Lip enhancement

Full lips are a symbol of attractiveness and femininity for many people. Thin, small lips can be deformed quickly. Lip enhancement is not done only by women, but also men. Lip augmentation understands even "ironing" of small mime wrinkles, leading vertically to the lips. After forty years of age, if the patient is satisfied with the basic shape of his/her face, he/she can only correct wrinkles in the lip area, which are making the face look older than it really is. In the meantime, different procedures have appeared in this segment, which give you the wanted results in a quick and safe manner by the expert hand.

Prof. Mislav Gjuric, M.D., Ph.D.

German and Croatian board certified otorhinolaryngologist specialising in cosmetic surgery with emphasis on facial, head & neck plastic and reconstructive surgery; founder, director and head of practice at Sinteza Clinic in Zagreb
Professor of Otorhinolaryngology at the FA-University of Erlangen, Germany; former Professor and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the J.W. Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Zagreb, Croatia; active member of numerous medical associations around the world

How is lip enhancement done?

Depending on the age and individual characteristics, there are different possibilities of correction, considered according to the skin structure.

There are following correction procedures:

injection of different materials (lip volume will be changed and/or wrinkles will be ironed),
abrasion (deeper wrinkles will be straightened),
surgical augmentation, as e.g. skin implants.

There are new injecting products constantly appearing on the market, for reduction and removal of wrinkles and augmentation of lips, about which the doctor informs the patient during consultation about the surgery.

Which are the treatments of injections under the skin?

1. Hyaluronic acid

The upper lip elongates during the years, lip redness becomes thinner and you get small vertical wrinkles. The lips can be easily corrected on an outpatient basis, through a small intervention under local anesthesia. During the intervention under local anesthesia, the surgeon removes the skin implant to fill the lips with.

Treatment duration: 10 minutes

Abrasion (dermabrasion) and dermplanning are often combined with facelift of mini lifting.

2. New Fill gel

New Fill gel, made of polylactic acid, is used especially for treatment of deeper wrinkles. It is made of body's own materials and has a lifetime of a year. To achieve long-term results, the procedure must be repeated after two weeks.

Treatment duration: 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Your own fat cells

If you want to make your lips voluminous, we recommend usage of your own fat cells. We will take the tissue, under local anesthesia, using a special needle, e.g. from the belly, process it and inject it into your lips. Preserved fat cells can be used two years.

Treatment duration: removal of fat about 30 minutes, injection 10 minutes.

4. Aquamid gel

is a gel injected directly under the skin, in a place where it can immediately develop its filling task. Fuller lips, marked cheekbones, straightening of fine wrinkles at the edges of the lips, it is all done using this material, which is very similar to the natural tissue. In order to get the wanted contours, the treated area can be manually formed immediately after injection. The gel stays at the place of injection.

Treatment duration: 10 minutes.

5. Collagen

is the most popular product used for wrinkle correction and other skin deformations. Collagen is derived from structural protein, and it is therefore recommended to perform an allergy test before collagen injections. Body decomposes collagen with time, therefore further treatments are necessary.

Treatment duration: 10 to 15 minutes.

Which are the abrasion treatments?

Dermabrasion, Rhytec treatment, laser treatment

Using special sandpaper or other devices, the upper layer of skin is peeled away, leaving epidermis, sweat glands and oil glands, pigment cells and capillary undamaged. A scab is formed, and when it falls off, in 4 to 8 days, a new layer of skin grows underneath it. The success of this method depends on natural features of the skin itself. The firmer the skin, the better the results.

The skin must not be exposed to sun ray for 6 weeks.

Treatment duration: 30 minutes

What is a surgical augmentation?

Treatment duration: 45 minutes

Abrasion (dermabrasion) and skin planning are often combined with facelift and mini lifting.

Augmentation can be done using soft silicone implant.

What happens after a lip enhancement?

All of the above mentioned injections are done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia or using anesthetic cream, so that you can leave immediately after the surgery. You must count with swelling for a day or two, but it will soon disappear. Redness or bruising for a day or two is also not rare. In order to quickly reduce swelling we use different cooling compresses after the treatment. Right after the treatment your lips may appear asymmetric, but after 3 days you can „ go out and mingle“. The main disadvantage of injections is that the lasting of its cosmetic effect depends on the material used. Cosmetic effect remains from 3 to 12 months, on the average. But, the treatments can be repeated at your wish.

After „surgical augmentation“, a miniature scar remains on the lip redness, which can be covered by lipstick. After lip correction, your lips may be swollen for a few days, but these temporary discomforts are quickly forgotten, leaving you with satisfying results. Information on each single detail of the procedure you decide for, will be given to you by your doctor during extensive, elaborate and advisory consultation.

What are the results of a lip augmentation?

Although lip augmentation results are visible right after the treatment, their main disadvantage is their short lifetime. In spite of that, you can expect full lips and a bright smile! Thin and empty lips will look fuller and will give you a more natural appearance.