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Cosmetic Surgery
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Lip Augmentation
There are many things that define an energetic, “youthful” face. Full, soft lips is one of them. The entire lipstick and lip liner industry has been built around this fact. Furthermore, there may be no more sensual part of the face than the lips, so having great looking lips can go a long way towards looking youthful and attractive, no matter what other issues your face may have. Some people’s lips lose volume, thin out and become wrinkled as a function of age, sun exposure, or smoking. Some people were simply never blessed with full lips to begin with. Regardless, augmenting the lips is a popular and effective way of looking your very best.
There are several ways to enhance the lips. Using small incisions inside the corners of the mouth, implants ranging from synthetic materials, such as GoreTex, to natural human solid collagen, such as Alloderm, can be implanted in the lips under local anesthetic. Such solid implants require a little more recovery time but have more dramatic results.
More simply, fillers can be injected safely and comfortably in the lips ranging from collagen, such as Zyplast, to a patient’s own fat cells (harvested inconspicuously from around the belly button)! Injectable augmentation is associated with a more modest enhancement but has virtually no recovery time.
Unfortunately, the most natural enhancements do not last forever. Although the synthetic implants look good and do last forever, they don’t feel entirely natural and are therefore detectable with intimate contact. There is a great deal of research to develop a truly natural feeling permanent synthetic implant. To date such an implant does not exist.
Therefore, most people choose one of the natural implant materials and accept the time limitations the natural implants are associated with. Of course, repeat augmentation is always an option.
Probably the most effective, long lasting enhancement of the lips involves Alloderm, which is human collagen that has been processed into a safe, non-cellular, solid implant material. Using this material, virtually any degree of lip enhancement is achievable. Although at first it was thought that such a material would last indefinitely, recent studies have shown that the body does break the material down eventually. Different individuals will probably break the material down at different rates. As a result, the augmentation effect can likely last a few years or more, but won’t last forever. Repeat augmentation is always an option as the effect subsides.
The simplest way to augment the lips is with the injectable collagen Zyplast. Rapid and affordable, this is a great way to “try out” lip enhancement or to buff up the lip volume for a special event, such as a photo shoot, wedding, or hot date. The effect is immediate, and the lips are presentable within a matter of hours, not days. However, the effect is the shortest-lived with the enhancement lasting months, not years, for most patients.
The most “natural” option may be the injection of one’s own fat cells into the lips. The filler material is entirely natural since it is the patient’s own tissue. Nevertheless, the technique requires a separate procedure to harvest and process the fat cells, which adds expense. Fortunately, there is some evidence that patient’s undergoing multiple repeat treatments with their own fat cells do eventually realize a permanent augmentation effect, since some of the fat cells probably do survive long term.
A consultation with Dr. Hendrick will help determine which technique of lip augmentation will best achieve your goals.
FAQ
1. My lips have all of these vertical wrinkles around the edges, which smears my lipstick - will lip augmentation correct this?
2. How much recovery should I allow for?
3. Is the procedure painful?
4. Are the implants safe?
5. How long will my augmentation last?
6. Can I have additional augmentation done after the original procedure if I want?
My lips have all of these vertical wrinkles around the edges, which smears my lipstick - will lip augmentation correct this?
Lip augmentation will help stretch and smooth the skin of the lips, so improvement with lip wrinkles can be expected. Lipstick should go on smoother and look better. Wrinkles won’t be completely eliminated by filling out the lip volume, however. Resurfacing procedures, such as laser resurfacing, may be desirable for some patients.
How much recovery should I allow for?
Depends. With collagen injections you can expect to be presentable within hours. With solid implants the lips become more swollen and even bruised. This swelling and bruising can take several days to subside. For solid implants dissolvable stitches are used inside the corners in the mouth, which typically last about a week. If you must be discreet about your procedure you should take the rest of the day off after injectable enhancement and a week off after solid implantation.
Is the procedure painful?
No. Solid implants or fat injections are placed using local anesthetic, which is easily tolerated. Injectable collagen has local anesthetic mixed in with the implant and the procedure is no more painful than any small injection.
Are the implants safe?
The results are permanent. Once the excess skin has been removed it will not grow back, so you will have a permanent benefit from the surgery. If you had a twin and you had the surgery and your twin did not, you would always look seven to ten years better than your twin. However, you would both continue to age and have age-related changes occur to your face and neck. For this reason, some patients will choose to have a “tuck up” procedure after seven to ten years to update their initial result.
How long will my augmentation last?
This is variable. In general, injectable collagen lasts about three months for most individuals. Alloderm solid implants last beyond a year and could last for several years in some individuals. A certain degree of permanent enhancement may remain if the body replaces any of the Alloderm with scar tissue. GoreTex and other synthetic implants last indefinitely. Fat injections last about three months, but may eventually have a permanent “build up” effect after several treatments.
