The lips are a fundamental accent of facial balance and aesthetics, conveying youthfulness and attractiveness. When it comes to the ideal natural looking lips, one must take into account facial anatomy, important anatomical landmarks on the face, the facial proportions of the lips, ethnic and gender differences.

Our cosmetic medicine experts at Cerulean Medical Institute have a deep understanding of lip and facial anatomy, the underlying causes and signs of aging lips and can successfully treat these deficiencies with long lasting natural-looking results. Understanding the causes of aging in the lips and how to balance the lips with the rest of the face is key to achieving an overall beautiful and balanced smile.

What Causes Aging in the Lips?

There are many different factors that can contribute to the aging of the lips. The first is a decrease in collagen production as we age. After the age of 20, humans produce about 1% less collagen every year, which can lead to skin thinning and loss of elasticity, deflating the look of the lips.

Aging skin also produces less oil than younger skin, which can result in chronic lip dryness and vertical lip lines. The lips in particular are prone to dryness due to their constant exposure to the elements. The skin on the lips is very delicate and often goes unprotected. Exposure to the sun’s UV rays is the main causes of premature lip aging.

Lip wrinkles on the upper lip can also be caused by smoking. Smoking produces free radicals in the body, which can lead to premature aging and leave patients with unwanted vertical lines around the lips.

Beautification Considerations for The Lips

When addressing beautification of the lip area, the goal should be to restore youthfulness and proportion by addressing volume deficits. The proportions that contribute to the beauty of the lips can be described with the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. In young Caucasians, the ideal ratio of the vertical height of the upper lip to that of the lower lip is 1:1.6.

One must also take into consideration the balance of the overall facial features especially the nose and chin areas as well as the patient’s age. This will determine the size and shape of the lips, as they should naturally complement the rest of the face.

Treatment Options for the Lips

The best treatment options for your lip enhancement will vary depending on your individual needs, concerns, age, volume deficit, skin type, and more. The most common treatments used for beautifying the lips and reducing signs of aging lips include the following.

Dermal Fillers

Injectable fillers are a highly effective way to fill in lost volume in the lips and smooth lip lines and wrinkles. These soft tissue fillers are created with hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring substance in the skin that is vital for skin youthfulness, plumpness, glow and elasticity. Dermal fillers can also be used to smooth smile lines around the lips for an overall more youthful smile. Lip dermal filler treatment options include:

Juvéderm: The Juvéderm line of HA fillers can be used to restore facial contours and improve signs of aging. Juvéderm Volbella and Juvéderm Ultra XC were specifically created to shape and add projection of the lips.
Belotero: Belotero is a soft, gel-like HA filler that binds with water in the skin to subtly fill your upper and lower lip.
Teosyal: Teosyal is a range of HA facial fillers with high hydrating capacity. The skin on the face and lips will be naturally softer and plumper in appearance.

During your dermal filler treatment appointment, the treatment area will be cleansed, and a topical numbing cream applied to ensure your comfort. Next, the filler of choice will be skillfully injected using advanced techniques to enhance and contour the lips. Treatment length will vary depending on the amount of enhancement desired.

Botox

Botox, an injectable neuromodulator, can also be used to smooth smoker’s wrinkles, or tiny vertical lines that form across the lip and the skin that runs from the upper lip to the nose. When injected, Botox temporarily relaxes the targeted muscles, preventing excessive muscle contractions that cause these lines, for a more youthful-looking smile. Botox can also be used to smooth lines and wrinkles around the nose and chin such as in gummy smiles, mouth frowns and puckered overactive chins to complement the appearance of youthful lips.

During a Botox treatment, the skin will be cleansed. Botox is a very well-tolerated treatment, and the majority of patients do not feel that the numbing cream is necessary. The Botox will then be injected into the specified areas using a very fine needle. Treatment is quick and precise, usually taking about 10-15 minutes to complete. Botox results can last from 3-4 months and there is no downtime needed.

Skin Tightening

Skin tightening treatment using state of the art radiofrequency stimulates collagen and elastin and is a very effective non-surgical treatment to tighten the skin and smooth unwanted peri-oral lines and wrinkles. This treatment stimulates the fibroblasts of the skin to produce collagen and elastin resulting in soft, smooth natural looking peri-oral skin.

Skin tightening of the lips and peri-oral skin improves the overall look of the lips and the beauty is that there is no downtime with treatment.

Medical Microneedling

Microneedling MD, also known as collagen induction therapy, is another very effective non-surgical treatment to soften unwanted lines and wrinkles around the lips. This treatment creates micro-channels in the skin using very fine needles to stimulate collagen production. This results in improved skin tone and texture for an improved skin look and feel.

Microneedling is an effective way to soften smoker’s lines and smile lines around the mouth to further enhance the look of the lips.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are interested in achieving natural looking lip enhancement and want to learn more about your best treatment options to balance, beautify and enhance your lips, schedule a consultation at Cerulean Medical Institute. During your consultation, Dr. Chetty will review your specific needs and create a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.

To schedule your lip enhancement appointment, call our Kelowna BC office at (778) 402-3696 or contact us online today.

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