Patients often come to the plastic surgeon’s office asking for lip enhancement. In the past, collagen was used for lip augmentation. Collagen, however, does not last more than 6 weeks in the lips.
I have been using hyaluronic acid (Restylane) in the lips with great results. This is a procedure that takes about 10 minutes and the results are immediate. Numbing cream is applied 15 minutes before the injection. The borders are lightly injected to provide a highlight to the lip and then the body of the lip is injected. This provides a smooth and natural-looking appearance. The results last about 3 to 4 months and can be repeated if the patient wishes.