Teeth and lips constitute the essential elements of a mouth and therefore a smile. Lip size, their symmetry, and their relative volumes are beauty criteria that have evolved over time with significant geographical variations (“The Weight of Appearances”, J.-F. Amadieu, Éd. Odile Jacob).
The approach must be multidisciplinary since mouth aging (like the rest of the body) involves skin, muscles, underlying bone structures as well as dentition.
Can injections provide a solution?
When lips are too thin, they give an impression of severity or a “pinched” look. When asymmetrical, they can distort a smile and sometimes make it incomprehensible to others. These situations, for example, benefit from corrections using filling products.
The most well-known is hyaluronic acid. This aesthetic treatment applies to both upper and lower lips and consists of a series of injections. Before this aesthetic treatment, the patient will be anesthetized either with topical cream or by injection (dental nerve block anesthesia) which makes the treatment painless.
This technique provides nearly immediate and reversible results since the product is fully resorbable (see chapter on hyaluronic acid). One or several sessions may be necessary.
Another technique using your own cells can be employed: “lipofilling” or reinjection of your own fat. The procedure isn’t quick; it takes over an hour. Bruising is common and swelling is often observed. There are no scars and, in most cases, return to social life is relatively quick (a few days).
These various techniques all provide the same aesthetic results – a natural appearance.
Can fractional CO2 laser help in some cases?
Indeed, when aged, lips show not only volume loss but also sagging and wrinkles. These phenomena are worsened by tobacco (“smoker’s lines”) and sun exposure (sun damage). Resurfacing treatment (or CO2 laser peel) can, in one or several sessions, force skin regeneration, as it’s a controlled burn removing part of the epidermis while destroying some fibroblasts and collagen/elastin fibers (components of skin dermis that give it flexibility). Moreover, thermal elevation around micro-burns will cause contraction of remaining collagen fibers, increasing treated skin’s firmness. This treatment can be applied to the entire face.
What about specifically the lip border?
It can be plumped to meet either an “anatomical” volume increase request (thin, pinched lips) or a purely aesthetic one (lip turgidity = sensuality?). Let’s recall that laboratory studies by ethnologist Desmond MORRIS (“The Naked Ape”, etc.) showed through eye movement observation that the mouth and eyes are two of the three focal points that attract the gaze of those facing us!
PHOTOS
While treatment result photos can be found on many websites, their display is now prohibited by the Belgian Medical Association and law. This is why we don’t show them here. However, it’s reasonable for you to receive personalized information about your specific concerns. During your consultation, many photos will be shown so you can properly evaluate and appreciate the results.
Would you like explanations and details about your personal situation? Come meet us for a consultation.
