Restora Austin Lip Augmentation

Cause:
“Overactive” muscles show your teeth and your gums when you smile

Instant Fix:
Tiny amounts of Botox or Xeomin can be used to reduce muscle over-activity, so only your teeth show when you smile. You will still move your mouth normally, but your smile won’t be so gummy.

Longer Fix:
Jaw surgery (no anesthesia)

Cause:

Repeated “pursing” and “sipping” muscle movements, from drinking out of water bottles and smoking. Loss of collagen around the mouth worsens the lines.

Injectable Solution:

• Tiny amounts of Botox or Xeomin can be used to decrease muscle movement and slow the progression of new vertical lip line formation. Your mouth will still move normally and your smile won’t be affected.
• HA lip fillers and lip injections like Restylane, Belotero & Juvederm to fill in the lines.
• The combination of Botox or Xeomin and an HA filler is often more beneficial than either one alone.
• Topical anesthesia is used for lip injections.

Laser Solution:

• Fractional or Ablative Resurfacing is the best option for minimizing these lines, especially if they are deep and abundant. The top layer of the skin is removed to stimulate collagen production and resurface the skin.
• General anesthesia is used for full face resurfacing.

Cause:

Lack of support and loss of collagen in the corners of the mouth

Injectable Solution:

• HA lip fillers and lip injections like Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm and Belotero into the base of the oral commissures (the corners of the mouth) will reverse the frown and give the corners of your mouth a subtle lift
• Tiny amounts of Botox or Xeomin can be also used to turn the corners up
• Topical anesthesia is used for lip injections

Cause:

Loss of collagen. This happens along the lip line or vermilion border and philtral columns, the lines that extend downward from your nose to your lip. Lack of definition makes the mouth blend in with the rest of the face.

Injectable Solution:

• HA lip fillers like Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm and Belotero can restore definition to the lip line. Lip injections are also used to enhance the philtral columns and the Cupid’s Bow.
• Topical anesthesia is used for lip injections.

Surgical Solution:

Fat transfer with topical anesthesia

Cause:

Loss of collagen. Restoring volume gives more support to the surrounding skin, minimizing lip lines, and wrinkles.

Injectable Solution:

Lip injections. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) lip fillers like Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm and Belotero to SHAPE the lip, not simply fill it up with product with topical or dental block anesthesia.

Surgical Solution:

Fat transfer to the lips or placement of Permalip lip implant(s) with topical or dental block anesthesia.

• Protect your lips from the sun, as they don’t have sweat glands, a protective skin layer or melanin. They are vulnerable to dehydration, sunburns, skin cancer, photo-aging and deflation
• Stop smoking
• Minimize constant puckering and pursing of your lips, as this causes collagen breakdown. Drinking through a straw, drinking from a water bottle and smoking all cause you to pucker or purse your lips
• Use our recommended at-home lip treatments

Yes. This is why it is so important to choose a well-trained lip injector who uses an FDA approved lip injections that will dissolve with time. Avoid any lip injections that claim to be “permanent”.

Permanent options are available like Permalip or fat injections to the lip. Again, avoid silicone and other permanent injection alternatives. They may seem like a wise financial investment, but the risks these lip injections pose aren’t worth it. If complications arise, it can cost you more to have your lips surgically corrected, not to mention the emotional turmoil. The only safe permanent option available at this time is Permalip implants. Fat grafting can also provide long lasting results.

You can expect your lip augmentation results to last 6-12 months. The HA lip fillers resorb the fastest in the lips because of the constant movement of our mouths.

Your lips will feel firm and swollen for the first few days after your lip injections, and you will probably want to keep your improved pout under wraps for the first few days. You may also have bruising after your lip injections. You will be given Arnica to decrease bruising and swelling from your lip injections. You should avoid oral Vitamin E, aspirin, and other anti-inflammatories for a few days before your lip injections to minimize your risk of bruising.

Most patients report mild discomfort after their lip injections. The HA lip fillers have lidocaine, a numbing medication, mixed in with them. Dr. Reid and Dr. Gordon use a very effective topical anesthetic to numb the lips before your lip injections. Our goal is to make every procedure, including lip injections, as pain free as possible.

As Dr. Reid and Dr. Gordon always say, “The magic isn’t in the product, it’s in the injector.” A skilled injector chooses the correct product, knows the anatomy, the proper proportions, and where and how much product to place. A common mistake is to overfill the top lip with lip injections, making it larger than the lower lip. Think of the lips of a baby or young child. Their lips are full in some areas and slightly deficient in others. Their philtral columns are well defined, as is the Cupid’s Bow. Each anatomical area of the lip should be addressed separately with lip injections to sculpt and shape the lips. Other poor results occur when lip injections are placed incorrectly in the lips. Many celebrities had silicone injected into their lips because they wanted permanent lip augmentation. Silicone is NOT approved for lip injections. Lip injections with silicone causes hardening and scarring of the lips. Women are drawn to silicone because it’s permanent, but the results can be disastrous. Radiesse is also not a good choice in the lips because it is a thicker product and needs to be injected deep into tissues. Lip injections with Radiesse poses the potential for lumps, bumps, unevenness and granulomas. Often times, nodules can only be partially removed with surgical excision, which can leave a scar and permanently distort the lip.

You must choose an experienced injector to avoid having lip augmentation that looks overdone. Dr. Reid, Dr. Gordon and their highly skilled nurse injectors have advanced training in these treatments and they understand the anatomy and ideal proportions of the upper and lower lip. To achieve a natural look, the lips should be shaped with the chosen product, not just filled with lip injections. Proper shaping with lip injections takes into account your current lip shape and border, the fullness of your upper and lower lips, and the proportion of your lips in relation to your other facial features.

Yes.

No. The implant can be removed in the office under local anesthesia. The entire process takes less than 30 minutes. The implant is removed through small incisions at the corners of the mouth. Because the implant doesn’t cause tissue ingrowth or internal scarring, it is fairly easy to remove.

With Permalip, your lip augmentation is permanent unless you decide you want to remove the implant.

Yes. The implant is available in a variety of sizes and lengths to achieve customized lip augmentation. At your consultation, Dr. Reid or Dr. Gordon will discuss your desires, evaluate your lips, and recommend the best option for lip augmentation in Austin.

Other types of implants promote tissue in-growth and scarring, which can cause restriction of movement and asymmetries.

It is done after a dental block, so you should have only a mild amount of discomfort. You may experience swelling and bruising for up to a week or more.

The procedure is done in our office under local anesthesia. The entire process takes 1 hour. The implant is inserted through small incisions at the corners of the mouth.

Designed by SurgiSil, Permalip implant is a patented, FDA approved lip augmentation device that is made of a soft, solid silicone elastomer. It has a smooth surface that cannot rupture or deflate. It does not cause tissue in-growth, so it can be removed easily at any time.

Rarely, resorption can be unpredictable and can lead to asymmetry. Lip fillers are a bit more precise for lip augmentation.

Fat grafting is considered semi-permanent. Some of the fat cells are resorbed after placement but results typically last for years.

You will experience swelling and bruising for 10 days or more.

Fat grafting or fat transfer involves surgically removing, with micro-liposuction, small amounts of fat from one area of the body and and placing the purified fat it into another area.