Lip Enhancement

Lip enhancement procedures are utilized to increase the volume of the lips when needed. The upper lip is the lip that is most frequently enhanced, but there are patients that need or desire more fullness of the lower lip. There are two techniques that we utilize for the procedure, one involves fat transfer and the other involves the use of dermal filler materials. The use of dermal fillers is a simple procedure that is performed in the office setting using local anesthesia or intravenous sedation should the patient desire. This material is not permanent but does last nine months in most patients. It is the most preferred by patients’ due to cost and simplicity of the procedure. The other procedure that we use is the fat transfer procedure, with is permanent but is somewhat more involved. When we use this procedure, we suggest to patients that use the filler material first to insure that they will be happy with a procedure that is a permanent change. The fat transfer procedure involves harvesting fat from the abdomen or the thigh. The fat is washed to separate impurities and then injected into the lips. There must be overcorrection of the lips as some of the fat will resorb. Some cases in which there is more fat resorbed than expected, the procedure must be repeated. This procedure requires the use of intravenous sedation for patient comfort.