The “Perfect” Lip

Recently, actress Lisa Rinna announced she had “deflated” her large silicone-injected lips while rumors persist that Nicole Kidman has enhanced her thin lips. And Angelina Jolie’s lips continue to make people wonder whether they are one of nature’s gifts or a medical miracle!

Not all women desire to have their lips augmented. However fuller, puffier and more voluptuous lips – skillfully and artistically rendered – can be very appealing both to men and women. Many people notice as they age that less of the pink part of their lip shows and that they would be more attractive and appear more youthful if they had more volume in their lips.

Is There a “Perfect” Lip?

More than 500 years ago, classic beauty was studied and defined by the legendary artist Leonardo Da Vinci. By his standards, the lower lip should have a higher vertical height than the upper lip, at approximately a 1.4 – 1.0 ratio. An aesthetically pleasing lip usually has a well-defined structure that includes a prominent “Cupid's bow” – the heart-shaped curve of the upper lip that resembles the bow of Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love.

For ideal lip enhancement, it takes a good aesthetic eye and a conservative approach to get it right. Meticulous attention to detail and the right proportions are key. Excessive augmentation of the lip creates a distorted and unattractive look – think “trout pout,” “duck lips” or “bee stung lips.”  To prevent this from happening, I like to start small to see how the patient likes the results and I ask that they come back to see me in about two weeks so we can check the symmetry and shape; if needed, a quick touch-up can be done.

Fill ’Er Up

With today’s filling agents, it is possible to get a very natural, soft correction. I recommend using temporary fillers containing hyaluronic acid, such as Juvéderm® or Restylane®, versus more permanent fillers. Even temporary fillers stimulate your body to produce collagen so that results can be long lasting. In fact, if you use a temporary filler two or three times, you may never need further treatment.

If you’re considering or already using filler to enhance the appearance of your nasolabial folds or puppet lines, it is easy to treat your lips during the same treatment session. The process of filling the lips is not painful. Half an hour prior to treatment, a topical anesthetic is applied to the treated area; absorption is immediate. The topical anesthetic can also be supplemented with a dental block (local injection of anesthesia) so that the treatment is entirely pain free.

One syringe or less is all that is needed for lips. Immediately after treatment and for a few days beyond, lips will be more swollen than what the final correction will look like. So check your social calendar to allow a few days for the swelling to go down.

Ultimately, it’s not so much the choice of filler (the substance one selects to have injected) as it is the choice of the right filler (the person who has the most experience, an artistic eye and a track record for delivering great results). That “filler” – a skilled, board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon – is of paramount importance in achieving the “perfect” lip.