Lip correction • Complete overview of cosmetic solutions

The most complete review of cosmetic lip correction

“I like her lips, will mine be the same?” - This is a completely common question in a cosmetologist’s office. It may surprise, bewilder and even irritate some, but the fact remains a fact. Most girls turn to a cosmetologist not to reveal their individuality, but to become as juicy, daring and sexy as that thing from Instagram.

Lips are often the first “height” that needs to be taken on the path to perfection.

In general, lip augmentation is one of the most requested procedures in my practice. From my first words it may seem that I am an ardent opponent of the procedure. But I hasten to dissuade you of this.

To understand the procedure for lip augmentation properly, it is worth abstracting for a while from examples of successful and not very successful lip correction. The procedure is magnificent and it is 100% worthy of a separate discussion.

Why is she so good? It allows you to do things that even a surgeon could not do before.

Lip correction on video

I really like to carry out this procedure, I just don’t try to “comb” everyone to one side in my work. I am close to individuality, naturalness and harmony in faces; I am disgusted by pretentiousness and ostentation. The work of a cosmetologist should not be visible from around the corner, even on such a bright and attention-grabbing area as the lips. Especially in this area!

Video: Lip correction

The lip correction procedure is carried out in a cosmetologist's office

Video: Fillers for lip correction

In this video you will learn about fillers that are used to correct lips and for other purposes.

Lip fillers. What are they and why are they needed?

Filler is a gel that can replenish the volume of the lips. Fillers based on hyaluronic acid are used for lips; they are injected into the area of ​​the red border of the lips to restore or correct the shape, emphasize the contour, expand the corners of the lips and add volume to the lips (enlarge and correct).

See examples of lip augmentation and beauty (Before and After)

Aging lips

What happens to lips as you age?

• the corners are lowered
• the contour is smoothed out
• lip volume decreases
• purse string wrinkles form
• a “weathered” effect appears - dryness and more wrinkles
• Initially thin lips hide with age so that you can’t find them

After beautification:

They become the same as before, there is no need to change the shape at all, you can simply restore the contour and add light volume

corners are raised - no more sadness

restored lip contour is the prevention of purse-string wrinkles, lipstick does not spread onto the skin along the creases

joy and desire to stick to every mirror - 100%

Attention! There will be additional expenses for new lipsticks

Cosmetologist's work with aging lips

• After about 30 years, the quality of the skin begins to change, its middle layers lose collagen and elastin fibers, the skin becomes less elastic, its tone and moisture decrease. And of course, all these sad changes also apply to the red border of the lips. Closer to 40-45 years, or even earlier, all signs of lip fading appear fully.
• The contour of the lips settles
• “Cupid's Bow” and the columns of the philtrum also settle, and along with them and the contour, clarity and shape disappear. The older a person is, the more the lips change in shape from their original youthful state.
• The clear bow of the lips becomes flat, the lips lose volume, seem to shrink and become covered with additional transverse folds.
• Thin purse-string wrinkles, also called “barcode”, begin to dot the skin of the upper and sometimes lower lip, extend to the vermilion border itself, and the contour no longer holds them as before in youth. Lipstick and gloss spread along these small wrinkles, from the lips onto the white skin - this is a sign that you should think about rejuvenating this area.
• The corners of the lips droop, creating a sad expression on the face
• Losing volume, lips become flatter and thinner, sometimes previously invisible asymmetry becomes visible.

Solution

Restoration (with filler) based on hyaluronic acid of the lip contour, “Cupid’s bow” and columns of the filtrum, soft reversal of the corners of the lips, as well as the upper and lower lips to restore the original size and volume.
Danger:

A cosmetologist has no right to make a mistake when choosing the volume of the drug, especially when the patient is over 45-50 years old. Aging lips do not forgive excess of the drug and ill-conceived injection technique, and unnaturalness and “puffiness” of the lips cheapen a woman’s appearance and create the impression of a desperate pursuit of youth.

