Lip shaping with filler
a natural result

How lip shaping with hyaluronic acid filler is done, how long the result lasts, what the risks are and how to keep it looking natural.

The most common worry about lip filler is that the lips will look “overdone”. A good result is exactly the opposite — lips that are better shaped, hydrated and in proportion with the face, not simply bigger.

What “shaping” means

Shaping is not only adding volume. Several elements are worked on:

• contour — the outline of the lip;
• the Cupid’s bow and the hollow above the upper lip;
• the proportion between the upper and lower lip — the lower lip is usually a little fuller than the upper;
• symmetry, as far as it is possible — no face is perfectly symmetrical;
• the hydration and texture of the lip.

How the procedure goes

• A hyaluronic acid filler is used, which can be reversed if needed.
• Numbing is with a cream or local anaesthesia; the injection is with a fine needle or cannula and takes about 15–20 minutes.
• The amounts are small and are added gradually — it is better for the result to be topped up at a repeat visit than for excess volume to have to be corrected.

After the procedure

• Swelling and tenderness over the first 2–3 days; the swelling can take up to 1–2 weeks to settle fully.
• Small bruises and temporary lumpiness are possible, and they disperse with massage within about a week after the filler.
• The final look is judged after about 2 weeks.
• The result lasts on average between 6 and 12 months, depending on the product, on your metabolism and on the site of injection.

Risks

• Bruising, swelling, tenderness — common and temporary.
• Asymmetry and lumps — corrected at the follow-up visit or with massage at home.
• Cold sore reactivation — say in advance if you are prone to cold sores; prophylaxis may be prescribed.
• A vascular complication — rare, but the most serious. Signs: severe pain, whitening or bluish discolouration of the skin, a mottled look. Immediate action is needed, and the filler can be broken down with hyaluronidase.

How to prepare

• Plan the procedure at least 2 weeks before an important event.
• If possible, and after agreeing it with your doctor, avoid alcohol and medicines that thin the blood (anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin) for 24–48 hours beforehand.
• Do not start with a large volume — two smaller stages are better.

What cannot be promised

• A copy of someone’s lips from a photo — bone structure and tissues are different in everyone.
• Smoothing the lines around the mouth with filler in the lips alone — they are corrected in a different way.
• A permanent result — hyaluronic acid filler is temporary.