Lip fillers can give you smoother and plumper lips. Lip augmentation is usually either performed surgically or with the use of injections. Lips fillers have become a very popular cosmetic option for increasing lip size and the process is minimally invasive and provides a faster recovery time as compared to surgery. However, the most common question that people ask before considering lip fillers is about how long these lip fillers last for. Let’s take a look.
What are Lip Fillers?
As we age, our body starts to naturally lose fat and collagen. Due to this, you will often notice that the appearance of your face changes and aging causes the skin of the face to become thin and start to sag, including the lips. Lip fillers are a technique that replaces the lost collagen and fat from the lips. It is a minimally invasive procedure that involves injecting many types of fillers into your lips to make them increase in size. Lip fillers make your lips appear smoother and plumper. The recovery time is also much faster since there is no surgical procedure involved.
Lip fillers can also be a good option for people who have naturally thin lips. It can add more volume and help you get a better ‘pout’.
Which Type of Lip Filler Injection is Ideal for You?
There are many types of lip fillers available and collagen was typically the most commonly used type of lip filler. However, today collagen lip fillers are rarely used because the collagen injections do not last very long. Furthermore, collagen injections also cause an allergic reaction in many individuals.
The most widely used lip fillers today are hyaluronic acid fillers. These work best for plumping and defining the lips. Hyaluronic acid is a gel-like substance and is made from bacteria. The product creates thick lips by attaching itself to the water molecules present in the skin.
Lip fillers get absorbed into the lips slowly and can be thinned or thickened as per the look you want to desire.
Hyaluronic acid is typically available under four popular brand names, such as Restylane, Juvederm, Vollure, and Volbella.
How Long Do Lip Fillers Last?
The most popular options of hyaluronic acid lip fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm tend to last for about six months and provide a very natural look once injected.
Volbella lasts for about a year and Vollure is the most long-lasting of all the four products, lasting for about 18 months.
It is possible to get a repeat treatment done once every six months, making the effect last longer.
Are There Any Risks Of Using Lip Fillers?
It is very rare to have an allergic reaction to hyaluronic acid. However, some people end up developing a lump, known as granuloma, of inflamed tissue at the site of injection.
The type of lip filler that you choose can sometimes also produce a lump if it is injected in the wrong portion of the skin, for example, if it does not get injected deep enough into the skin.
A rare side effect of lip fillers is a blocked blood vessel, which decreases the blood flow to the lips, ultimately damaging the lip tissues. However, this gets spotted almost immediately by the doctors and can be reversed easily.
Conclusion
How long a lip filler lasts for depends on the brand you choose and also on how well you take care of your lips after the procedure. While Vollure lasts the longest, the more popular options remain Restylane and Juvederm. You should discuss which option would be the ideal one for your individual case with your dermatologist.