TREATMENT TIME
30-60 minutes
LONGEVITY
4-6 months
ANAESTHESIA
Numbing cream
DOWNTIME
1-2 days / Bruising / Swelling
LIP FILLER
Lip fillers are injectable dermal filler treatments that can plump up thin lips, make asymmetric lips more symmetrical, or replace lost volume in older lips that look like they’ve shrunk a bit. Lip fillers can also, by fractionally raising the outline of the lips, stretch out the fine, ‘barcode’ lines that tend to accumulate above the upper lip with age, particularly in people who smoke, or who have smoked a lot in the past.
Lip fillers are one of the best-known and a most requested injectable treatment – not to mention one of the most notorious, thanks to celebrities overdoing the fillers and ending up with 'trout pout' lips that are distorted, protruding, over-filled or slug-like. You can avoid this by having an experienced practitioner and following their professional advice. Know that Skinfinity values natural looking results by enhancing your natural features so you are able to become the best version of you (rather than everyone becoming some 'Kardashian clone').
Because this procedure uses dermal fillers, see our dermal filler page for more information which apply here as well and other treatments which can be done with this versatile product.
I got 99 problems
but thin lips aren't one!
LIP FILLER FAQ
WHAT ARE LIP FILLERS? Lip fillers are injectable treatments that can plump up thin lips, make asymmetric lips more symmetrical, or replace lost volume in older lips that look like they’ve shrunk a bit. Lip fillers can also, by fractionally raising the outline of the lips, stretch out the fine, 'barcode’ lines that tend to accumulate above the upper lip with age, particularly in people who smoke, or who have smoked a lot in the past. Why would you need lip fillers? Well, if you are maturing, you may notice your lips seem to lose their 'stuffing' over the years, and get thinner and drier with age. The main reason is that the collagen that plumps lips up gets gradually broken down, because the delicate skin on the lips suffers the gradual daily aggressions of daylight. On top of that, drying wind and being licked too much wears away at the skin barrier, which makes lips feel dry and makes them less able to retain the remaining moisture within them. For anyone in their 20s or 30s, lip filler isn’t so much a need as a want. Since Kylie Jenner began transforming her looks - and turning herself into a billion-dollar brand in the process - by starting with lip fillers in her teens, the big-lipped pout has been come ubiquitous, a beauty- staple for a whole generation. Lip fillers need to be injected below the skin, so they must have a fine enough consistency to be able to pass through either a needle. Once injected, the fillers sit where they are placed beneath the skin. The fillers attract water, which helps them hold their shape. Over the following weeks, the fillers integrate with your skin’s tissues and become part of your face.
HOW DOES LIP FILLER WORK? First, your practitioner assesses your lips in a consultation and discusses your concerns: What is it about your lips that bothers you? Are you looking for bigger lips? Or better defined lips? Or both? Or simply more hydration in your lips? You and your practitioner then decide on a treatment plan. You should be realistic in your goals: If you don’t already have a strong jaw and a wide mouth like Angelina Jolie, you can’t expect your lips to ever look like hers, and adding more filler won’t make it happen. Your practitioner will then inject their preferred type of filler, made from hyaluronic acid gel into the appropriate part of your lips. This could be into the body of the lip, to add volume and plumpness, or along the border of the lip to re-define the edge of the lip, or it could be simply be the lightest formula of hydrating gel, simply to stop lips looking dry. Once the lip filler gel is in position in the lips, the practitioner will massage it lightly so that it settles smoothly into place. The gel will provide volume just where it is placed, and shouldn’t move.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STYLES OF LIP FILLER? Classic Lip Enhancement Traditional lip enhancement uses linear injections along the border and inside the lip body which creates juicy and hydrated lips with a fuller bodied look for an all over plumped effect. Lip borders are more defined and the cupids bow can be enhanced for a nice full shape to the upper and lower lip. Russian Lip Enhancement Unlike traditional lip filler, the Russian lip technique has the product injected vertically into the lips. This draws the product outward towards the lip border which creates height and lifts the lips rather than adding excessive volume. This gives a flatter appearance and profile as the goal is to achieve height rather than plumpness. You can only have Russian style lip enhancement on natural lips or lips previously treated Russian style.
