LIPS

With age, the upper lip gets thinner and flattens, losing its characteristic shape. It collapses inward, causing a decrease in the "red" part (vermilion) of the visible lip. Vertical wrinkles appear, and the folds are deepened. The lower lip show similar changes, though less dramatic. Maintaining a youthful appearance of the lips is important to improve the appearance of the face. Cosmetic surgery of the mouth, known technically as esthetic cheiloplasty, can increase the volume of these (augmentation cheiloplasty) or less often reduce them (reduction cheiloplasty). There are other auxiliary procedures to treat wrinkles that appear around the mouth, such as peeling, dermo- abrasion, collagen injection or laser skin resurfacing.

If you are considering undergoing cosmetic cheiloplasty get basic information about the surgery, when is indicated, how it is done and what results to expect. However, it is impossible for all of your questions to be answered, as it largely depends on personal factors and the plastic surgeon’s preference. If you do not understand something, ask your plastic surgeon. It is usually performed in the operating room at a clinic or hospital.

Certain techniques can be performed, however during consultation; certain procedures can be performed such as collagen filling or Arte-Coll, provided they are done under strict conditions of asepsis. They are usually performed under local anesthesia with or without sedation, depending on the patient and the preferences of the plastic surgeon.

A cosmetic cheiloplasty usually lasts for half an hour to 1 hour or more when associated with other interventions. Lip augmentation technically called cheiloplasty augmentation is the procedure destined to increase the volume of the lips, mainly the upper lip, which is the most affected by age. These techniques provide a more "fuller" and the sensual lips. There are various techniques to enhance the lips:

Fat injections, collagen implants, or with plasties. With the first two techniques there are no incisions or they’re minimal, as they are made by injection. In the case of plasty, the incisions are usually hidden inside the mouth, so they are not visible.

These techniques can be performed alone or combined, the reduction of the lips or cheiloplasty reduction, reduces the volume of the lips that are too large or full, the procedure involves the surgical removal of a strip of lip through an incision that is hidden inside the lip.
The lips may be small, thin, and fleshy or not full enough, they can present small scars or deformities, caused either by genetics, trauma or resorption of bone structures of the face in mature people. There also can be treated with implant fillers lesions such as skin depressions, folds and wrinkles.

The treatment for enlargement of the lips consists of introducing an implant or a compatible material in certain areas of the lips (one or both). The fuller lips or the ones that have certain thickness or the ones with certain projection can be more sensual.
According to each patient needs, the lip augmentation can be done in 3 ways: lips augmentation in the most posterior area or the inner lip that is in contact with the teeth or gums for the purpose of projecting and protruding; augmentation at the center of lips or the fleshy area for protruding in a global way and gaining volume and / or augmentation of the lips at the mucocutaneous border (the union of the skin with the labial mucosa) in order to define and outline. It can also lessen the deep grooves that are made when smiling between the labial commissure and the nose wings.

Each lip augmentation session may take between 15 - 30 minutes and is advised an immediate local massage and cold therapy to prevent the edema. It is advisable to avoid chewing and exaggerated gestures after lips augmentation. Despite that some swelling may persist for about 3 days and because of a reaction to the material, so the result of lips augmentation procedure is evaluated at approximately 2-3 weeks later. Some bruising may result from the accidental puncture of a blood vessel. None of these situations are as important as to cause poor performance with lips augmentation.

Lip augmentation can be combined with other procedures such as profileplasty (nose, cheeks and chin), in which the overall facial profile is managed with filings in other areas, or the application of type A botulinum toxin for the forehead, periocular and neck wrinkles