Lip Fillers
Lip Fillers Surgery is also known as lip injections, lip enhancement surgery or lip augmentation.
Lip fillers are artificial substances that are injected into a person’s lips to change the symmetry, shape or make them plump, depending on the need. Most of the time, synthetic hyaluronic acid is used as the filler and it is sold under different brand names.
You can get lip fillers if you fall in one of the following categories:
- If your lips are not symmetric – either a congenital defect or due to an accident.
- If you think your lips are small and want them to get bigger to suit your face
- If there is a bigger moustache area (the distance between the top of the upper lip and the septum of the nose) that doesn’t suit you.
- If you see wrinkles at the end of your lips – caused due to ageing.
- If you want your lips to be bigger and more plump so that you look more sexier.
About the procedure
Let us put briefly the steps involved in filling up your lips with fillers:
- Do your homework on finding the best plastic surgeon near you. This is the most critical and important step if you don’t want to mess up your lips.
- Set up a consultation with your doctor and if you are satisfied with what he/she says, you can proceed with the procedure. You will need to inform the doctor about your overall current health and medications (if any) you are taking.
- At the beginning of the procedure, a numbing cream will be applied to your lips. This will take a little time to numb the lips.
- After 20 minutes or so, 1 to 1.5 ml of hyaluronic acid is injected into the lip(s) where required with a small syringe that doesn’t go deep into your body.
- You may not feel much pain while injecting as the area is numb but you may feel little pricking sensation.
- While injecting, your doctor may occasionally place an ice pack on the lips to help with swelling. (As the new filler is injected, the skin needs to stretch and it takes time. Stretching the skin in a short period (duration of the procedure) is a little painful until the body adjusts to the filler’s volume.)
- After the procedure, you will be under observation for half an hour and when your doctor feels that you are alright, you will be allowed to go home.
After you go home:
- Use an ice pack to control swelling and help reduce the pain.
- The pain and swelling should come down in a couple of days as your body adjusts to the new substance injected and the skin stretches.
- Should you see any bleeding or formation of pus, you must see your doctor immediately.
Safety and risk factors of using lip fillers
- Lip fillers are safe. If you are allergic to anaesthetic creams, you must let your doctor know before the procedure.
- Once you get the desired look, the confidence you get will be usually unmatchable.
- Best part with lip fillers is – you can reverse the look if it goes wrong or if you don’t like the new look. Your doctor will inject another liquid that dissolves the filler material.
- The lip filler substance will be slowly absorbed by the body depending on your body’s metabolic rate. Younger you are, the sooner the filler dissolves and you may have to repeat the procedure.
Risk factors
- Bleeding or inflammation at the site.
- Loss of sensation or tissue death. Tissue death can occur if the filler is injected into the artery or around it. That’s why you need to see a good doctor.
- You may see bleeding from around the mouth.