Pros:

“With the correct selection of the drug and high-quality procedure technique, the results of such corrections are simply amazing. This is one of the most rewarding procedures in terms of effectiveness. Lip beauty alone can take 5-7 years off your face, let alone complex facial corrections.

3rd place. Electroporation

This is a physiotherapeutic procedure and a relatively new technique. First, the client undergoes a light lip peel using ultrasound therapy. Then, under the influence of a special device, hyaluronic acid and vitamins are introduced. Electric pulse waves open micropores and thereby allow the cells to be saturated with valuable substances. After the device has finished operating, these channels are immediately closed.

The manipulations are painless and safe: there is no need to make injections, incisions, or undergo anesthesia; the risk of infections is minimized. The result is noticeable immediately, and the effect lasts from 3 months to a year. All this time, the skin remains elastic and beautiful. But to get voluminous and juicy lips, be patient: it will take 4-12 sessions.

Electroporation is most often required for girls after 25 years of age. Starting at this age, collagen production decreases, and lips can no longer boast of firmness and elasticity.

Cost: from 6 to 10 thousand rubles.

Asymmetrical lips

Working with asymmetrical lips . This problem can manifest itself in different ways.

In some cases, the asymmetry is visible in a calm state with the lips closed; it can concern both the upper and lower lips from the side of the contour or the oral fissure.

And sometimes, the problem is of a dynamic nature, that is, it manifests itself during movement and facial expressions of the mouth.

Solution

In each of these cases, correction options are selected only during an examination by a cosmetologist, since only a filler based on hyaluronic acid may be required, and there may also be an addition in the form of botulinum therapy (injections of Botox, Dysport and analogues).
Danger:

A doctor who is inexperienced in working with such lips may not take into account all the nuances and may not use all the necessary techniques; on the contrary, he may use those that will only aggravate the problem and leave no hope for a full correction of the existing problem.

Pros:

If asymmetry can be corrected, the result is often amazing. Fillers are not just a great way to eliminate lip asymmetry. As a result, after the procedure you get very juicy and tender lips and, of course, they will decorate the appearance of any woman.

Drugs

In our clinic, you can increase the volume of your lips with hyaluronic acid fillers, correct problems in the area around the mouth, and also moisturize and emphasize the contour of your lips with the following medications:

• "Belotero Basic" (Germany);
• "Teosyal RHA2, RHA3" (Switzerland);
• “Juvederm Volbella;
• Volift;
• Ultra 3;
• Ultra 4;
• Smail" (France);
• "Ivoir classic s" (Korea);
• "Neauvia Intense Lips" (Italy);
• "Viscoderm 2.0%" (Italy), etc.

Deformed lips

• Working with deformed lips . Lip deformations can occur after injuries, surgeries (including removal of biopolymer-silicone after a previous correction) and congenital.

Solution

The doctor, taking into account many associated factors, must work very delicately.
If necessary, at the very beginning of the correction procedure, use techniques to work with scar tissue, and only then take on filler . Danger:

Deformed lips are a difficult option to work with, since the scar tissue is very dense and difficult to give in, not only to the injection of the drug, but even just to puncture it with a needle. The distribution of the drug is almost always unpredictable, especially if there are cicatricial deformities.

Pros:

When the work is structured correctly and the patient is committed to a long course of procedures and waiting for the result, then it is possible to correct the lips for the better much more noticeably.

What result can I expect after the procedure?

Biorevitalization of the lips restores the elasticity of the lips, their color becomes richer and brighter, the contour is more pronounced. Purse-string wrinkles are smoothed out, lips look smoother and more moisturized. Patients with problematic skin around the lips (manifestations of eczema, dermatitis) will get rid of irritation and peeling. Frequent infections such as herpes will also cease to bother you. The procedure restores damaged skin and is especially recommended after severe temperature changes (trips to the sea or mountains) and after sunburn.

Lips: Malocclusion

• Working with lips in case of malocclusion . This is a separate topic, since ideally an orthodontist also needs to be involved in the process. The ideal option is to first work with the bite (braces, or other treatment options prescribed by the dentist). But, there are situations when you need to solve the problem only with filler.

