A hugely popular and rapidly growing trend in the health and beauty industry, lip fillers can provide sensual, full lips that scream confidence and sexy. They can help with the application and appearance of makeup, and just one thing is for sure – full lips are here to stay.
As over 2.5 million lip-filling procedures are done annually in the U.S., and as that number rises, more people understandably want to fully comprehend the full scope of what the procedure entails.
Here, Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation shares her extensive industry knowledge and clears the water surrounding one commonly asked question- do lip fillers permanently stretch the lips?
What Exactly is the Function of Lip Fillers?
To accurately answer this question, we first must explain what lip fillers are and what they do to provide the results we want – full, pouting, youthful, vibrant lips.
Lip fillers are a category of soft-skin injectable that is used in the beauty and medical industry to add volume to an area of sunken skin.
In our youth, our skin and face appear full, plump, and radiant due to healthy skin with high production of collagen. Moreover, healthy deposits of fat tissue and muscle around the face, particularly in areas such as the cheeks, jawbone, and lips, make the skin over the face taut.
As we age, collagen production slows, and the musculature and fat deposits in the face begin to weaken and descend. Collagen is vital to tight and healthy skin, as it is responsible for the structural integrity of the skin.
Lip fillers act to replace the structure lost due to reduced collagen production and to restore volume in areas of weakening musculature or sinking fat deposits.
What Are Lip Fillers Made of?
Unlike other injectables, such as Botox and Dysport which are derived from sources outside of the body, modern lip fillers are created from Hyaluronic Acid (HA), which is a naturally occurring substance in our bodies.
The beauty-beneficial property of HA is its high-water retention. It can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. When injected into areas such as the lips, small amounts of HA fillers hold significant amounts of water in the region, which creates volume.
Popular sophisticated lip fillers with these properties include brands such as Juvéderm® Ultra and Juvéderm® and Volbella.
Can Lip Fillers Permanently Stretch the Lips?
As with most cosmetic procedures, lip filling is a perfectly safe and well-established procedure when administered by a certified, experienced, trusted plastic surgeon.
The effects of lip fillers do wear off over time, and as such, patients often require 2-3 treatments per year to maintain optimal results. Because of this, the surgeon mustn’t overfill the lips – otherwise, yes, it is possible to overinflate the area, which leads to irreversible skin stretching.
However, when adequately discussed and planned with a trusted and award-winning surgeon such as Dr. Maya Kato, lip fillers are one of the most satisfying cosmetic procedures available and can provide exquisite results with minimal time needed for the procedure and recovery.
If you are considering lip fillers, need more advice, or need a top-up, reach out of our clinic on 760 610 558 or arrange a virtual consultation where you can conveniently discuss any issues you have from the comfort of your own home.
Injectable dermal fillers provide exquisite aesthetic results almost overnight. By adding volume, definition, and contouring to your facial features, dermal fillers offer an ideal solution for patients concerned about the encroaching effects of age. The pleasing results from fillers, however, often may feel too short-lived.
Indeed, dermal filler products are designed to be broken down by your body over time, so patients should expect multiple visits to their plastic surgeon every year to maintain the aesthetic benefits of dermal fillers.
While a well thought out filler schedule is the best way to look and feel your best year-round, there are several considerations to be made when looking to prolong the effects of dermal fillers. Patients can consider different formulas, injection locations, diet, lifestyle, sun protection, and hydration, all of which contribute towards filler longevity. One factor influencing filler duration that is hard to control, however, is a patients’ metabolism.
Beyond Our Control
Our metabolisms are set according to a multitude of factors, including diet, exercise, and body weight, but mainly our genetics. The metabolism is responsible for chemical reactions occurring in cells in the body; the faster the metabolism, the quicker the body will break down dermal fillers.
But having a high metabolism, achieved by regular workouts, proper eating timings, and having a close to ideal body weight, is highly beneficial in terms of having a healthy, good-looking body. So, the metabolism conundrum is one that people wanting to look their best with dermal fillers must face.
Fortunately, experienced surgeons can place fillers in strategic locations that optimize the lifespan of fillers.
Move It and Lose It
The more an area moves, the shorter a filler will stay in that area.