Can I have additional augmentation done after the original procedure if I want?
Yes.
Post-op Instructions
Please read and become familiar with these instructions BEFORE and AFTER surgery. By following these instructions carefully, you will assist in obtaining the best possible result from your surgery.
- 1. Augmenting lip volume or filling in soft tissue defects (such as cheek folds and wrinkles around the lips) can be accomplished by a variety of implant materials. Some are synthetic and permanent solids, such as Gore-Tex, while others are biological materials which are injectable suspensions and are less permanent, such as collagen. One biological material, AlloDerm, is available in both solid and injectable forms. Each implant material has its own advantages and disadvantages. The exact type and form of material most appropriate for your case will be discussed with you before surgery.
- 2. Some injectable implants require skin testing and a waiting period before surgery. This skin testing is done to minimize the chance of an allergic reaction to the implant. Even if a skin test is negative, allergic reactions are still remotely possible and must be watched for.
- 3. In the event a solid implant is used, you should avoid bumping or traumatizing the implant for the first week after surgery while it is becoming “fixed” in place. This should include avoiding excessive talking, smiling or mouth opening for solid implants placed around the mouth or in the lips. Once the body has begun incorporating the implant with a thin layer of scar tissue, dislodging the implant becomes much more difficult.
- 4. You can expect some degree of temporary swelling or bruising around any implant site and the incision by which any solid implant was placed. Each patient is unique in their own healing characteristics and will experience different levels of this bruising or swelling. With the exception of lips, most swelling is minor and usually subsides quickly (24 to 48 hours). Injectable implants in the lips are usually associated with minor swelling which lasts 1 to 3 days. Solid implants in the lips are usually associated with moderate to impressive swelling that lasts from 3 to 10 days. This lip swelling can be minimized by the use of ice packs to the lips immediately after surgery for several hours (40 minutes out of every hour until bedtime).
- 5. After the initial swelling has subsided from any solid implant, minor tissue “puffiness” may still be discernible to you and I for a time, but should not be noticeable to the general public. Don’t be alarmed by any modest asymmetries or irregularities between implants or implant sides during this stage since irregular tissue edema is the norm.
- 6. Bruising, if it occurs at all, is usually minor and coverable by makeup until it disappears. The exception to this is the bruising which can occur with solid implants in the lips, which can range from no bruising to black and blue, depending on the individual. Significant bruising of the lips, if it occurs, may take up to a week to disappear.
- 7. Minor asymmetries between the sides of a solid lip implant or between two cheek fold implants may be noticed on close inspection and are generally considered acceptable. The fact is that most faces, if studied closely, have a great deal of asymmetry that is rarely noticed by friends or colleagues. Gross irregularities or obvious implant migration is an infrequent but real possibility for any solid implantation procedure. Our follow-up visits will allow me to monitor for this condition. Significantly displaced implants may require removal or adjustment through surgery.
- 8. Although solid surgical grade implants are very biocompatible and well accepted by the body, all implants have a small inherent risk of infection or rejection (less than 5% nationwide). Aside from the remote risk of allergic reaction mentioned above, injectable implants are virtually never associated with infection. Exposure of solid implants through the overlying skin or incision, increasing redness and/or pain or fevers which can’t be explained by an illness are all warning signs of implant infection. If you feel you may be getting an implant infection, don’t hesitate to call my office. As a precaution against infection of solid implants, I will usually prescribe an antibiotic for about 10 days after surgery. Significant solid implant infections require that the implant be trimmed or removed.
- 9. Normally pain is not a significant problem with implants. As with any minor surgical procedure, some localized incisional pain for a day or two can be expected from placement of a solid implant. You will be prescribed pain medication for this. Injectable implants have only minor, if any, discomfort. Over-the-counter pain remedies are usually all that is required after injectable augmentation.
- 10. Solid Gore-Tex implants can usually be felt but not seen. Solid AlloDerm implants are not usually seen or felt.
- 11. Final volume effect from injectable implants is discernible at about 3 to 7 days. Final volume effect from a solid implant is apparent at about 2 to 3 weeks for the face and 4 to 8 weeks for the lips (when most tissue “puffiness” has subsided).
- 12. You should take care of any external incisions using our “Standard Wound Care Instructions”, which you will be provided with. Care of solid implants in the lips should include the use of a lip moisturizer, such as Vaseline, 2 to 3 times a day while swelling is subsiding. The sutures used in the lips dissolve on their own in 5 to 10 days.
If you should have any questions or concerns during your recovery, do not hesitate to call my office at 785-309-0900 or 1-866-760-0900.
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“ Thank you so much for your wonderful care. . . . You guys are the greatest!”
--L.G., Browlift, Eyelid Lift
Post-op Instructions
Gallery Before and Afters
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