Lip Augmentation Overseas

What Is Lip Augmentation?

Lip Augmentation is a cosmetic procedure, performed to enlarge or reshape lips, not affected by trauma or congenital deformity. Our lips play a very important aesthetic role as they are the focal point of the lower face. This treatment is sought by people who either have considerable gum show or the shape of their lips/mouth is uneven or their lips disappear when they smile. Ageing people also seek this procedure to balance out their thinning lips with surrounding facial features.

Furthermore, the treatment helps in smoothening fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth. This treatment results in fuller, plumper lips, in terms of volume and structure, and improves the dimensional relation of the nose and teeth with the lips. Lip enhancement can be done through various techniques, based on the ease of use, availability and acceptance. Injectable fillers, implants, surgical advancement, roll and lifts are the various techniques used. Upper lips are more commonly reshaped than lower lips, across the globe. In 2011, about 1.3 million women underwent the lip augmentation procedure.

What is the time requirement?

PROCEDURE	DURATION
Treatment	30-120 minutes
Average length of stay abroad	2-5
Total no. of trips required	1

How Inexpensive Is Lip Augmentation Overseas?

Lip augmentation procedure is offered in many medical tourism countries like Brazil, Thailand, South Korea, Poland and Costa Rica. Type of procedure performed, nature and quantity of the filling, dentist’s experience and geographic location are some of the factors that influence cost of treatment.

The following chart shows the cost comparison of different countries for lip enhancement:

What is the procedure?

The visible portion of our lips is called vermillion. This is the area that is operated upon, in most lip augmentation procedures. These techniques use a local numbing agent or nerve block injections to ease discomfort. Preoperative digital imaging and photo modification before the surgery, helps in providing very controlled and predictable results. Lip enhancement is a very quick procedure and takes very less downtime.

Fillers – These are biocompatible materials, called injectable dermal fillers. The gel in these fillers, supports and shapes the tissues of the lips. It is injected with the use of gauge needles that are very fine, making the procedure virtually painless. Hyaluronic acid and autologen are two kinds of fillers, most commonly used, that are taken from the patient’s own body. Collagen, a material extracted from cattle hives can also be used after test allergy.

Fat Transfer – This procedure is performed by taking autologous fat from other regions of the body via liposuction or excision and injecting it into the wet vermillion membrane. The surgery requires incisions at the corner of the mouth which can later be sealed by fine absorbable sutures.

Implants – Implants are vermillion augmenters that use natural or synthetic materials to provide plumpness to the lips. Tiny incisions are made inside the corners of the mouth, wherein the harvested and shaped material is threaded through a tunnel. Massaging the graft helps in better placement by smoothing the material. Alloderms or donor tissues from cadavers are one such material implanted, after carefully purifying the graft.

Advancements – After a preoperative evaluation of lip anatomy, upper or lower lips can be advanced forward through permanent incisions, placed in the mouth. Fat grafts from deeper layers of the skin are harvested and positioned under the mucosa. This is done with utmost care, to avoid injuring the arch of the lips. Vermillion advancement is another form of lip augmentation, where incisions are made along the borders of the vermillion. A strip of skin is removed from outside the border and the colored vermillion is pulled into the area, to enlarge it.

Lip lift– This procedure requires preoperative markings to suit the needs of the patient. It is best performed for loose skin or a downward sloping mouth. Incisions are made under nose to shorten the skin and pull the vermillion into place. Sutures are placed to seal the wound and removed after 4-5 days.

Incisions made during the various procedures heal inconspicuously and quickly.

Important Things To Know About The Treatment

• The procedure may cause bleeding at the injection site, swelling or bruising of the lip, itching and redness around the lips and scarring, lasting up to 1 week or 10 days.
• Patients should be thoroughly familiar with the difference in various procedures as some procedures require surgery and liposuction while others do not.
• Firm pressure should not be applied on the operated area after the treatment and other lip products or lipsticks should be also be avoided after the procedure.
• The patient should stop consuming any blood thinning medicines and herbal or inflammatory drugs, 1 week prior to the treatment and inform the doctor about any history of infection, allergy and medication.
• Patients will be allowed to return to normal routine work within the week following surgery, however, they should be on a diet of soft foods.
• Ice packs should extensively use to control swelling, during the first 24 hrs of the treatment. Patient should avoid direct sunrays.
• Patients should restrict laughing, talking or smiling for 5-7 days, post-surgery.
• A saline or antibacterial solutions should be used to rinse the mouth 4-6 time, per day, following the procedure.
• A persistent numbness around the treatment site is a common side effect of lip enhancement. This effect usually subsides within 3-4 weeks.

FAQs

Why are hyaluronic fillers most commonly used?

Apart from the widespread availability, hyaluronic acids can easily dissolve any lumps created by movement of lips, thus maintaining a stable structure. Also, the amount of substance to be injected can easily be controlled and they are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.

How long does the effect of lip augmentation surgery last?

This depends on the procedure undertaken, however, the results are reasonably long lasting. But not permanent. Patients usually have to get fillers injected again, after a span of 6 months. Lip implants and grafts are relatively permanent.

What are some of the side effects or risks of this treatment?

Some risks associated with this procedure are lip asymmetry, lumps and irregularities, infection of blood vessels and stiffening of the lip.

What makes a good candidate for this procedure?

Patients should not have had infections like oral herpes, lupus, diabetes or blood clotting problems. Patient should be a non-smoker and also be in good health.

Source: medhalt