Pittwater LIfe December 2019 Issue

Some procedures to help
get your lips in sync
Usual requests we receive
are to add volume or bulk
to the lips; this can be
upper, lower, both or certain
areas of the lip, for example
accentuating ‘cupid’s bow’.
Various materials are used,
with synthetic fillers the
most common. These can be
permanent or temporary. It is
often considered to be good
practice to have temporary filler
first to asses the outcome and
volumes required. (The biggest
problem with permanent filler
is that if there is a problem, it is
then a permanent problem.)
Using the person’s own fat
is also often performed. With
this technique, low-pressure
liposuction is used to harvest
the fat. Lower pressure
preserves the fat cells and is
less damaging. The fat is then
prepared and injected back
into the lips. Some fat is usually
absorbed so it may need to be
repeated. Once stable and the
fat has “taken”, like a skin graft,
it is then a permanent result.
Fine lines that radiate
outward from the lips are
usually filled with filler
injections. These lines
may be problematic with
lipstick which then “bleeds”
away from the lip surface.
Accentuating the vermillion
border, lip to skin junction,
alone can help with lipstick
bleed. Deeper vertical lines
can be individually injected.
Cupid bow and the philtral
columns, vertical lines below
the central nose, can be
enhanced. Upper lips have
with Dr John Kippen
more anatomical features muscle-relaxing injections to
than the lower lips.
reduce the downward pull of
Some fine lines can be treated the muscle – especially DAO
with muscle-relaxing injections. (depressor angular oris).
Very small volumes can also be Nasolabial folds are the
used to accentuate a pout. Small creases of the upper lip that
volumes are needed so as not to extend from the nostrils down
influence speech.
to the corner of the mouth.
“Gummy smiles”, where too Nasolabial folds and marionette
much gum shows with smiling, lines respond well to being
can be improved by relaxing filled.
the muscles that pull the lip Not really part of the lip but
up. These injections are placed in the area and also commonly
near the nostrils.
requested for improvement,
Down-turning of the
is dimpling of the chin. The
commissures, outer corners mentalis muscle causes
of the mouth, may give the puckering or dimpling of the
look of a sad face. Marionette overlying skin. Muscle-relaxing
lines are the lines that descend injections help in this area.
from the corners downwards. Surgical procedure can
The commissures are usually reduce lip volume, reduce
treated with a combination of upper lip height (especially of
fillers to bulk up the area and Continued on page 50
Health & Wellbeing
The Local Voice Since 1991
DECEMBER 2019 49