment, including shape, size, and volume, and your doctor will let you know how the treatment they recommend will help reach these results. You can ask any questions you may have during this appointment and should leave feeling prepared for your treatment appointment.
Preparation
During your consultation, your doctor will give you any specific instructions to follow as you prepare for your appointment. These often include avoiding blood-thinning medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and vitamin E, as well as alcohol, beginning 10 days before your appointment. This helps reduce your risk of bruising or bleeding.
In addition, if you are prone to cold sores, your doctor may instruct you to take preventative medicine a few days before your treatment to prevent a flare-up. Drink plenty of water and avoid irritating your lips with harsh scrubs for a few days before your appointment.
In addition, you should keep your lips moisturized with lip balm to prevent chapping or cracking of the skin. Finally, if you notice any open wound on your lip within two days before your appointment, let your doctor know in case you need to postpone your treatment until your skin has healed.
Treatment
On the day of your appointment, clean your lips and avoid putting any product or lipstick on before heading to your doctor’s office. You can have injections performed without any painkiller, but most patients opt to have their doctor apply a numbing cream approximately 30 minutes before injections.
Once your lips are cleaned and numb, your doctor will begin injecting the filler, following the shape you requested during your consultation. With your lips numbed, you should only feel a small pinch, if anything, and the entire appointment will be nearly pain-free.
The injection portion of the appointment normally takes between 15-30 minutes, but can take longer if you’re treating other areas of your face. In total, your entire appointment will take less than an hour. Once your doctor is finished, you’ll get to see your reflection and should notice an instant improvement in the appearance of your lips. They may appear larger than you expected, but this is due to swelling which will subside over the next few days.
Recovery
You may see some mild bruising and experience sensitivity as your lips heal. Your doctor will probably instruct you to ice your lips to decrease discomfort and swelling. They may also prescribe you a mild painkiller if needed. Avoid wearing lip products for about a day to let your lips begin the healing process, and don’t scrub or rub your lips to avoid disturbing the filler as it settles.
You should plan to skip your workout for 24 hours after treatment to keep swelling down. You’ll see swelling reduce drastically over the first day, but it can take 3-5 days before your lips are back to normal and you can see your final result.
Your lips should look and feel smooth, plump, and natural, and there should be no residual discomfort, redness, or swelling. You’ll feel beautiful, and others will likely comment on how good you look.
Results
When your final results are visible, you should feel completely satisfied with your new, natural-looking lips. Thanks to the advanced technology and techniques used when injecting lips today, your lips should feel natural to the touch with no lumps or bumps. The shape should be defined and symmetrical. Once your lips have healed, no one will be able to tell that your lips aren’t totally natural.
If you and your doctor designed a treatment plan which will build your lip volume over time, you’ll return for your next appointment several weeks later. However, if you simply want to maintain your results, you can expect to have 4-6 months to enjoy your lips before you’ll need a touch-up.
3 Things You Need to Know About Lip Injections
When you’re debating whether to use lip fillers, there are many questions you want to be answered before you schedule your appointment. The best resource is your doctor, who can explain the pros and cons of each filler, outline the treatment, and give you important information about how this particular treatment could address your concerns. However, here are 3 things you need to know about lip injections before you call:
Injections Can Last a Long Time
Most patients choose dermal fillers which are designed to be temporary, giving you all the flexibility you need to keep your lips looking the way you want them to look. Using temporary options greatly reduces your risk of fillers shifting and other complications that accompany permanent fillers. In addition, temporary fillers like Juvaderm and Restylane, which use a natural substance like hyaluronic acid, are able to be harmlessly absorbed by your body.
In general, fillers last between 4-6 months before patients notice a decrease in size. However, injections can last up to a year in some patients, giving you an ample amount of time to enjoy your look before you need to schedule a maintenance appointment.
Injections Can Be Reversed
We’ve all heard a lip filler horror story. Maybe that’s what has kept you on the fence as you consider injections for yourself. However, the materials used by trained, reputable doctors are top-quality and, in the case of hyaluronic acid, can be broken down by an enzyme called hyaluronidase.
This means that if you don’t like your final results, or if you change your mind about fillers, you can easily have the results reversed. This option gives many patients peace of mind as they weigh the pros and cons of injections.
Injections Can Give You a Natural Collagen Boost
Collagen–the natural structural protein of our body–helps give support and framework to your skin. It breaks down over time and, as we age, our body naturally begins to stop producing as much collagen, which results in loose skin and wrinkles. This also affects your lips, as they can lose their structure and definition. While no one enjoys needles, they’re an important part of injections for more than one reason.
Beyond delivering the dermal filler, the act of puncturing your skin with the needle can help your cells produce more collagen in your lips by inflicting a micro-trauma. This automatically stimulates collagen production, and the additional collagen can enhance and prolong the effects of your injections.
Am I an Ideal Candidate?
If you’re considering lip injections, the good news is that this treatment is safe and effective for almost every patient. Men and women find great success with injections, which are cleared by the FDA for patients 21 and older. You may not be an ideal candidate if you have already had extensive lip enhancement performed surgically or non-surgically. You should talk to your doctor to determine whether this treatment is right for you.
Conclusion
If you’re unsatisfied with the appearance of your lips, you know how much this insecurity can affect your daily life. Thin, undefined, or uneven lips can cause you to feel uncomfortable in social settings and affect your confidence when you look in the mirror. Lip injections are the fastest way to achieve fuller, more attractive lips, and usually in one easy appointment. You’ll be amazed at how your new lips help you feel more comfortable in your own skin.
If you’re ready to learn more, contact the professionals at Ingrid E. Trenkle, MD in Redlands, CA to schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to helping you meet your goals!
