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Lip augmentation creates fuller, plumper lips and reduces
fine wrinkles around the mouth.Lips may be injected with collagen
or with fat transferred from another site in the patient’s
body.Both liquid collagen and fat are absorbed and repeat
treatments are necessary to maintain results.Newer, longer-lasting
options include implantable materials like AlloDerm and SoftForm.
Technique:
A natural or synthetic biocompatible material, or the patient’s
own fat, is injected or implanted in the lips.One injection
is usually sufficient to produce the desired result, which
may be temporary, depending on the material used.Injections
may need to be repeated periodically.Proper placement of the
injected material is important.AlloDerm, a natural collagen
sheet made from donated skin, is inserted through tiny incisions
inside the corners of the mouth.Once the AlloDerm implant
is in place, it eventually becomes integrated with the natural
tissues.Gore-Tex, SoftForm and soft ePTFE are other synthetic
implant options.
Further options include:
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Autologen—injectable dermal implant
material made from the patient’s own skin. |
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Dermalogen—injectable Human Tissue
Matrix (HTM) procured from donor tissue. |
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Fascia—injectable donor tissue made
from the dense white connective tissue that supports body
structure.Can also be done as a surgical implant. |
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HylaForm—injectable donor tissue
made up of a molecular component of the human body. |
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Restylane—crystal-clear injectable
gel; the hyaluronic acid in Restylane is very close to
that naturally found in the body. |
Another augmentation choice is laser lip rejuvenation, which
tightens the natural collagen and elastic tissue beneath
the
lips.
Benefits:
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Immediate return to normal activities (one-day
return if sedated) for nonsurgical procedures; depending
on the procedure and materials used, recovery period is
within a week for surgical procedures. |
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AlloDerm and Dermalogen do not require
patients to provide donor tissue and are not rejected
by the body, because they are human tissue.Usually they
have a pliable, natural feel. |
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Gore-Tex implants are permanent, easily
inserted and well tolerated by the body. |
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Temporary procedures like collagen or fat
injection can be appealing to patients who want to experiment
with a fuller-lipped look, but not necessarily commit
to it. |
Other Considerations:
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Allergic reactions can range from prolonged
redness, swelling or itching, to firmness at the injection
site.Other possible complications include bleeding, lip
asymmetry, and migration and extrusion of the implant.Normal
swelling and bruising lasts from three days to a week. |
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Patients with a reaction to the pre-treatment
collagen skin test; who have a serious allergy history;
or are allergic to lidocaine (a local anesthetic) should
not consider lip augmentation.Treatment is sometimes postponed
for patients with active inflammatory skin conditions
or with infections. |
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Collagen injections have a short-lived
effect (9-12 weeks); fat injections provide longer-lasting
results, but are sometimes unpredictable as to the degree
of improvement, can have lumping or scarring effects,
and must be harvested from another part of the body. |
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Soft-form is a foreign body and may become
infected or be rejected.While many techniques exist for
lip augmentation, none are ideal. |
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Content provided by The
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
For advertising info, please contact Terry McGovern terry.mcgovern@latimes.com at (213) 473-2599
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