WILL LIP FILLER WORK FOR ME? Lip fillers can work a treat – but oh boy, have we seen so many examples where they can they go wrong! I’m all for a touch of lip filler to enhance your natural features but it is becoming way to often seeing beautiful looking people sporting overblown lips which are clearly out of proportion with the face around them. In the past, people would have their lips injected with silicone fillers, which settles permanently in the lip tissues and can’t be removed. These days, we use temporary hyaluronic acid fillers rather than permanent fillers to avoid such problems. Hyaluronic acid fillers naturally break down over time and can be dissolved with an enzyme called Hyaluronidase in the event you absolutely hate them and want them gone asap! Hyaluronidase can also be used to correct previous work if you have had results from elsewhere that need some tweaking. So really the question is, will lip fillers work for you – will they give you the results you want? This really depends on your lips. Are they a good size but just a bit flatter with age? Then a bit of volumising might be in order. Do they need defining rather than enlarging? In that case, a bit of filler in the border of the lip could do the trick. If your mouth is small, or your lips are thin, we will be adding lip filler cautiously and slowly. There is only so much filler that your lips can take before they will look distorted.
HOW MUCH FILLER DO I NEED? I see a lot of posts on social media talking about quantities of filler - ‘1ml lip filler look’ or ‘my 2ml lip boost’. This sort of thing might make you think that maybe, you also need 2ml of lip filler. But it all depends on the size and shape of your lips, the look that you are hoping to achieve, and the type of product that is being used. It is far better to discuss what you want with your practitioner, then let them use their professional expertise to judge how much product to use in your lips. Just because there is 1ml in the syringe doesn’t mean you have to have the whole lot put in. Even on older, deflated lips, 0.5ml or 1ml makes plenty of difference. If everyone were to have 2ml, everyone else would notice, and not in a good way.
WHAT AFTERCARE IS THERE AFTER MY LIP FILLER TREATMENT? As you know, the lips contain delicate tissues, and these tissues swell in protest at having needles stuck in them. That swelling will go down in due course, but it may take a few days. Most clients will have some swelling during their treatment meaning that you will inevitably leave the clinic with lips slightly larger than you had expected, wondering if you have made a terrible mistake. First, don’t panic, because the swelling will subside in due course. Second, use an ice pack on your lips every hour to help bring down the swelling. Other ways you can help reduce the swelling include the following: Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Avoid alcohol, which may cause blood vessels to dilate and increase bruising. Avoid strenuous exercise and extreme heat.
HOW LONG DOES LIP FILLER LAST? Hyaluronic acid lip fillers typically last up to 6 months before they are broken down by the body. Exactly how long fillers last depends on how much was injected in the first place and also on your metabolism – some people’s bodies appear to break fillers down much faster than others. If we are using a finer filler which has less viscosity for a more natural result, you may find the results do not last as long compared to having a deep filler with a stronger gel viscosity. Your practitioner will explain this to you during your consultation.
ARE THERE ANY RISKS / SIDE EFFECTS TO LIP FILLER? Lip fillers can have several side effects, and you will typically need 1–3 days of recovery time after having them injected. First, swelling is a given – but what you can’t tell until you try lip injections is whether you are a person in whom the swelling will last for hours or one in whom it will last for days. You may also get bruising after having lip fillers injected. Bruising is always possible after you get lip fillers, because your lips are highly sensitive to trauma, and the needle may nick one of the tiny blood vessels in the area. Whether you get bruising is fairly random. It’s not true that only bad injectors give you bruises - some clients just bruise more than others, in the same way that some people’s lips just swell more than others after treatment. Lumpiness and asymmetry can also occur. Both lumpiness and asymmetry are likely during the healing process. Before you leave your treatment, your practitioner will massage the lips to reduce any lumps and bumps. Following the treatment your lips will still be pliable for two weeks so if you notice any lumps just give them a little massage (after any swelling or bruising has gone down) being careful not to overwork the filler to displace it. We ask you to keep the area clean and to not wear makeup after your treatment otherwise you might get an infection at the injection site. Always wash your hands before touching your lips. If filler is injected into a blood vessel around the mouth the tissue around the blockage is starved of oxygen and can cause necrosis. This may first show up as blanching of the area, then it will go dark, and swell and look like a bruise, but it’s not a bruise, it is a serious complication and needs immediate treatment by your practitioner before necrosis, or tissue death, sets in. The practitioner will need to inject the blockage with hyaluronidase, an enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid, and this should restore the blood supply. If you suspect this may have happened to you, send photos to your practitioner immediately, and get to see them as soon as you can. Safety measures are in place to reduce the chances of any serious complications such as vascular occasion. We do this by aspirating the filler syringe which tells us if we are injecting into a blood vessel.