For this reason, fillers in our lips, nasolabial folds, and foreheads often experience shorter lifespans than those in our cheeks or under the eyes, purely because these areas of the face are essential in facial expressions.
This injection location depends on the patient’s desired aesthetic results and the skill of the surgeon. One thing that patients can do daily to help prolong filler duration is to not put them under undue stress or pressure.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
Sunlight directly onto areas with dermal fillers will cause a more rapid breakdown of the products. Using sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats while outside will prevent the sun from beating down on the fillers. This will contribute to significantly longer-lasting fillers.
Keep Hydrated
Hydrating your body and skin with moisturizer and drinking plenty of water will enhance and maintain the water-absorbing effects of hyaluronic acid-based fillers (which most of the best fillers consist of). Fillers actually work by absorbing and holding water, so keeping your body and skin well-watered will prolong the fillers’ effects.
Let the Fillers Rest
The more you manually touch or move an area of filler, the faster it will break down. As fillers are generally injected into the face, learning to sleep on your back is a great way to prolong their lifespan. Sleeping right means that the fillers are not moved around and pressured while you sleep.
Avoid touching and poking your fillers, as this will speed up the breakdown process.
Maintain a Filling Schedule for Best Results
To avoid any unwanted side effects from getting dermal fillers, it is advisable to consult an experienced, accredited, and respected surgeon. Doing so will usually result in the formulation of a yearly schedule where you can receive touch-ups at specific intervals to help results from fillers last as long as possible while still providing pleasing aesthetic results.
Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation specializes in guiding patients towards sustainable, highly satisfying filler plans. Contact her on 760 610 5558 or fill out her online form here to arrange your virtual consultation today, wherefrom the safety and comfort of your own home, you can consult and book an appointment with the leading plastic surgeon in Palm Springs.
Over the last few years, lip injections with dermal fillers have skyrocketed. What has been a go-to anti-aging procedure to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles has more recently also become a hit among younger patients interested in improving naturally thin lips.
With this growing popularity, there are a number of questions our Palm Desert cosmetic specialist receives about the procedure. Patients are curious about when they can start getting back to their normal activities following lip filler treatment. To help provide some guidance, we’ve pulled together our top recommendations for lip care after lip injections.
Post-Lip Injection Eating
As lip fillers are non-invasive, one of the perks associated with this treatment is that the entire procedure can be completed without undergoing anesthesia. While this might mean you don’t have to worry about fasting ahead of treatment, taking some care with your diet during the first few days after your procedure makes sense.
What you eat during the first days after lip injections can influence your comfort during recovery. As a result, we recommend that patients focus on staying hydrated and healthy. Washing down fruits and vegetables with plenty of water will help newly treated lips stay hydrated while delivering critical vitamins to treated cells. This can help reduce the duration of post-injection swelling and ensure that you enjoy your final results faster. On the flip side, we recommend avoiding spicy, processed, or excessively salty foods. While delicious, these can delay the healing process and make sensitive lips feel uncomfortable. Similarly, straws and water bottles should be on hiatus for the first few days after treatment as these can cause accidental puckering.
Sleeping After Lip Fillers
Are you a stomach sleeper? While it can be tough to monitor your sleep while you’re sleeping, laying on your back in an elevated position is critical to sealing in the perfect pout. As the filler material can take several days to firm up inside the lip, an accidental roll onto your stomach or side in the middle of the night can lead to asymmetrical lip shape.
To avoid these risks all together without sacrificing your sleep, we recommend setting up a pillow fort around your head to prevent unconscious movement during the middle of the night. Likewise, add a few extra pillows beneath your head to help keep the filler in the right position. Most patients only need to do this for the first couple of nights following treatment.
Kissing Post-Lip Fillers
Whether you’re dating, married, or enjoying the single life, one of the most common questions Dr. Kato gets about life with lip injections is about kissing. In particular, how soon after having lip fillers injected can a patient safely receive smooches?
For starters, while the procedure is non-invasive, patients can expect to experience some swelling, bruising and sensitivity during the first few days following treatment. While a quick and light peck might be fine, anything more intense can make the unpleasant side effects last longer. To help protect your new look and keep you comfortable, we recommend taking it easy on the romance for at least 72 hours following your injection or longer if you’re continuing to experience swelling and bruising.
