Let’s Talk About Lips
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, our team is focused on helping you attain kissable lips! In honor of the upcoming holiday, Dr. Bajaj wants to share some interesting facts about lips and how she approaches lip fillers for voluptuous lips.
Why Do Lips Matter?
While we do use our lips for kissing, they are also important functionally. Our lips are the opening to our mouths and help us with articulation. This means that if our lips are weakened, we may drool or not be able to speak clearly.
What is An Aesthetic Lip Shape?
In today’s world where we see an abundance of overdone lips, normal lip anatomy may not be what we are accustomed to seeing. While we do appreciate fuller lips, if you want them to appear natural, we have to respect your lip’s anatomy.
As shown in the photo below, the upper lip has a well-defined cupid’s bow and a tubercle which is the central part of the lip. The lower lip is typically fuller than the upper lip on the frontal view. However, the upper lip usually projects further than the lower lip as you can see in the profile view. Both of these pictures represent natural, full lips in a young teenager (my niece) who has never had lip filler.
What Happens to Lips As We Age?
As we age, our lips lose volume. This volume loss is related to the loss of collagen and elasticity—the same changes that occur on our skin. The difference is that our lips do not have sweat glands that help to retain moisture. Ultimately, the lack of sweat glands makes our lips particularly susceptible to the lack of maintenance. In time, they will become dry and chapped quickly which can accelerate the aging process.
What Can I Do to Improve the Appearance of My Lips?
The photo above is a picture of myself to show that naturally, my lips aren’t as full as my niece’s, and I have never had lip filler. But I still take proper steps to protect my lips from aging.
First, it’s important to protect your lips from the sun and ensure that they are appropriately hydrated to maintain their volume and voluptuous appearance. We recommend the Elta MD line of productions, and they have a great lip balm with SPF protection for your lips.
It’s also wise to regularly exfoliate your lips as you would the rest of your skin to remove dead skin cells. And of course, lip filler is another option. When done well, lip filler can add natural-appearing fullness and definition to your lips. The pictures below are before and after photos of lip filler in one of our lovely patients!
Are Lip Fillers Right for You?
Whether you’ve been thinking about lip injections for a long time, or you want to freshen up your look for Valentine’s Day, lip injections are a great non-surgical option to help give you younger, fuller-looking lips.
Learn more about our JUVÉDERM injectable gel services by contacting our office at 405-810-8448.