Lip Filler

To be considered for lip fillers, you should:

• Be in good physical health.
• Have realistic expectations.
• Not have an active oral infection, including canker sores or cold sores.

Many people who get lip fillers want to increase the size of their lips. You might want to enlarge the size of your lips for many reasons, including:

• Restoring a previous lip size. As you age, your lips may get smaller or thinner, your philtrum (the groove between your upper lip and septum) may get longer and flatter and the distance between the corners of your mouth (intercommissural distance) may increase.
• Correcting the shape of your lips. It’s common for your lips to be different sizes or shapes (asymmetrical).
• Smoothing wrinkles. When you smile or laugh, wrinkles sometimes develop on the sides of your mouth.
• Boosting confidence. Lip fillers can help improve your self-esteem and body image.

Why are lip fillers used?

Lip fillers restore or add volume to your lips. They don’t stop the aging process, but they might help delay the need for a more invasive surgical lip augmentation, like lip implants or a lip lift. They can also help you achieve a desired look, which boosts your self-esteem.

Over time, you may lose volume in your lips, which may be a result of:

• Genetics.
• Smoking.
• Sun damage.

What are the advantages of lip fillers?

There are many advantages to lip fillers, including:

• They’re safe, and the lip filler procedure is also safe — there’s a low risk of complications or side effects.
• They can boost your self-esteem.
• They’re reversible. If you’re not happy with how you look, your healthcare provider can inject an enzyme (hyaluronidase) to dissolve your lip filler.

What are the risks of lip fillers?

Getting lip fillers poses some risks, including:

• Bleeding and pain at the injection sites.
• Cold sore reactivation.
• Discoloration or tenderness.
• Infection.
• Tissue death (vascular compromise), which can occur if lip filler is injected into or around an artery.
• Your lips may be of different sizes (asymmetry).
• The lip filler may bleed into other areas of your face, usually toward the nose (migration).

Are lip fillers bad for you?

Lip fillers are a medical treatment. Lip fillers are very safe when performed by an experienced healthcare provider, including a plastic surgeon, dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon.

What is the recovery time?

After 12 to 24 hours, your pain should go away. Your swelling should go away after 24 to 48 hours, but it may take up to a week.

If you want your lips filled before a big event, like a wedding, you should schedule the procedure at least two weeks ahead of time to make sure you’ve completely recovered.