The most common method for augmentation is injection. Injections involve filling the lip with a soft substance to create a fuller appearance. Injections allow the patient to increase the size of their lips without committing to a permanent result.
Collagen and fat are the most widely used injectable substances for this process. Collagen lip injections tend to last for between four and six month and require the patient to receive “touch-up” treatments two or three times a year.
Where does Collagen Come from?
Collagen is prepared from cow skin. Although it is purified these lip injections contain refined bovine collagen, which has caused an allergic reaction in some people. For this reason, a sensitivity test to lidocaine and dietary beef are normally conducted before any actual injections are made to the patient.
These tests may delay the actual procedure from a few days to a couple weeks depending on the facility conducting the test.
How is Collagen Lip Injections Completed?
Collagen is injected into the lip with small needles. Fat injections are also placed in the lips with small needles. The fat injected is often harvested from another area of the body — most often the abdomen or the thighs — and is purified before it is injected into the lips.
An advantage to this rcedure is that there is no possibility of an allergic reaction. As with collagen injections, results are temporary. The procedure is often performed more than once to achieve desired results.
Using injections, doctors can increase the size of a patient’s upper or lower lip, or both; some injections are used to treat specific areas of the lip. Injections can also help reduce the appearance of wrinkles in the lips of older patients. Because it is a natural substance, the body will slowly absorb the substance. This is the reason for the additional treatments every three to four months.
Recovery from Collagen Injections
The lip injection procedure is considered ambulatory; patients walk in, have the procedure, and go home. Since the injections contain lidocaine (an anesthetic), most doctors do not use sedation or a separate anesthetic during collagen lip injections.
This means that patients will recover more quickly, and few individuals require pain medication after the injections, although there is usually some swelling and slight bruising, which subside after a few days.
Related Articles