Solution

Working with lips in case of malocclusion may consist of injecting the drug only into the lips (when the chin is of sufficient or excess volume), or maybe with a certain structure of the facial skeleton and enlarging the chin area with filler (micrognathia).
Danger:

There is always an option when the doctor does not talk to the patient about the need to correct the chin area (or simply does not see this need), or in order to save money on the part of the patient. Then an incomplete correction will be carried out. In both cases, the result “on the lips” will be pleasing, but in general there is a high chance that the face will look inharmonious, because the small chin will become even smaller against the backdrop of the lips that have gained in volume.

Pros:

In most cases, the face can be made more harmonious and prettier. Let's just say, closer to beauty standards, but without losing individuality, and in some cases even without the help of a dentist.

2nd place. Massage and gymnastics

Massage and gymnastics are not such quick ways to enlarge lips as going to a cosmetologist or plastic surgery. But it definitely won’t harm the body!

True, when doing face fitness, don’t expect quick changes. This is comparable to working out in the gym. When you go there, you immediately understand that the result will appear in 2-3 months. Gymnastics will take about the same amount of time. Your lips are unlikely to noticeably gain in volume, but they will definitely look much better! The tissues will become more elastic and blood circulation will increase. Why not prevent sagging skin?

At first, it is better to work out with a face fitness trainer. By focusing on videos on the Internet, you can provoke new facial wrinkles. We don’t need nasolabial folds, do we?

You can enlarge your lips with massage at home or in the salon. Just mix sugar and honey and give yourself a light exfoliation. Spending just a few minutes pinching and stroking your skin will make a lasting difference in the volume of your lips. But it will definitely be useful!

Thin lips

• Working with thin lips . Thin and practically “absent” can be the upper and lower lip, or both at once.

Solution

A gradual correction is needed here; you shouldn’t immediately expect a WOW result.
Even if the face allows the lips to “swell” significantly, from the initial state, it is necessary that the drug is introduced gradually in 2-3 approaches, with an interval of at least a month, and preferably 3-4 months between procedures. In this case, it is easy to control the process and you can get a truly high-quality and natural result. Danger:

Firstly, failure to comply with everything described above in the pursuit of a quick, ideal result can lead to disastrous results.

Secondly, the doctor’s ignorance of the technique of working with thin lips and the incorrect selection of the density of the drug can reduce all efforts and costs to nothing.

Thirdly, with thin lips you need to know when to stop everything, because even a correctly technically administered drug, if in excess of it, will easily give a “duck” effect.

Pros:

After correction of thin lips, the face is incredibly transformed, for the better. It becomes more feminine, open and definitely more attractive.

Seagull Lips

• Working with gull lips . It is always difficult to delicately and naturally enlarge gull lips, and it is not always possible to correct the shape at the first correction. It all depends on the anatomical features of the face.

Solution

if you don’t want to change the shape, but just need to swell what you have, you should give preference to small volumes of the drug.
If you need to even out the shape of your lips, then tune in to two, perhaps three corrections with small volumes of the drug. But even after the first procedure, with the right technique and preparation, you can see a decent result. Danger:

Incorrect technique for performing the correction procedure and the wrong density of the drug will give a weak, unnoticeable effect, and sometimes worsen the situation

Pros:

Once the desired effect is achieved, subsequent corrections will be easier; such multi-step work will not be required.

What not to do after the procedure

In order for lip biorevitalization to have a truly stunning effect, you need to follow all the doctor’s recommendations. After the procedure, you cannot massage the injected area, use cosmetics for two weeks, or apply care products to the lips (you must make sure that facial moisturizer does not come into contact with them). You should not expose your lips to sunlight and temperature changes; it is not recommended to go to the bathhouse or sauna. Physical activity is also limited. The rejuvenation effect will be nullified if after the procedure you return to bad habits, alcohol and smoking. The presence of serious diseases also helps to reduce the effect of the procedure.