Have Questions? Call Dr. Kato
Whether you’re new lip injections or returning for touch-ups, the team at Aesthetic Art is here to help. Dr. Kato and her staff have helped countless patients use this popular procedure to achieve their dream look. To learn more about how this treatment can transform your look, contact our office to schedule your visit today!
If you wish to emulate the look of celebrities such as Megan Fox and Kylie Jenner, lip fillers provide a great opportunity to achieving perfectly kissable lips. Lip filling, which has grown to become one of the most in-demand non-surgical cosmetic treatments, plump, pouty lips seem to be a defining beauty movement of the late 2010s. When striving for the perfect pout goes wrong, however, we wind up with a set of the dreaded “duck lips.”
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to ensure your lip filling procedure gives you the best possible results.
Because the demographics of people opting for lip fillers are so broad, ranging from 18-year-olds straight through to 60+, people must understand first what can go wrong with a lip filling procedure, and secondly, how they can achieve the results they desire.
How Can Lip Fillers Go Wrong?
The lip filling procedure is straightforward and quick. Injecting the gel into the lips takes only a few moments, and is relatively painless. What’s more, dangerous side effects are infrequent. However, the simplicity and popularity of this procedure have led to a lack of industry regulation that leaves many patients at risk of bungled jobs. Just because the process is easy to understand doesn’t mean the aesthetic eye and training of a board-certified plastic surgeon isn’t necessary when administering lip fillers.
If an inexperienced, untrained individual gives lip fillers, it may result in lumpy-looking, uneven, and unattractive lips. Furthermore, though rare, instances of anaphylaxis, extreme swelling, allergic reactions, and blood vessel occlusion are possible medical issues that can arise with lip fillers. Nobody but a properly trained and certified doctor has the qualifications to handle such emergencies.
Because of these risks, you should carefully consider who you choose to perform your lip filling procedure, including their qualifications and how long they have been working with injectables.
How to Ensure You Get the Best-Quality Lip Filling
Ensuring all the elements are in place to prevent your lip filling from going wrong is your responsibility. If you follow these three simple pieces of advice, however, you give yourself the best chance at obtaining the results you desire.
Choose the Correct Surgeon
One of the first questions you should ask the practitioner you are considering for your procedure is, “How many times have you done this?” Inevitably, the more experience a doctor has with lip fillers, the better they will understand their outcomes.
By first ensuring your doctor is board-certified and experienced, you have given yourself a good chance of receiving satisfactory lip filling results. However, to provide the best results possible, you should look at previous patients’ comments and experiences with the doctor. Look for any specific awards the doctor has won and their area of expertise. If they specialize in facial surgery, that is a bonus.
Prepare Properly
In the days leading up to your date with the doctor, you should get your body ready for a successful lip filling. Ways to accomplish this include avoiding blood thinners and drinking plenty of water.
Steering clear of blood-thinning products such as fish oils, aspirin, ibuprofen, and alcohol for seven days before your procedure minimizes the likelihood of bruising after your injections. Try not to drink alcoholic beverages for the week leading up to your procedure – if you do so, you will fully recover much faster.
Drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day. If you have trouble remembering to maintain this pace, there are plenty of smartphone apps designed to remind you to drink water. Get your body nice, relaxed, and hydrated before your procedure, all of which will contribute towards a faster healing process.
Recover Properly
Although most people need little to no downtime after a lip filling, your lips still need to adjust to and recover from the procedure.
Don’t rub your lips in the days after your injection. Doing so can displace the filler and cause unwanted results. Also, wait 24 hours after your procedure to exercise. Keeping your blood flowing slowly and steadily helps with the recovery process and gives the filler time to set properly.
Finally, remember it is normal if your lips are slightly swollen for up to a week after the procedure. Gently apply some ice when you can to reduce inflammation.
Dr. Maya Kato, founder of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation, is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in facial cosmetic surgery. Readers of Palm Springs Life magazine have voted her Top Doctor for seven consecutive years, due to her consistent ability to provide an unmatched patient experience. To consult Dr. Kato about your lip filling procedure, please don’t hesitate to call 760-610-5558 now or fill out our online form to arrange a consultation.