Lip Plumping: Naturally Refreshed or Dramatic Pouty
I find that a significant part of doing cosmetic plastic surgery is sculpture. Whether I am removing (liposuction), adding (breast enlargement) or rearranging (facelift), the quality of the result and achieving a natural appearance is the direct result of aesthetic sculpture. Lip enlargement or lip plumping using injectable material is no different. Let’s first start out with a mental image of what normal lips look like. Lips have a subtle curve, and this complex curve is created by the mirror image of the upper lip meeting the lower lip. It’s classically known as the Cupid’s Bow, where the shape is most apparent along the upper lip where the red lip meets the flesh-colored skin, known as the vermillion border. Over-inflation may disrupt this subtle curve when the exaggerated result is sometimes called the Trout Pout.
I have noticed that the desired look today has 2 distinct versions of lip plumping. There is a natural and a more dramatic look. The procedure is similar, by injecting and sculpting lips to achieve a natural look to restore aged lip wrinkles and fullness creating a more youthful appearance, or to create a more dramatic look for ultra-full and pouty stylized lips. We have patients considering both options and I recommend that looking at before and after photos is often very useful to help communicate your desired result.
