Lip Enhancement

Sensuality, youth, beauty, and health are all associated with well-defined, full, plump lips. Unfortunately, the natural aging process causes our lips to lose volume over time, becoming thinner and creating an overall more aged look. Lip enhancement procedures, whether temporary or permanent, return our face to it's natural, youthful look by plumping lips and accentuating their natural outline. Lip enhancement is simple and safe, and gets you the results you desire. The procedure time is usually brief and can be performed under local anesthesia or sedation.

Often, the patient's own body tissue can be used in the lip enhancement procedure (ie fat injection). Other safe alternatives include soft synthetic implants (GORE-TEX®, Advanta), popular tissue fillers (Restylane®), or possibly a lip lift procedure. Dr. Paik will be happy to discuss and answer any questions about the various alternatives, and offer advise on what lip enhancement solution will best suit your needs.

Temporary Lip Enhancement

Restylane®/Juvederm® are injectable fillers, and one of the simplest ways to enhance your lips. Though temporary, the results have been shown to last 6 months or longer. Restylane® is a hyaluronic acid based filler that is extremely simple to place on the lips. Restylane® is a very popular non-surgical option for people that seek results lasting several months.

Permanent Lip Enhancement

For those searching a more permanent solution, the answer may lay within the patients own native tissue. Using tiny, virtually invisible incisions, your surgen can collect your own fat tissue and reintroduce it into the lips, increasing volume, softness, and returning the lip's natural full look.

Another option for permanent lip solutions is with lip implants like Advanta or GORE-TEX®. The surgeon makes tiny incisions near the corners of the lip and inserts the implants, permanently increasing lip volume. Patients should note that the feel of lip implants may take some slight getting-used-to, though the vast majority of patients find them as natural feeling as their own lips after a short period. Implants are themselves very soft, but not precisely the same consistency as injected fat.

Lip Lift

At times, the upper lip can lengthen to such a degree that it completely covers the upper teeth. In these circumstances, Dr. Young Paik may recommend a lip "lift" procedure. The purpose of this procedure is to shorten the area between the nose and upper lip, and thereby accentuate the red (vermillion) border of the lip. To perform a lip lift, your surgeon removes a small section of skin beneath the nose. This both lifts and re-contours the upper lip. A fuller upper lip can likewise be achieved (if desired by the patient) by removing a thin section of the skin above the lip. Further, for those desiring the "Cupid's Brow" contour, the incision is tapered to achieve this effect.