LIP SERVICE
Although it looks as if lip fillers may have lost their most famous fan, with Kylie Jenner claiming she’s deflated her famous pout, the casts of Love Island and Married
at First Sight are providing quite enough free advertising. Here in Aotearoa, celebrity endorsement is less of a concern for those considering the treatment — it’s more about wanting to look a bit less tired and miserable.
“Clients are often concerned with thin lips, dryness or fine lines above their top lip,” says Smitee Ranchhod, senior appearance medicine nurse at Skin Institute Wellington, adding that the ageing process is to blame for slackening around the mouth. “Mouth frown or shadowing around the corners of the mouth is also something we see, where clients feel like they look sad or grumpy.
“Dermal fillers can be used to define, shape and support the lips, and soften lines around the mouth. Made from hyaluronic acid, they’re super hydrating for the lips, so they can restore your natural lip colour and make them look younger and smoother.”
Lifting the sides of the mouth, minimising ‘marionette’ lines, slimming the jaw and balancing slightly asymmetric lips can all be achieved with Botox or fillers as well.
New offerings Volite (aka ‘injectable moisturiser’) and Belkyra (which eliminates a double chin) are other treatments that are boosting the smorgasbord of options for improving the area around the mouth.
One of the most surprising 'smile-inducing’ side effects for appearance-medicine treatments? Studies have found that people report improvement in the symptoms of depression after treatment with Botox for tension and frown lines on the forehead.
THE FUTURE IS NOW According to dental expert Dr Andrea Shepperson, the emerging possibilities for improving teeth are worth smiling about. As New Zealand’s only Digital Smile Design master and instructor, she travels internationally to uncover new trends and demonstrate the options digital design affords. Her notes on the latest developments? • “Face scanning is the latest layer of analysis we can use in our planning.” • “First Fit is a technique in which veneer preparations are designed digitally and transferred to the mouth with pre-made veneers ready to fit on the same day. No temporaries, beautiful natural shapes, an immediate smile.” • “Conservative, injectable veneers are using modern, flowable, tooth-coloured materials to reshape teeth in younger patients, without aggressive enamel removal.” • “Robotic implant placement is now happening in the US with FDA approval.”