Normal lips

• Working with normal lips . What does normal lips mean? Correct or close to correct proportions and shapes, symmetrical, generally harmonious. Correction may be necessary simply because there is a desire to make them plumper, more expressive in contour and shape.

Solution

Correction with a volume of 0.6-1 ml of filler, usually once, to achieve the desired effect.
Danger:

The main thing when correcting lips with a good shape that suits the face is not to spoil this harmony, do not try to stick someone else’s shape on your face, most often such lips look beautiful separately, but in general they look alien on the face. Well, of course, don’t overdo it with volume, always keep in mind that lips are one of the most mobile areas of the face. People pay attention primarily to the lips and eyes. Even the slightest unnaturalness in the movement of the lips will look strange, even caricatured; patients often tell me “I don’t want to walk around with sausages instead of lips” and I understand these fears, because I see this “sausage effect” on the faces of beautiful women literally at every step in everyday life.

Pros:

The beauty of these lips is very pleasing with the results. Most often, people around you notice that your face has become fresher and more attractive, even more rested, but few will understand what has actually changed in it.

Perfect lips

What do we start from when we talk about harmony and ideal lip proportions? (beautician rules)

• We never evaluate lips separately from the face. Never. If this happens, then the result is something that cannot even be called beauty.
• We always evaluate lips not only at rest, but also in motion. We look at the smile.
• The smile can be harmonious (commissural) - in this case, the upper teeth are exposed by 2/3, the lower teeth are hidden and slightly visible. The corners of the lips rise up. On a woman's face, such a smile is considered attractive and is present in more than 60 percent of the population.
• Gummy smile (gingival). When you smile, not only your teeth are exposed, but your upper gums are exposed, sometimes quite significantly. In this case, the injection of filler is not enough; botulinum therapy is also necessary, that is, first we lower the lip to the required level (harmonize the smile), and then only the injection of filler is permissible to increase the volume of the lips.
• Uniform smile . With it, the upper and lower teeth are almost completely exposed, the smile looks tense, as the maximum number of facial muscles works. The main feature of such a smile is strong muscle tension and displacement of the lower lip down and back.
• A deficient smile - with it the teeth are almost not exposed. In this case, you need to be very careful in the pursuit of the lips of your dreams, because at the slightest overkill the picture will be sad and the smile will become even more scarce. Sometimes such a smile turns out to be “harmonious” with excessive correction with filler (often silicone).
• An asymmetrical smile is often associated with the fact that the facial muscles responsible for lip movements are more active, or with neuromuscular disorders. In the first option, lip correction involves correcting asymmetry with Botox, and then introducing the filler itself for volume. In the second case, consult a neurologist.

Magnitude and ratio

We look at the size of the chin and the distance from the upper lip to the nose. Harmonious - 18-20 mm from the base of the nose to the upper lip, 36-40 mm from the lower lip to the bottom of the chin. (See picture)

The ratio of the upper and lower lips is 2:3. In rare cases, the natural dominance of the upper lip gives a special charm that you should not try to correct, but when this dominance is created artificially (with filler), it does not look good and rather looks comical.

Lips should be assessed not only from the front, but also from the profile. There is a special indicator for correct assessment. It's called the Ricketts line. This test can be done very quickly. Take a regular pencil and place it on your face so that its ends touch the tip of your nose and chin. The lips should not touch the pencil, they should be at a certain distance from it - 4 mm and 2 mm for the upper and lower lips, respectively.

If your lips “cut” into the pencil during this test, then there are two options – 1. insufficient chin volume. 2. excess lip volume. Although it happens both at the same time. By and large, by assessing this indicator, I understand whether chin correction is required in each specific case and whether lip augmentation is generally permissible.

Lip augmentation procedure

The cosmetologist injects a gel based on hyaluronic acid into the red border of the lips, creating contour and volume. In order to correct the shape, different techniques are used.

Most often, a needle is used for augmentation; only this allows one to literally re-shape the lips. But sometimes, in cases where changes in the shape and reversal of the lips are not required, an atraumatic cannula can be used, with it there is less risk of bruising and, accordingly, a shorter rehabilitation period.

