The lips are basically a special tissue that forms the junction of the skin tissue covering the face and the mucous tissue covering the inner part of the mouth area and can contain the characteristics of the skin and mucosa in certain aspects. Lips, which are one of the areas of the body with the most blood supply and intense nerve cell stimulation, are one of the anatomical areas that are important in both facial and smile aesthetics. Lips also play an important role in the aesthetic perception of the face and smile, due to its relationship with the anatomical structures of the mouth and its proximity to prominent areas of the facial features such as the nose and chin.
Procedures that are frequently requested by people to gain an aesthetic appearance to the lips can be listed as increasing the lip volume, changing the lip localization, reducing or increasing the distance between the nose and the lip, removing the upper lip wrinkles, clarifying the lip contours, and editing the lip folds.
Which Applications Are Performed in Lip Aesthetics?
As in other aesthetic applications, the anatomical features and aesthetic expectations of the person determine which application will be applied in lip aesthetics. Achieving an aesthetically pleasing result on the lips is directly proportional to a good evaluation of the anatomical condition of the lips and a good understanding of the patient’s post-treatment expectation. In this sense, the methods used in lip aesthetics can be summarized as follows.
Thickening of the lips: One of the most frequently used methods in lip aesthetics is to increase the lip volume to obtain fuller and thicker lips. In order to achieve this result, different methods can be applied, temporary or permanent techniques can be preferred according to the patient’s demand. Lip fillings using hyaluronic acid-containing fillings, which are valid for a period of 6-9 months, can be applied, as well as implants placed under the lip tissue for more permanent aesthetic applications. In addition, fat injection into the lip tissue can be applied to give a full lip appearance.
Thinning the lips: Since a thick lip structure can occur in individuals with certain genetic characteristics, it may be necessary to thin the lips in order to obtain satisfactory cosmetic results. In this direction, the lip tissue can be thinned by rearranging it with surgery.
Lifting the upper lip: It can be aimed to reduce the distance between the upper lip and the nose and to achieve a younger appearance in patients due to situations such as the increase in the height of the face, the drooping appearance of the mouth area in relation to the skin sagging that develops with age. In this direction, minimal interventions can be made with botox applications, as well as surgically lifting the lips (lip lift).
Elimination of lip lines: In cases where the lip skin is wrinkled and thinned as a result of actions that expose the lip to shrinkage, such as smoking, a more aesthetic appearance can be achieved by applying fillers inside the lip.
Arrangement of lip folds and clarification of their borders: It is possible to achieve a more aesthetic appearance of the lips or to be perceived as more aesthetic in terms of cosmetics, by arranging the lip contours and folds. In this sense, it can be aimed to have a more prominent and aesthetic appearance of the lips with botox and filler applications in or around the lip.
Apart from these methods, since lip aesthetics is basically closely related to smile aesthetics, they are usually considered together or provided by the coordinated work of their specialties. In gingival aesthetics, also known as pink aesthetics, which has a special importance in smile design, it is also important to adjust lip aesthetics well in cases where the gums appear more than necessary as a result of covering the tooth surfaces during smiling, which is called gummy smile. In this regard, it may be necessary to design the gums together with the botox method applied to the lip area. Again, within the scope of lip aesthetics, lip design can be performed by a plastic surgeon by transferring fat or tissue to the lip area when necessary.
What Should Be Considered in Lip Aesthetics?
Since certain applications made in the sense of lip aesthetics involve surgical procedures, they also bring risks related to the surgical application. Especially after plastic surgery applications, complications such as local infection development in the operation area, impaired wound healing, scar development, bleeding, numbness or loss of sensation due to damage to the nerve tissue can be seen. Due to the procedures performed under general anesthesia, anesthetic-related side effects may also be seen in patients.
It is important for the success of the methods applied in lip aesthetics.