There’s no doubt about it: full lips that are well proportioned and not overdone can be very appealing. At Eastern Shore Cosmetic Surgery, achieving fuller lips can be done in a variety or both surgical and nonsurgical procedures.
- Nonsurgical options include the injection of dermal fillers to plump the lips. This is a good option for people who want to see how their lips might look before undergoing a more permanent augmentation.
- Surgical options include fat grafting or placement of lip implants. Of the surgical options, Dr. Koehler generally prefers fat grafting since it uses your own body tissue and won’t be rejected. The only drawback with fat grafting is that the amount of fat that will stay is not predictable. If this is a concern, a soft silicone implant can be placed through a small incision at the corner of the mouth to enhance lip fullness.
Are You a Candidate?
Although much more popular with women, both men and women can make good candidates for lip augmentation if they’re over the age of 18 and notice thin or poorly developed lips. Dr. Koehler can evaluate your particular situation and make appropriate recommendations for surgical or nonsurgical enhancement. It’s also important to be in good overall physical and mental health, and to have realistic expectations about your results.
During your consultation, Dr. Koehler will go over all your options to help ensure that you’re a good candidate for a lip augmentation.
About Lip Augmentation Surgery
Both fat grafting and lip implants are outpatient procedures that Dr. Koehler performs with the patient under sedation or general anesthesia. For fat grafting, liposuction is first performed to harvest fat from areas such as the abdomen or thighs. Only a small amount of fat is needed. The fat is cleaned, processed and transferred into the lips with a tiny injection instrument.
For lip implants, a small incision is made at each corner of the lip. The implant is carefully placed and the incisions are closed with dissolvable sutures. Swelling after fat transfer or lip implants can take several weeks to return to normal. Most people look good after just 1 week, but the lips will still be swollen at this point. Once swelling subsides, the lip fullness that remains will provide a long-lasting result.
Lip Augmentation Costs
Our prices for lip augmentation with fat transfer or permanent lip implants range from $600 to $2,000. Your total cost may vary depending on your specific goals and whether additional procedures are performed at the same time. Dr. Koehler and his staff are happy to answer any questions you may have about cosmetic surgery pricing and help you fully understand the costs associated with your lip augmentation.
What to Expect
Your first step in enhancing the appearance of your lips is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Koehler. During your visit, he will perform a physical exam and talk with you about how you want your lips to look. This is a good time to ask any questions you may have about the surgery or recovery.
Dr. Koehler typically performs lip augmentation while you are asleep under anesthesia. Patients may experience mild to moderate bruising and swelling during the first week. Occasionally, patients will have some temporary numbness of the lips. Also, the lips may not appear to move normally for a period of time. Once healed, all nerve and muscle function should return to normal. Lip augmentation is almost always performed as an outpatient procedure and you will be able to return home the day of your procedure.
We schedule our patients for an office follow up visit 7 to 10 days after surgery. Patients can resume normal activity in a week and any discomfort is typically controlled well with oral medication.
The risks associated with lip augmentation surgery include those that are possible with any major surgery, such as bleeding or infection. Temporary numbness of the lips may take 6 weeks to 6 months to return to normal. If you are having a fat grafting procedure, note that the amount of fat that will remain can be unpredictable. Typically about 40% of the fat transferred will survive. Patients may choose to do the surgery several times until they get the desired fullness. Dr. Koehler will go over all the risks and benefits with you before your surgery so you’re fully informed about what to expect.
Your New Look
Since the final appearance of your lips will be disguised by post-op swelling, it will take a few weeks to appreciate the surgical result. You can expect to feel sore for a few days however most patients are off all pain medication within the first week. Lip augmentation is relatively simple procedure that can provide long lasting volume correction to lips.