Preparations for lip augmentation

Today, only preparations based on hyaluronic acid are used for lip correction. Stabilized hyaluronic acid has many characteristics according to which the doctor selects the drug - plasticity, viscosity, fluidity, cohesiveness, degree of purification.

These indicators mean how much the drug can change the shape of the lips, recreate the contour, and lie naturally in the lips. It is important how predictable the behavior of such a filler can be in human tissue, in this case in the lips.

Fillers based on hyaluronic acid provide a temporary filling effect, usually for 6-18 months. Further, they simply dissolve due to the fact that hyaluronic acid is “eaten” by our body’s own enzyme, hyaluronidase.

If necessary, such an enzyme can be injected externally with a needle if it is necessary to remove filler from the lips, for example, if the result of the augmentation is not to your liking. Then the drug will leave the tissues literally in hours, instead of months.

cosmetologist Yuliana Shiyan

Comment from a cosmetologist:

In my practice, there have been enough cases when I had to remove previously injected filler from my lips. Even more so when I really wanted to do this, but it was not possible due to the fact that the lips contained not hyaluronic acid, but a drug of unknown origin.

Such drugs often turn out to be biopolymers (silicone), they do not have antidotes and can only be removed from tissues by surgery.

Most often, lips enlarged with such drugs are the result of an irresponsible attitude to the choice of a specialist. Trying to save money on a procedure usually leads to disastrous consequences.

A cosmetologist is unlikely to administer such a dubious drug to a patient, but yesterday’s accountants and pharmacists, who instantly became lip augmentation gurus, simply don’t care what happens to you tomorrow, it’s useless to hold them responsible for a spoiled face. Be responsible for it first of all yourself.

In addition to the terrible silicones, there is now a colossal amount of black and gray drugs on the cosmetics market that are imported illegally, stored in unclear conditions and also sold illegally to “cosmetologists” who either want to save money or simply cannot purchase good drugs due to the lack of proper education.

These drugs call themselves hyaluronic acid, and it puts your guard down. They may even be under the name of a well-known safe brand, but they are imported through roundabout routes and sold by anyone other than an official distributor. Their difference from safe drugs is that they are not only tested for safety, they are not even tested for composition.

What will be in this syringe with transparent gel will become known after it is injected into the facial tissue. Want to check it out for yourself?

Selection of drugs for lip augmentation

The doctor chooses the drug because only he can understand which drug will give you the desired effect. Then a logical question will follow: how can you understand that a safe drug has been chosen?

• Choose your doctor carefully. Only a person with a higher medical education, a cosmetologist or a plastic surgeon can inject drugs into the facial area.
• Pay attention to where the specialist performs the procedures. No doctor who respects himself and his patient will do this at home or in an office with unsanitary conditions. Ideally, it is a salon or clinic with a license for therapeutic cosmetology.
• Check the name of the drug in advance. It is clear that the choice is up to the doctor, but the name of the drug should be known, at a minimum. If the drug is unknown to you, you can check it for a registration certificate. And if doubts suddenly arise, you can always ask the doctor for documents about his education (diploma from a medical university, dermatovenereologist certificate, cosmetologist certificate 576 hours) and copies of certificates for the drug.
• You can focus on the most famous drugs for lip correction: Juvederm, Teosyal, Belotero, Etermis, Filorga, Regenyal Idea, Stylage. This is of course not all, but many people know them.
• The drug should open before your eyes. The filler is always packaged in individual syringes, closed in sterile transparent boxes. This box always has an expiration date and a sticker with the name of the drug, which is pasted into the informed consent and given to you after the procedure. It would be ideal if the doctor showed you an empty syringe after the procedure.

One syringe for two

cosmetologist Yuliana Shiyan

Comment from a cosmetologist:

A girl came to see me complaining of pronounced lumps under her eyes. Yes, this is not about lips, but the essence does not change. According to her, 5 days ago filler was injected into the nasolacrimal grooves and the drug lay in very noticeable lumps under the skin for all five days and caused severe swelling.

