With the increasing popularity of lip augmentation (lip filler or lip injections), I have seen an increase in patients who come in to my New York City private practice for corrective procedures after they have been treated by other doctors.
The lips are a focal point of the face, and precise measurements and careful attention to anatomic detail are needed to create beautiful results. Often, a patient who has less-than-ideal results is experiencing one of the following issues:
- lumps
- bumpiness of lip contour
- asymmetry
- imbalance of upper and lower lips
- poorly defined Cupid's bow
- overly augmented look ("duck lips" or "trout pout")
- poor harmony with other facial features
When correcting lip filler done by another practitioner, there are several possible approaches:
- Do nothing and allow the filler to dissolve on its own. Most hyaluronic acid based fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, and Belotero have a lifespan of somewhere between 4 and 12 months. They are naturally degraded by the body, even if nothing is done to them, over the course of time and normal movement.
- Dissolve the filler with hyaluronidase enzyme such as Vitrase or Hylenix. These enzymes, when injected, will cause hyaluronic acid based fillers to completely dissolve within about 5 minutes, with repeated massage. This returns the lips to their baseline prior to injection.
- Perform corrective lip filler. Additional filler can be added to smooth out evenness, irregularity, and asymmetry to mask the prior undesirable appearance. This is a good option if someone wants a look to be slightly fuller.
If you have questions or concerns about lip augmentation, please feel free to email my office at office@LaraDevganMD.com for more information.
