the evolution of enhancement

Gustav Neuber,

a plastic surgeon from Germany, uses fat from a patient’s arm to fill up a scar.

in Vienna, Austria, a

surgeon injects paraffin into a man’s scrotum, and doctors then start injecting it into lips (and breasts and noses). Most patients wind up with permanent masses called paraffinomas.

Doctors begin

injecting liquid silicone into patient’s lips. The permanent material causes bumps and nodules, but the practice continues for decades.

the first collagen

filler, Zyderm, is FDA approved. It’s derived from cows and requires an allergy test. Human collagen fillers follow 22 years later.

Dermatologist Dr

Arnold Klein pioneers collagen lip injections in – where else? – Beverly Hills, US. “Lips are the only visible sexual organ,” he tells The New York Times years later.

Swedish scientists

create Restylane, the first non-animal hyaluronic acid filler. It’s approved by the FDA in 2003, but not approved for the lips until 2011 – so doctors use it on the lips off-label for years.

Kylie Jenner admits

she had her lips injected. Google searches for ‘lip fillers’ increase by 11 300% within 24 hours.

Juvéderm Volbella

XC, the filler with the lowest concentration of hyaluronic acid out there, is approved by the FDA. The gel has a soft consistency that is ideal for subtle enhancement and filling lines around the lips.

Kylie Jenner

announces, “I got rid of all my filler,” on Instagram. Soon after this, Google searches for ‘lip filler removal’ spike 10 000% that same day. ➻