Lip Implant Options
Other surgical and nonsurgical methods are used to enhance the appearance of the lips:
Fat Injections
Fat injections may be performed by suctioning fat with a small tube from another part of the body and injecting it into the lips. Technique is very important to optimize survival of the transplanted fat. Much of the fat may become absorbed over several months requiring repeated treatments. Prolonged swelling or asymmetry may also occur. It is important that if you elect to have fat injections that they are performed by a surgeon who performs them frequently with good and consistently long lasting results.
Dermal-Fat Graft
A strip of skin from the lower abdomen is excised and the outer portion of the skin is shaved off. The deeper portion of the skin (the dermis) with some underlying fat are drawn through a tunnel formed in the lip. Possible risks include cyst formation, unevenness , numbness or an unsatisfactory scar developing where the skin was harvested from the lower abdomen. This procedure usually offers good durability.
Alloderm
Alloderm is human cadaveric skin dermis (the deeper portion of the skin) that has been sterilized, and prepared to inhibit immune response and rejection. It comes in sheets and is trimmed and/or rolled and drawn through a tunnel formed in the lips. Swelling and /or firm areas resolve with time. Research is being done with micronized Alloderm, in which the sheets are ground into particles, suspended and placed in syringes for injection, much like collagen. The advantage would be that the collagen bundles are more intact and the tube would contain a greater per centage of solids than regular collagen.
Vermillion Advancement
This procedure is accomplished by making an incision along the border of the vermillion (the colored portion of the lips) and removing a strip of the skin all around the outer border of the lips. The pink vermillion skin is then advanced or pulled outward and sutured along the edge to produce larger appearing lips. Disadvantages of this technique are a flattening of the natural lip roll or protuberance at the lip border and placement of a scar line all around the lip border. This may be improved with tattoo and SoftForm placement to restore a defining edge fullness of the lips. This procedure is not generally recommended in the young or middle-aged patient.
Mucosal Lip Advancement Flap
In this flap technique, a zigzag is cut on the mucosal (wet underside) of the lip. The V-shaped flaps are sewn together in such a way as to push the underside of the lip outward, rolling more of the vermillion outward. The incisions heal rapidly, but there may be prolonged swelling. This procedure may produce more pout to the lips. A disadvantage to this procedure is that it may make the upper lip appear longer, thereby covering more of the teeth. This may have an aging effect.
Upper Lip Lift
As the face ages, the upper lip lengthens from the nose to the lip border, the lips thin, and the lip roll or vermillion border (the juncture of the pink portion of the lip to the rest of the lip) flattens. Another technique to deal with these issues is an upper lip shortening procedure whereby skin is excised in a seagull pattern immediately beneath the nose. This shortens the upper lip and will sometimes draw up the upper lip pout a bit. This procedure is best suited for an older person with a light complexion because of the potential visibility of the scar under the nose.
Lip Corner Lift
Small tucks of skin can be excised from just above the corners of the mouth. This can lift the corners, to counteract a downward turn. Unfortunately, this procedure places scars in a visible area of the lip. The procedure is most suitable for an older person with fair skin, who is willing to accept these small scars near their mouth.
Micropigmentation (Tattoo)
The lip line may be asymmetrical, indistinct or fading. Tattoo can enhance the definition and coloration of the lip. It is preferable to use a very natural color and avoid a strong dark outline. It is unadvisable to tattoo significantly beyond the natural lip border as the line will not align with the natural lip roll. This may be aided by use of SoftForm Implant to plump up the newly outlined border. Disadvantages of tattoos may include fading, dissatisfaction with color or placement.
Dr. Marialyn Sardo, MD, FACS
Tel: 858-452-6226
Toll Free: 866 DR SARDO
(866-377-2736)
Fax: 858-452-6235
9850 Genesee Avenue,
Suite 410
La Jolla, CA 92037
Email Dr. Sardo
– Dr. Sardo Patient
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