How do I get fuller lips that still look natural?

Lip augmentation for fuller and
attractive lips is a very popular procedure which can be technically
performed in a few minutes when I discuss this procedure with my patients
they often expressed a concern about people they see with bloated and
unnatural looking lips these overdone lips create a negative perception of
cosmetic procedures especially so-called duck lips associated with celebrities
and other people in the media however when lip enhancement is
performed with artistry in experienced hands lip augmentation can be
beautifully proportional and balanced I’m Dr. Amiya Prasad I’m a
Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and fellowship trained oculofacial plastic
and reconstructive surgeon I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island
for over 20 years I perform a variety of facial cosmetic procedures such as
eyelid surgery facelift facial fillers facial implants as well as injectables
lasers and other skin treatments I can attest to the value of artistry with
years of experience performing surgical and non-surgical procedures in the face
providing a foundation and an advantage to treating specific areas like the lips
the key is balance when someone looks at you they look at an area within an
inverted triangle which includes the eyes cheeks lips and chin the importance
of lips aesthetically can be appreciated by the high level of interest in
cosmetics such as lipstick and lip liner billions of dollars are spent on
products which are sold to create the perception of full and youthful
lips the limitation is that no cosmetic product can enhance or restore lip
volume and definition before choosing fillers or neurotoxin like Botox or
Dysport for lip enhancement I take photos of your face from different
angles often my patients will show me how their lips looked when they were
younger to give me a sense of whether their lips
were naturally thin in the past or any other specific characteristics they want
to preserve some of our younger patients bring photos to show an ideal lip
appearance that they would like their lips to resemble in addition I review
some important principles which guide my approach to lip aesthetics I begin with
looking at the front view of the lips with some ethnic specific exceptions I
apply the golden ratio also known as Phi which is a ratio underlying Beauty seen
throughout nature the ratio of 1 to 1.6 applies to proportions in the face
including the volume and size of the lips a proportion which also applies to
the lips is one-third to two-thirds which means that the balance is
one-third for the upper lip to two thirds for the lower lip I also look at
the projection of the lips from the side in relation to the chin and other
guidelines using specific measurements refer to Ricketts and Steiner lines I
look in detail at specific aspects of lips such as the philtrum, Cupid’s bow
the vermilion border the lip body the G and K points and the orientation of the
outer corners of the lips I look at the skin quality around the lips such as the
presence of vertical lines and skin discolorations objective measures and
proportions guide the artistry to determine how the lips will fit with the
rest of the facial features I think it’s important to recognize some concepts we
go enhancement of the lips when patients
who are younger come in there are two common situations the first is the
younger person who feels their lips are genetically thin or they feel that the
upper lip is too thin in proportion to the volume of the lower lip the second
situation is when a younger person has proportional volume in their lips and
want to further enhance or beautify their lips for people who are noticing
aging changes in their face such as loss of volume where the lips have become
dinner with loss of definition of the Vermilion border as well as some or many
vertical lines the purpose is to restore or correct the lip volume and definition
I would also note that more men are coming in than in previous years for lip
enhancement regardless of age every patient wants their lips to look natural
and not overdone they are also concerned about how they will look immediately
after any procedure done to enhance the lips in particular the risks of
significant swelling or bruising I discuss a strategy with my patients
based on their specific concerns as well as the techniques I apply to allow them
to have minimal swelling or bruising lip enhancement can include the use of
neurotoxins such as Botox or Dysport for vertical lines outer corner lip lift and
for the upper border the lip to turn slightly upward often referred to as a
lip flip the other part of lip enhancement involves a restoration or
augmentation of volume this is where I use different fillers from the
hyaluronic acid family such as Restylane and Juvederm hyaluronic acid exists
naturally in the body and the filler material is slowly metabolized and
usually lasts about 4 to 6 months I use different fillers to fill fine lines and
volume in the lips there is a lot of artistry in lip filler placement
the challenge is to place the filler with minimal trauma repeated injections
with needles can result in swelling which makes accurate placement more
difficult I routinely use blunt cannulas to minimize needle related trauma to the
lips and patients are often surprised as to how little discomfort they
experienced my approach in comparison to having lip procedures done elsewhere
naturally less swelling and the absence of bruising allows my patients to return
to their regular activities sooner than they would have with more traditional
approaches many people come in last-minute needing to look good in a
few days generally speaking this is achievable
I do routinely see all my injectable patients after two weeks to see how
things have settled and to see if additional filler would be beneficial
there is no question that the appearance of lips is very important to facial
appearance artistically performed lip enhancement can create a remarkable
effect on facial balance and appearance the popularity of lip enhancement
procedures makes choosing the right practitioner challenging understanding
that the ideal experience requires a combination of detailed analysis and
planning with maximal comfort and minimal trauma I hope you found this
information helpful thank you for your question