Gravity and age take their toll on most parts of the face including the lips, which tend to lose their bulk over the years, becoming thinner and recessed. This produces a much wider, less desirable gap between the upper lip border and the tip of the nose. Lip augmentation can significantly make a face look younger, softer and more sexy. The ideal candidate for lip augmentation are young patients who desire their lips to be larger and fuller to help enhance their facial features, young women who want to look more sensuous and feminine and highlight the mid portion of their face, and older women, who with age have noticed that their upper lip has not only become thinner but also droopier, allowing the space between the bottom of the nose and upper lip to lengthen.
There are two types of lip augmentation procedures Dr. Tijunelis performs: injectible temporary fillers, and more "permanent" dermal fillers. Injectible fillers generally last anywhere from a few months to a few years after administration, depending on the individuality of the patient and the type of filler used. Temporary fillers include: Restylane®, Juvederm™, and Prevelle Silk™. The most important fact to remember about injectable fillers is that the results are not permanent. Injected material is eventually metabolized by the body. You should not expect the same long-lasting results that may be gained from cosmetic surgery.
Dermal fillers, the second type of lip augmentation, includes dermis fat grafts, fat grafts, and autologous fascial grafts. During your consultation for your lip augmentation, Dr. Tijunelis will be able to discuss with you your wishes and together choose which lip augmentation will best fit your needs.
In some individuals, the results may last only a few weeks; in others, the results may be maintained indefinitely. Researchers believe that age, genetic background, skin quality and lifestyle as well as the injected body site may all play a role in the injected material's "staying power." However, the precise reason for the variation of results among patients has yet to be identified.
If you have had short-lived results from fat injections, you should not necessarily assume that collagen injections will work better for you. And, conversely, if you have had disappointing results from collagen, do not assume that injected fat is the answer. Although it is true that some individuals' bodies are more receptive to one substance than the other, others may find that neither substance produces long-lasting results. Sometimes one substance may work better than the other for a specific problem.