Lip Augmentation

Fuller, Contoured, Natural-Looking Lips–Not “Over-Inflated”

Over the past several years, lip augmentation has gotten some bad press—much of it, however, may be deserved. The overinflated, “sausage”-type lip is the result of over-zealous injecting or other ill-advised treatments. At New Look New Life, Dr. Karlinsky takes special care to perform augmentation in the context of patients’ faces to produce ample, contoured lips that look naturally beautiful.

Some procedures can involve a variety of implants, while others offer injectable solutions. Our preference is to use facial fillers, such as Restylane, to enhance the patient’s lips. This method requires no time away from work, can be performed in the office and requires no incisions. Although it is not a permanent treatment, it lasts anywhere from five to eight months, and the results are immediate and natural and with minimal risks for complications. Most patients choose to have numbing medicine (which wears off in about one to two hours) for both upper and lower lips for greater comfort.

Dr. Karlinsky also offers a permanent lip augmentation treatment, via micro-droplet silicone. While it is an outstanding new treatment for lips, it is important to know that this product has been approved by FDA only for use in cases of detached retina; the use of silicone in the lips is considered “off label.” While Dr. Karlinsky observes FDA labeling in general, this is an instance in which she strongly believes that silicon injections, like facial fillers, carry very low risk for complications.

The biggest difference is that it is a permanent treatment, and the results are not immediate. On average, it takes four to six treatments before the lips reach the right level of fullness, and the treatments must be performed no fewer than four weeks apart. The silicone is injected in minute amounts, and the body reacts to the foreign material by encasing the silicone spheres in scar tissue and collagen, which makes lips fuller. The result is permanently fuller, soft and natural looking lips.

Click here if you would like more information on lip augmentation, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Karlinsky.