Lips You Always Wanted

Have you always wanted to have fuller lips; but think the recovery will take too long, or it hurts too much, or it means that you have to walk around looking like a duck for weeks? Put your mind at rest. You can have the lips you always wanted by simply seeing your Cosmetic Surgeon or Cosmetic Dermatologist, even during lunch if you wanted to.
There are many ways to enhance one's lips, ranging from surgical methods to simple injections. Some methods require some down time and some are virtually painless, requiring no incisions or foreign materials.
In our clinic we prefer to use facial fillers like Restylane to enhance the patient's lips. This particular method requires no time away from work, can be performed in the office and requires no incisions. Although it is not a permanent treatment, it lasts anywhere from 5 to 8 months, the results are immediate and natural and with minimal risks for complications. Most patients choose to have numbing medicine (which wears out in about one to two hours) for both upper and lower lips for greater comfort.
Another method which we utilize in our clinic is the use of micro-droplet silicone. It is important to know that although this product has been approved by FDA to use in cases of detached retina, the use of silicone in the lips is "OFF LABEL". Just like the facial fillers, the silicone injections have no down time, can be done in the office and have a very low risk for complications. The biggest difference is that it is a permanent treatment and the results are not immediate. On average it takes 4-6 treatments for the patient to achieve the desired fullness of their lips, and the treatments must be performed no less than four weeks apart. The silicone is injected in minute amounts, and the body reacts to the foreign material encasing the silicone spheres in scar tissue and collagen which makes the lips fuller. The result is permanently fuller, soft and natural looking lips. However, one must remember that with this particular method of lip enhancement; "Patients is Virtue". Using this method, one can never end up with lips that are too big or unnatural.
The more invasive methods of lip enhancement involve small incisions on both sides of the lip and utilization of materials such as Gortex (same material used in rain coats). The result of this procedure is permanent, however, patients are more likely to experience prolonged swelling and bruising, and if infection occurs, the graft will likely have to be removed.
If lip augmentation is something you have been thinking about, feel free to call our clinic for a consultation. We will be happy to provide you with additional information regarding these procedures.

Victoria Karlinsky-Bellini, MD FACS
71 Carroll Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
T: 718 288 5519 F: 718 797 9796
ask@newlooknewlife.org