Millions of women pursue
lip augmentation procedures to make lips appear fuller, youthful and more attractive. Some of today’s most popular lip plumping treatments involve injecting hyularonic acid, collagen or pure body fat directly into the lip tissues and these treatments can provide instant results on a permanent or temporary basis.
If you’ve been considering lip augmentation to achieve fuller, rounder lips, consider these risks and benefits of both fat injections and collagen injections:
Fat Injections for Lip Augmentation: Pros and Cons
Lip augmentation performed with
fat transfer is one of the latest techniques that promises natural-looking results. Instead of injecting foreign compounds into the lips, the procedure involves using real human or animal fatty tissues which us injected into the lips for immediate adaptation.
Fat can be harvested from the patient’s abdomen or other fatty area for the fat transfer procedure; in these cases, the risk of an allergic reaction is diminished and the result may be very natural. Most patients who undergo a fat transfer and lip enhancement procedure enjoy instant results with noticeably larger, plumper and softer lips. If animal fat is used, the surgeon may need to perfrom an allergy test at least 4-6 weeks before the treatment.
Since the fat transfer does require the removal of fat from the patient’s body, a form of micro liposuction will need to be performed. The surgeon may perform this simple procedure under local or general anesthesia depending on the patient, and can inject the lips using a blunt needle and syringe after the fat has been harvested.
Most patients can recover from the micro liposuction and lip enhancement procedure after a few hours, and resume regular activities the same day.
Collagen Injections for Lip Augmentation: Pros and Cons
Synthetic and natural collagen are some of the most popular compounds used for lip augmentation because they are absorbed very slowly by the body and can provide very natural-looking results.
The most common forms of
collagen used in lip augmentation procedures today are Zyderm and Zyplast. These are commonly used to fill out scars and erase wrinkles around the face, but can be used to plump up the lips to create a fuller pout. The collagen injections are injected directly into the lip tissues after the application of topical anesthesia, and provide instant results.
However, synthetic collagen does pose the risk of an allergic reaction which can cause excessive swelling, itching and irritation in and the lips. Natural collagen does not cause an allergic reaction and the effects can last between three to five months. Most cosmetic surgeons will perform an allergy test at least one month before the first treatment to make sure patients will tolerate any synthetic collagen.
Increasing the size of the lips can help create a more youthful and attractive look, but there are some drawbacks and risks to consider when plumping the lips with injectable fillers. Understanding how collagen and fat injections are performed can help you make the best decision for your treatment.