September 2012
Nothing screams “Glamour” more than a perfect pair of lips. The Beauty and Sensuality of lips have been celebrated since antiquity. Full, youthful lips with a defined border are considered the epitome of beauty.
Images of defined, full bodied lips have adorned art and sculpture from Ancient Greece, Egypt and India. Some of the most classic images of modern times have also indulged the lips as their main focus.
The sale of lipsticks, glosses and lip liners have gone through the roof with women wanting to demonstrate full, defined, luscious lips. But for many, this is often not enough since as they get older, substances such as collagen and hyaluronic acid that give lips their ideal youthful look are naturally lost.
This leads to:
1. Loss of definition of lip border
2. Loss of volume and flattening of the lip
3. Development of lipstick lines
4. Droopy mouth corners
However, unfortunate situations such as that of Leslie Ash and the over inflated lips of Jackie Stallone and Melanie Griffith have frightened women to consider non-surgical lip enhancements with dermal fillers; and having just gone to the recent “Dallas” TV show relaunch party in London I’m amazed at the amount of overdone trout pouts I still see walking the red carpet! I am renowned for giving my patients a Natural Look-but it is important to appreciate that this can vary and no one style fits any two people.
Every pair of lips should be looked at individually, it is important to ask the person what she (or even he!) would want and for the lip to sit nicely in the face, balanced against other features such as the nose and chin.
Younger people usually prefer and can get away with a fuller lip. Some women such as models like an exaggerated style but this should still fit their faces. Older women are usually happy with a gentle restoration of their shape with a small amount of volume to add a little sensuality.
By treating the border and the body of the lip I have created four different styles. Not everyone will suit all four and some may require a combination of one or more styles. Treating the lips without looking at the surrounding tissues is like buying an expensive painting and ignoring the frame! Working around the surrounding lip tissue/mouth should be done to improve lipstick lines and droppy mouth corners Equally choosing the right product to inject into the lips is very important and contrary to rumour the procedure shouldn’t hurt! I prefer to use Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers made by Allergan, the makers of BOTOX® and a world leader in Cosmetic Science. Juvederm Ultra Smile is the specific filler of choice for shaping the lips and replacing lost volume. It produces a very natural restoration of the lip border and adds gentle volume and body when required. Designed to last upto 12 months it also has pain killing lidocaine anaesthetic built in and can be injected through a very small needle. If required cold ice or topical or dental anaesthetics can be used to enhance the pain free procedure. Unlike older fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm products are very smooth and even leaving no lumps. Juvederm Ultra Smile also has the property to flex with the lip movements so the results remain natural.
For deeper folds or more volume and lift, Juvederm Ultra 4 can be used which is a thicker product to deliver more stability and structure to the lip and mouth area.
Dr Dan Dhunna is the Country Ambassador for Allergan and a Member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine and the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine.
