Lip augmentation is a procedure performed to add volume to the needed area. This application pattern varies from person to person. Factors such as the person’s lip structure, age, deformation in the lip, and smoking should be considered. If the application is made on the basis of appropriate criteria, more beautiful images will emerge. The thickness of the lower lip and upper lip looks aesthetic to a certain extent. This should be 1 to 1/62. That is, the upper lip should be thinner than the lower lip. When the upper lip and lower lip are the same thickness, the image becomes unnatural. Of course, the amount of use of the filler in the lip area also varies according to the lip shape.
The most classical method used to add volume to the tissue is fat injection. However, due to the melting of a large proportion of the transferred fats after fat injection, different fillers, which are desired to be more permanent, have been investigated. Filling is the process of removing and enlarging the spaces in the tissue by injecting the tissue and substances compatible with the human organism into the tissue.
It is known that various fillers have been used in the past years. Among these, paraffin was used first, but when the application and afterward were very unsuccessful, various fillers were sought. Animal collagens have been tried, but they did not give satisfactory results due to the allergic substances in these collagens. Later, Hyaluronic acids of animal origin started to be used. Finally, Hyaluronic acids, which are compatible with human-made substances, were produced and used without any problems. The gene of the bacterium has been changed and the same Hyaluronic acid in our organism has been produced.
Hyaluronic acids, which are used worldwide and are not of animal origin, are the most widely used and natural fillers. Their only drawback is their early melting. There are many manufacturers. The places and times of use vary according to the number and density of the crosslink it contains. When we look at the statistics around the world, lip augmentation is the most common procedure among filler applications.
In the period from 2000 to 2015, lip augmentation has increased by 48%. The reason for this increase; These aesthetic applications are no longer taboo, they are seen as daily care, the use of non-animal Hyaluronic acid fillers reduces complications and side effects, and people’s trust in filling increases, filling costs are more affordable and accessible to everyone.
Apart from hyaluronic acid, there are unnatural substances that can be used on the lips and have a longer lifespan. However, these are not preferred. Aquafiiling, which is one of them, can also be used in lip filling application and its permanence varies between 5-8 years. Since it is not as natural as hyaluronic acid, it can cause problems such as stiffness and knotting on the lips.
As with all tissues, with age, atrophy develops in the lip, resulting in thinning and indistinct lip lines. Especially in elderly patients, by applying filling to the edge contours, making the lip appear younger, and this filling application can also be good for the wrinkles on the lip.
In young patients, with the application of lip augmentation, the philtrum (midline extending from the nose to the lip) lines are also filled and that part is clarified. Performing this application together with lip augmentation makes the lip more aesthetic.
Fillers can be used in 1 ml as well as in higher amounts in some patients. High amount of filling applications are not done in a single session, but are done gradually in 2 or 3 sessions with short intervals. There may be an edema that lasts for 2-3 days after the filling. After 3 days, the edema disappears. In order to prevent edema, it is recommended that patients keep ice on the area and do not consume hot. Filling application is not recommended for pregnant and lactating mothers.