When we communicate, many things take place the least of which is that our audience may be watching us and the movement of our mouths.  For those with unattractive lips and surrounding perioral structures, this may lead to a self conscious moment.  As we age, our lips tend to lose their volume as the skin thins, the subcutaneous fat beneath the skin becomes less and less and with the constant movement of the mouth over the years, the circular muscle that frames the oral cavity produces radial lines that emanate from the lip much like the spokes on a bicycle wheel.  If that is not enough, the corners of our mouth turn down and if we're "lucky"  they can become deep enough to collect things.  Smoking, sun exposure, genetics and constant movement of the mouth (talking) only exacerbate the situation. Its no wonder that perioral rejuvenation is a large component of creating a more youthful and attractive appearance whether the lips are moving or not.

As mentioned above, part of rejuvenating lips and the surrounding areas require volume replacement. That can be obtained as easily as dermal fillers such as Restylane for the more superficial lines and Radiesse for the deeper ones.  However, some patients request a more permanent solution and in the past, I have offered them autologous (your own) fat injections.  Even though we are replacing what has been lost over time, the nature of transferred fat is that it tends to atrophy as well.  Newer innovations are permanent lip implants that can be placed in as little as twenty minutes in our operating room suite through small incisions placed inside the corners of the mouth.  These silicone grade, fusiform shaped implants are pliable and very natural looking once placed.  This type of procedure can improve the thin lip but may not address the other features such as the drool grooves, the nasofacial (Marrionette) lines and/or the fine lines above and below the lips where lipstick is prone to bleed once applied. 

Other procedures in addition to volume enhancement by whatever modality may also be required to address your concerns. Regardless of what those are, we have a full armentarium of procedures and products available at the English Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center and Surgi-spa.  For more information,  please e-mail us today.