Lip Augmentation

Lip enhancements are surgical procedures that enhance the lips through lip augmentation, implants, a lip lift, or fillers and injections – making lips fuller and with a better contour. These surgical procedures can improve the appearance of the face by making you appear more youthful and improve proportions and your profile. Lip augmentation may be combined with other enhancements such as Botox.

These procedures are performed in Kaiser Permanente’s operating suite, most commonly with local anesthesia, but may include intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. There are many methods of lip augmentation.

For a lip lift procedure, the incisions are placed beneath the nostril sills and base of the columella, or the area between the nostrils at the base of the nose. For a corner of the mouth lift procedure, the incisions are placed at the junction of the pink portion of the lip and flesh-colored skin in the upper lip just above the corners of the mouth. The most common method for lip augmentation is two small incisions near the corners of the mouth outside the crease or fold. Resulting scars are almost inconspicuous and by avoiding the precise corner of the mouth, the risk of narrowing of the mouth is minimized.

Lip augmentation can be performed using a variety of materials. Options include fat transfers or injections of fillers. A fat transfer can involve fat from your own body taken via liposuction and injected into your lips. Fillers can come from natural or synthetic materials.

Lip implants are inserted through small incisions inside the corners of the mouth.

Your Kaiser Permanente plastic surgeon will work closely with you. Be prepared to discuss your expectations and desired outcome. Make sure to address all your questions and concerns.

Aspirin, Motrin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and some over-the-counter herbal medications must be discontinued at least two weeks prior to surgery. These and other drugs and substances may cause excess bleeding and bruising. You can usually begin taking them again after a week or so.

If you are a smoker, it is important to quit at least four weeks prior to surgery and refrain from smoking until four weeks after surgery to ensure your wounds heal properly. Your plastic surgeon will discuss this in detail with you and you will also be given a list of common medicines to avoid for a short period. Your plastic surgeon will detail the risks associated with surgery. Plan to have a family member or friend drive you to and from your surgery appointment and stay with you for at least one night following surgery.

The immediate recovery will depend upon what type of anesthesia your Kaiser Permanente plastic surgeon will employ for the surgery. Various anesthetic agents affect patients differently and will dictate the patient’s recovery. Some discomfort and pain is normal and is usually well controlled with pain medication prescribed by your doctor.

Following your surgery, you will experience moderate discomfort, bruising and swelling for a day or two. Healing time is variable. Cold compresses can be applied to reduce swelling and pain. You may be restricted to a liquid diet for a few days. You will be given specific instructions on how to care for your lips. It is important that you follow your surgeon’s recommendations. but most patients experience swelling and bruising that can last for several weeks.

Every surgical procedure involves a certain amount of risk and it is important that you understand these risks and the possible complications associated with them. In addition, every procedure has limitations. An individual’s choice to undergo a surgical procedure is based on the comparison of the risk to potential benefit. Although the majority of patients do not experience complications, you should discuss them with your plastic surgeon at The Aesthetic Center by Kaiser Permanente to make sure you understand all possible consequences of lip augmentation surgery.