Lip Augmentation

[Unregistered]

I would love to hear from someone who has enlarged their lips through any other procedure than collagen or cemetra (cadaver collagen). I've tried both (cemetra the recommended three times), without much benefit, and with cemetra being the most painful and a waste of money (totaling $1750). I would sure be interested in knowing the results, cost, and details of the procedure.

Thank you, Lynne

[Laura]

I had alloderm put into my upper lip which is permanent and it looks pretty good. It feels a little unnatural though and feels like a roll in my lip.

It has only been 4 weeks though, and I'm getting used to it. I'm glad I did it, but I never tried any injectable things first like cymetra so i dont have anything to compare it to.

[danya]

Restylane will soon be FDA approved and will be a good alternative for you to collagen. It is not permanent, but lasts about twice as long.

Artecoll is one popular permanent injectable solution, but many people have complained of lumpiness overtime with this method.

Permanent implants like SoftForm or Alloderm are another option, but this does require minor surgery. A lip lift is another surgical option...

Both permanent cosmetics (tattooing) and cosmetic dentistry can help improve the appearance of small or thin lips also. There are two articles on BeautySurg that you might find interesting...

permanent cosmetics article (http://www.beautysurg.com/learn/articles_skin_permcosm_dzn.html)

and

the non surgical smile lift (http://www.beautysurg.com/learn/articles_teeth1.html)

[BriarRose]

Although I have not had any experience with Silikon 1000 (Doctors use this off label) or Siliskin (not approved yet), I have been reading on other boards of gals that have had great success with Silikon 1000. A few have posted pics of the before and afters and they look great. They do stress that the following protocol must be followed:

Experienced Doctor only
Microdropplet method only
pure Silikon 1000 or Siliskin (not approved yet)
Work up to desired puffiness little at a time

The results are claimed to be very natural soft lips and it is PERMENANT! So be very careful!

Some people are concerned with migration of the silicone which is why Doc's use the microdropplet method -- so far it is claimed that no migration has happened. (hopefully that is true)

Just my 2 cents.





PERMENANT

[Unregistered]

i've read that you can still get lumpiness even with the microdroplets. the problem is that it looks great for a while and then the lumps show up after a few years.

be careful! i dont think it's worth looking good for a few years if you're going to end up looking worse in the long run.

that's the tricky thing about cosmetic surgery... you're doing it to look better, but sometimes you end up looking worse. hopefully, not, but it does happen...

[Alessandra]

I had cosmoplast injected into my lips at $500. It lasted for about one to two weeks. I just got tested for collagen allergy and hope to have collagen injected in four weeks. I wish I knew of something that last longer. You might want to check out www.beautyaddiction.com in their plastic surgery section - lots of information.

[Megan M.]

Cosmoplast only lasted 2 weeks???
I hope you got your money back!
What a rip off!

[PlasticRN]

Hi Lynne. I have had collagen several times, and I am staunchly against it. One, it can cause serious allergic reactions upon injection, or even years down the road. Two, it has also been known to cause scar tissue over time that can be very disfiguring. Three, anything that requires injecting all of the time ( it only lasted two weeks for me, and anyone I have ever known to have it.) has it's risks of developing "track marks" or iv injection marks in the lips. Four, anything injected "free form" in the lips has the chance of looking very uneven or "lumpy". You cannot take these out if you are unhappy with the results, so do your research before you venture out to try any of these injectables. I had Alloderm implants placed two years ago. Alloderm implants are a solid roll of skin and collagen placed into the upper and lower lip. They come in different sizes based on what you desire. It gives a more natural even appearance and it lasts for a few years, and even longer in most people. I had IV sedation with it, and Viola' 45 minutes later I had fuller lips. Was ten times less painful than my collagen injections. I think for right now it is the safest bet out there for fuller looking lips.
Kristen

[Allison37]

I am in Canada and have tried Perlane, Restalyne, and CosmoPlast (aka CosmoDerm) on my lips (spaced about 10 months apart). None are permanent fillers. Out of the three I liked the CosmoPlast the best. The Perlane burned going in, but it was the first filler I ever tried. I had a lot of swelling and the Perlane results lasted around three months. There was swelling associated with the Restalyne but not as much as with Perlane and the swelling resolved faster (I looked like I had baboon lips for a week with the Perlane). The Restalyne lasted about as long as the Perlane. The CosmoPlast, unlike Perlane and Restalyne, did not burn going in. I also did not get any abnormal swelling with the CosmoPlast. What I saw after the doctor finished the fill was the result I was left with and I loved the feel of the product. With Perlane and Restalyne I really noticed a ridge and an unnatural look to my lips particulary when I gave a large smile. With CosmoPlast I had no ridge or weird pulls when I smiled no matter how large of a smile I made. I loved it. The CosmoPlast results also lasted around three months. I guess I am due for another session.

[danya]

Hi Allison,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm sure many of us down South from you would agree that you are lucky to have so many choices of fillers in Canada. Hopefully, we'll have Restylane and Perlane soon.

Unlike the collagen injectables, Restylane and Perlane do not contain lidocaine (a local anesthetic) so it does hurt more when it is injected. The duration of results is highly dependent on the technique of the person doing the injections. Technically, the hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane should last twice as long as collagen when injected properly.

The most common reason for early reabsorption is not enough being injected in the first place.... Cosmoplast is a good option if you don't mind going in every few months, and dont mind that it was originally derived from foreskin ;)

thanks again for your message
danya