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My lips are thinning as I get older. I am afraid of duck lips – can a subtle improvement be achieved with fillers.

Julie H. Newport Beach, CA

Well, this is certainly lip season! In men and women, the mouth is a messenger, conveying emotions such as happiness, sadness or bewilderment, a smile or a frown. A sexy female lip has a healthy Cupid’s bow and pout, the front teeth should be visible below the upper lip for two to four millimeters and the lower teeth should not be visible when your lips are barely open. As we age, the upper lip lengthens and thins, and in many patients, those annoying vertical lines appear.

A whole variety of treatments are available to rejuvenate lips. Lip enhancement options are elective procedures that we do frequently here at Salisbury or Orange County Plastic Surgery and should be designed to meet each patient’s expectations! The first question you should answer is regarding your expectations! Lip fillers are the most common first option for lip enhancement for most patients. The desired result will certainly be achieved after a thorough consultation and an understanding of your expectations. Most patients do not request an overdone look, but some patients truly want very full lips – that conversation has to occur before any injections are begun!

The most common lip fillers in our practices are Restylane Kysse®, Allergan’s Juvederm Ultra® or Allergan’s Voluma® lip fillers. All are hyaluronic acids (i.e. “HA’s”) and absorb with time. This is a great option for someone who’d like lips fuller but is unsure if they will like the results, because the results are reversible as the product absorbs. Patients who have had filler many times sometimes decide to have a permanent, soft silicone implant (SurgiLip) surgically placed – a minor office procedure which produces permanent results and negates the need for more fillers. And if lip wrinkles are the main issue, some form of lip resurfacing with peels or lasers will be recommended. And finally, if the upper lip has lost its shape and is just too long, a lip lift will be discussed. Here are some clinical examples of what can be achieved to enhance lips:

If you would like to contact Dr. Ekstrom or Dr. Bunkis,

For CA, please call 949-888-9700 or visit our websites at: www.orangecountyplasticsurgery.com

Or for MA location, call 508-755-4825 or visit
www.salisburyps.com

You can respond in the comment section below or write to us at bunkis@ocps.com and Dr. Ekstrom at mds@salisburyps.com

Thanks for staying in touch and for your feedback!