Upon examination, it became clear that the technique was violated during administration, and it was necessary to remove the drug. A completely logical question followed: what kind of drug were you given?

After all, I need to assess the risks of my actions and generally understand whether the antidote will work, because it might not have been hyaluronic acid at all. The patient told me the following.

When registering for the procedure, it was discussed with the cosmetologist that a specific drug would be administered – Juvederm. During the procedure, the cosmetologist opened the package of filler behind the patient’s back and injected the drug. And after the procedure, she proudly announced that she had been given a Korean filler (I don’t remember the name, it was the first and last time I heard it) and that there was no need to worry, because it was even better.

I think further comments are unnecessary. By the way, this time I was lucky, the antidote worked, and the drug was removed from under the eyes. It could have ended much worse.

Technique for lip augmentation procedure

The lip area is very sensitive, because it is an erogenous zone and few people will endure the procedure without pain relief. Therefore, the lips are almost always numbed before correction.

• Infiltration anesthesia - as patients say, “an injection.” Cosmetologists do not really like this type of anesthesia, since the risks of getting an immediate allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema) are much higher than from cream anesthesia, and lip correction is complicated by the fact that swelling on the lips increases even before the filler itself is applied.
• Application anesthesia – “cream”. Under the film, a cream with anesthetic properties is applied to the lips for 15-25 minutes. Sensitivity is reduced significantly, and since the procedure is quite quick - 5-10 minutes, it is comfortable. There are sensations, but they are quite tolerable and disappear at the end of the procedure.
• Cold anesthesia - ice. It may seem medieval, but in fact, for people with intolerance to anesthetics and a high pain threshold (weakly feel pain), this is an excellent way to more comfortably endure an unpleasant procedure. Vibrating wand gadgets can be considered the same distractions in case of intolerance to anesthesia.

Rehabilitation after lip augmentation procedure

Rehabilitation is specific, since lip correction always means swelling and almost always bruising. Swelling usually lasts 3-4 days, bruising up to a week.

You should know that a bruise (hematoma) can be very small and within the red border of the lips, or it can go beyond the lips and spread to the white skin.

It turns out that on average recovery takes 7-10 days, which is why we evaluate the final result only after 2 weeks.

What not to do after lip augmentation

• We exclude baths, saunas, and solariums for 10-14 days. Holidays in hot countries should also be considered as overheating and the procedure should be planned no earlier than 10 days before departure.
• Eliminate alcohol for 3-5 days
• Eliminate physical activity for 3-5 days
• We exclude decorative cosmetics for 12 hours after the procedure
• On the day of the procedure, it is not recommended to consume hot or very cold food and drink, active kissing and oral sex.
• If there are bruises, you can speed up their disappearance by applying heparin ointment or troxerutin.

Contraindications to the procedure:

• Pregnancy and lactation period
• Internal diseases in the acute stage
• ARVI, fever, toothache, suspected infection of the ENT organs (sinusitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis)
• A biopolymer previously introduced into the lip area (you can tell that this is it by the deformation of the lips and the effect that does not disappear for several years)
• Autoimmune diseases
• Fresh herpes on the face and any skin diseases in the acute stage

Afterword

Does lip augmentation always give real increase?
No. First of all, we must strive for harmony in the face, and not for the size of the lips. Lips by themselves do not walk on the street, they are on your face and create either an expensive and sophisticated image, or the appearance of a narrow-minded woman running after fashion or for elusive youth. What impression you will make is up to you to decide. The biggest catch in the case of lips lies in the fact that often a woman cannot determine for herself whether or not she should touch her lips, whether or not it’s time to add volume, it’s worth removing what’s been pinned or leaving it. Be guided by the results of the cosmetologist’s work in his portfolio; fortunately, the Internet and social networks in particular allow you to evaluate his approach, vision of the face and degree of prudence.

Don’t be afraid to remove the drug if you feel and see that it’s too much at the moment. One month and your face will have neat and decorative lips. There is no need to regret the money spent. This is your face! You won't have the chance to make a first impression on the people around you twice.