Full and beautiful lips in harmony with the harmony of the face have become the most important aesthetic symbol, especially in the visuals of women. Indeed, when we look at the face, the eyes in the upper half of the face and the lips in the lower half constitute our focal point.
Symmetrical, full and contoured lips are an expression of youth, health and sexual attractiveness.
As in our entire body, our lip structure is shaped by our genetic heritage. Sometimes the lips can be structurally thin. Accidents and injuries, recurrent herpes and previous surgeries can change the aesthetics of the lips. With aging, lips lose their attractiveness like other areas on the face. Over the years, our lips lose volume and become thinner and flatter. In addition, changes in the jaw bones that support the lip from behind and loss of height in the teeth contribute to the drooping of the lips. The hyperactivity of the muscles around the mouth, which is caused by smoking and excessive use of facial expressions, causes vertical lines on the lips to appear, the corners of the lips to turn down, and the formation of laugh lines at the corner of the mouth with aging.
All of these negativities are due to the decrease in the support tissues of the lips over time. Lip aesthetic interventions aim to complete support tissues, provide symmetry and eliminate aesthetic defects. For this purpose on the lips;
Filling applications
Special threads and implants used in the lip
Adipose tissue applications
Plastic surgery procedures of the lip
These can be used alone or in combination with each other.
Terms to know in lip aesthetics
It is always difficult to evaluate the ideal facial aesthetics in a numerical framework by giving ideal measurements. The harmony of all the anatomical areas that make up the face with each other within the whole is very important. For this reason, it is more accurate to determine personal aesthetic measurements and make appropriate aesthetic applications. In order to understand lip plumping more easily, a few aesthetic terms and meanings for the lip should be well known.
Cupid bow; V-shaped area on the upper lip
Philtral column; The part extending from the two ends of the V of the Cupid bow to the nose on the upper lip
vermilion; The border where the redness of the lip meets the skin on the upper and lower lips.
Upper and lower lip ratios; Normally, the upper lip is half the volume of the lower lip.
Description of the anatomical areas of the lips
1 nasolabial fold, 2 slight bulges on both sides of the philtrum, 3 philtrums, 4 V-shaped image in the middle of the upper lip – Cupid’s bow, 5 Area with slightly lighter color on the upper lip, 6 Upper lip vermillion, 7Lower lip vermillion, 8 Lower lip and chin fold , 9 Lip corners
1 nasolabial fold, 2 nasal tip, 3 subnasale, 4 uppermost and anterior point of the upper lip 5 stomions; the junction of the upper and lower lips when the mouth is closed, 6 The lowest and anterior part of the lower lip, 7 corners of the mouth, 8 labiomental folds, The fold between the lower lip and the chin, 9 pogonion, the most prominent part of the soft tissue in the chin 10 menton; lower edge of the chin, 11 Ricketts E lines; the line drawn between the pogonion and the tip of the nose
When defining aesthetically perfect lips, it is stated that the upper and lower lips together with the corners of the mouth draw a harmonic shape in the form of M, M and W.
The highest points of M in the upper lip continue with B and B1 Philtral column. The midpoint of M is A and BAB1 is actually making a cupid bow. B and B 1 should be 3-5 mm above point A. From B and B1, the vermilion edge of the upper lip is slightly inclined towards the corner of the mouth and almost flattens slightly at the level of the corner of the mouth. B-B1 is 12 mm. The heaviest area in the middle of the upper lip starts from A and continues to point E, where it is 7-8 mm in average in the midline. Lower lip EF distance is 1012 mm. In the lower lip, D and D1 also contain a more dense volume and the distance between D and D1 is 20 mm. These values are not ideal values, racial factors change them, the general structure of the face.
Evaluation of the patient before lip applications
Before lip applications, the patient undergoes a general evaluation. First of all, the patient should be reminded that the desired result in applications is not perfection, but the elimination of defects and disproportions. The patient’s expectations of looking and feeling better after the procedure should be openly discussed. One of the most important factors to be determined before any aesthetic application attempt is emotional stability.
Other variables that will affect the decisions about the method to be applied by examining the lips should be discussed with the patient. The degree of application to be made is decided according to the patient’s age, social identity, tooth and bone structure, aesthetic harmony of the lip and face, how much the changes to be made in the lip will affect the aesthetic norms of the face, and the personal characteristics of the lips and skin.
During the patient examination, digital photographs of the patient are taken from the front and side while they are smiling normally, socially (defined as a grin) and fully smiling. Measurements are made on these photographs.
The symmetry of the lips while normal, grinning and smiling, their harmony with the face, and the visibility of the teeth are evaluated.
Measurements are made by taking side photographs of the face and evaluating the harmony of the lips between the nose and chin.
As above, the preliminary aesthetic values of the lip are measured over the digital photograph.
Structural features in a young and aesthetic lip
In young and aesthetic lips, the upper lip is 1-2 mm ahead of the lower lip in the lateral position.
Vermilion is thicker and more prominent in young and aesthetic lips.
In young and aesthetic lips, the philtral column is fuller and more prominent.
In young and aesthetic lips, the corner of the mouth opens slightly upwards, while the corner of the mouth opens downwards with aging.
