Increasing lip volume

Lip volume augmentation is an aesthetic medicine technique that plumps, redefines and smoothes the lips. Usually, this technique relies on the use of hyaluronic acid, a biodegradable and resorbable component that offers immediate natural results. It is also possible to perform lipofilling using autologous fat for a longer-lasting result. To maintain a natural appearance, it is advisable not to over-inflate the lips, as this will have the opposite effect. Hyaluronic acid can be used to recreate a fuller mouth and plump up the lip to give it a lovely curve.

Increasing lip volume using hyaluronic acid is a procedure to be carried out at a medical facility.
To retain a natural look, it is helpful to avoid overly increasing the lip size as doing so would achieve the opposite of the desired effect.

Hyaluronic acid allows a fleshy mouth to be achieved, plumping up the lips to give them a pretty curve.

The result is instant.
There may be a need to wait a few days to assess the final outcome. By that time, reactive swelling will have completely disappeared

Who should undergo hyaluronic acid lip injections?

This solution is aimed at all adults who feel that their mouth is not full enough, or that their lips are too thin, and who wish to obtain a fuller, more defined mouth.

It can also be perfectly suited to correcting asymmetry between the upper and lower lips, or between the left and right sides of the mouth.

Hyaluronic acid can be used to recreate a fuller mouth by plumping the lip and restoring its shape. Lip plumping with hyaluronic acid is performed in the doctor’s office. To maintain a natural appearance, it is advisable not to over-inflate the lips, as this would have the opposite effect.

The patient can return home on the evening of the operation, and the sutures are removed a few days after the procedure. The risk of complications is exceptional. They may include bleeding, infection or poorly concealed scarring (but the use of absorbable threads and your surgeon’s expertise greatly reduce this risk).

Lip volume injections are ideal for treating the thinning of the lips associated with natural aging, which promotes loss of volume and density.

They can also straighten drooping corners of the mouth that give the face a sad appearance.

But before injections of hyaluronic acid or autologous fat into the lips, they can restore volume to a mouth that’s too thin, reshape the lip contour to make it more hemmed, and provide a dose of deep hydration.

Lip injections: several possible techniques

Injecting hyaluronic acid into the lips

A fine cannula or needle is used to inject the filler into the lips.

Depending on the desired result and your surgeon’s preference, hyaluronic acid can be injected in several ways:

• dot technique: the gel is injected under the skin in small dots over the entire surface of the area to be treated;
• backtracking: the gel is injected in the opposite direction to the needle or cannula;
• the nappage technique: the gel is injected under the mucous membrane of the lips in a thin layer.

It’s also possible to create Russian Lips. This technique involves injecting hyaluronic acid into the central area of the lips to create a true heart-shaped mouth effect.

Injecting the lips is a collaborative gesture between patient and doctor. With each new small injection, the patient can observe the result directly on a mirror and tell the doctor whether the volume is right for him or her, or whether he or she would like a more substantial lip volume augmentation. As a general rule, Dr. Cornette de Saint-Cyr injects between 1 and 2 ml of hyaluronic acid, depending on the patient’s volume and desired result.

Depending on the initial indication, treatment may target the upper lip, lower lip, vermilion, philtrum or corners of the mouth.

Autologous fat injection: lipofilling

Lipofilling is a multi-step protocol:

• The plastic surgeon removes fat from a fleshy area of the patient to be treated by making a small incision and then aspirating the fat with a cannula.
• The fat is then processed, purified and centrifuged.
• The practitioner reinjects the fat evenly and harmoniously into the mouth, according to the previously determined indication.

Lipofilling can be performed in conjunction with other cosmetic surgery procedures, such as face lifts, while the patient is under general anaesthetic.

Initial consultation before lip volume injection

The first consultation is essential to define the objectives and wishes of the patients to be treated.

It also enables the surgeon to analyze the face and lips to propose a suitable solution.

The modalities of the procedure are explained during this consultation, as well as the expected results and possible risks.

Your surgeon also checks that there are no contraindications.

When the indication is validated, an appointment is scheduled.

Lip volume increasing: before/after results

Injections of hyaluronic acid into the lips (or lipofilling) deliver visible results immediately after the procedure. The mouth is visibly fuller, better defined, deeply hydrated and more youthful. It may take a few days to appreciate the final result. Reactional edema will then have completely disappeared.

After a few days, swelling and bruising will subside and patients will be able to fully appreciate their new smile.

The duration of the result varies according to the type and quantity of product injected, the area treated, and the patient’s metabolism.

On average, lip injection with hyaluronic acid lasts between 6 and 12 months. For lipofilling, the results are longer-lasting.

How can I make up for a botched lip injection?

Sometimes, the result of a lip injection is not satisfactory for either the patient or the surgeon, either because it is too excessive, too asymmetrical or too artificial.

In these circumstances, there are several possible solutions for making up for a botched lip injection:

• wait for the product to resorb naturally, which can take several months;
• inject hyaluronidase, a product capable of rapidly degrading hyaluronic acid, to restore the initial volume of the lips;
• In the event of insufficient volume, repeat the injection using another technique or product.

Price of lip volume augmentation

The price may vary according to several factors, such as the technique used or the quantity of product injected.

Price of lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid injections

The price of a hyaluronic acid injection session starts at €600 for treatment of the upper lip.