PLASTIC SURGERY

Q: I really need lip enhancement. What are my options? A: Lip enhancement can be performed with a host of fillers, including surgical implants using Alloderm or silicone implants. Fillers will last about a year, and the most efficient treatment is to use hyaluronic acid. The main agents that work best for patients are Volbella and Juvederm. Each has its own characteristics and can be discussed in detail. My practice also has Restylane, which works marvelously for patients with lip lines.

If you want to escalate the duration of your results, we will discuss the longest acting filler, which is autologous fat. This is a minor surgical procedure, which we will fully explain in our consultation process. This procedure will allow me to harvest fat from any area of your body that you don’t like, and put it into your face and lips at the same time. Many patients undergoing lip enhancement procedures also treat fine wrinkling around their mouth with laser resurfacing using Sciton Erbium technology. Combining this with Erbium Profractional XC Laser can give a more robust remodeling of deep wrinkles around the mouth. For patients with fine lines, a light laser peel with Erbium Laser and Profractional Laser can be performed. This is called a Mentor Peel, which combined with volume injections with hyaluronic agents can be very effective at giving a very long-term texture change to the skin. An extra benefit it that, once the hyaluronic acid agent (Restylane, Juvederm or Volbella) is metabolized, it can just be added with a simple office procedure over a long term period.