Q:
When it comes to lips, what is the biggest concerns for your clients?
A:
It depends on the patient.
- Some of my more mature women are bothered by loss of lip volume, lipstick bleeding, and vertical lip lines. They want to address these issues but are worried that they will end up with an overdone, unnatural result that will be worse than the original problem.
- My younger patients who have thinner lips are more often looking for fuller, more voluptuous lips, but also are concerned about going overboard.
- I have a smaller segment of patients who want dramatic, much fuller, voluptuous lips, and don’t mind if they look “done” or “overdone” In some cases, these are women who are looking to make a fashion statement.
Q:
What is your take on lip injections? Do they typically offer the desired results or do you recommend an alternative procedure?
A:
Lip injections are great! However, there is a significant learning curve for injectors, and if not done carefully, the results may be suboptimal. When done thoughtfully, by a skilled injector (there are many out there), the injections provide the desired results. We sometimes use PDO threads instead of fillers, especially for situations in which we simply want to redefine the vermillion border.
Video on Lip Restoration
Dr. Pierone demonstrates the techniques of placing Juvederm Ultra Plus and PDO Threads to replace lip volume loss.
Q:
Who should consider lip fillers?
A:
Women with signs of perioral aging, vertical lip lines, disappearing lips, lipstick bleeding. Also women with genetically smaller lips who would like to have fuller lips.
Q:
Is there a particular procedure that you recommend instead of fillers?
A:
PDO threads are useful for women with good lip volume who are looking for a subtle enhancement.
Q:
What is the downtime for these procedures vs. the downtime for fillers?
A:
There is usually less than a day of downtime for lip fillers and PDO threads. The exception would be if bruising occurs. We see much less bruising because we use microcannulas for both facial fillers and PDO threads.
Q:
What is the most popular procedure that you offer with a focus on the mouth/lips?
A:
The most popular procedure would be facial fillers for the lips and regions of volume loss around the lips. We typically would use either the Restylane or Juvederm line or fillers. We use Rejuvn8 PDO threads.
Q:
Do you recommend any over-the-counter products for maintenance and/or prevention?
A:
I am not aware of an over the counter product specifically for lips. There are multiple medical grade skin care products with growth factors that have been shown to reverse signs of skin aging and wrinkles. Biopelle and Regenica lines are my favorite.
I hope that this information helps and best of luck to you!
Regards,
Dr. Pierone