One of the most sexy and youthful features of the face are the lips. Lushes, plump, and full lips are signs of youth, health, and fertility. As we age our lips lose their fullness and volume. The upper lip sags and becomes thinner. Meanwhile, fine wrinkles develop around lips which are called "lipstick lines" or "smoker’s lines".

Lip augmentation consists of a variety of procedures designed to give a person a more defined and fuller lips. Besides enlarging the lips, lip fillers or implants are also used to balance the upper and lower lips.

Injection of fillers such as Collagen, Restylane, Perlane, Zyplast, Hylaform, Juvederm, Macrolane, Radiasse, Artefill, and fat into the lips is an easy way of enlarging or shaping the lips. Collagen is commercially available through plastic surgeons, but before having this procedure, you must first pass a collagen allergy test. Its advantages are, it does not require surgery and it is relatively inexpensive. Its disadvantage is that it is not permanent and usually lasts 3-5 months. Other newer injecteable fillers such as those mentioned above usually last much longer than collagen and don’t need to be allergy tested. For Example Restylane lasts about 8 months, and Radiasse 24 months. Fat, tendon, or dermal grafting is another method used for lip augmentation. They require harvesting of the fat, dermis, or tendon from another area of the body. Its biggest disadvantage is that the lips remain swollen and inflamed for a much longer period than when synthetic fillers are used.

Unlike the temporary fillers, Gortex™ or PTFE is a synthetic non-dissolvable and permanent implant material that can be inserted at the periphery of the lips giving them more contrast as well as eliminating the lines that run into the lips (lipstick lines). In its newer multi-stranded form it is also used to augment the body of the lips. Patients find the feel of the Gortex implant very natural and acceptable. Alloderm™ is natural collagen matrix implant that is harvested from donors. It has the same consistency and feel of the skin. It can be shaped and formed to enhance and supplement the lip in a predictable fashion. It has a very natural feel and keeps its fullness for about one to two years. Both Alloderm™ and Gortex™ can be inserted into the lip under local anesthesia. After surgery lips become swollen and numb but this resolves over a period days to weeks. Compared to injectables, Gortex implant is permanent, but is more costly. For those who are considering lip augmentation I suggest that they first have a more temporary treatment such as injectables before opting for a permanent solution. This way they can get a feel for what amount and type of lip augmentation would look the best on them.

These procedures like any other surgical procedure carry certain risks and have potential for complications. There is a risk of infection, which is minimized by taking antibiotics. Considering that no ones lips are perfectly symmetrical during normal pose or with smiling there are going to be minute asymmetries after surgery.

In general, I find people who opt for lip enhancement to be very happy with their surgery considering that they have realistic expectations.

Dr. Younai is a Board Certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon with experience in all aspects of Facial Cosmetic Surgery including Lip Augmentation with Collagen, Restylane, Perlane, Zyplast, Hylaform, Juvederm, Macrolane, Radiasse, Artefill as well as Lip Implants, Facelift or Rhytidectomy, eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty, neck lift, forehead or brow lift, rhinoplasty, etc. He is skilled and experienced in all techniques of Lip Augmentation and strives to create a face that is harmonious and natural looking. During your consultation he will discuss all details including: if you are a good candidate, surgical options and techniques, potential risks and complications of surgery, pre- and post-operative instructions, recovery course, as well as what to expect after surgery. You will also have an opportunity of seeing and trying on different types of facial implants. At that time Dr. Younai will also show you before-and-after pictures of other patients with Lip augmentation with Collagen, Restylane, Perlane, Zyplast, Hylaform, Juvederm, Macrolane, Radiasse, Artefill as well as Lip Implants.

Dr. Younai performs Facial Cosmetic Surgery for patients who come to the California Center for Plastic Surgery from the Northern as well as the Southern California region. Some of these cities include Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Pasadena, Glendale, Valencia, Palmdale, Fresno, and Oxnard.

Dermal Fillers
BOTOX Cosmetic™
Skin Resurfacing
Lip Augmentation