Are you feeling like you’re not smiling your best? It’s not the teeth; you have excellent dental hygiene. Maybe it’s how your lips look – like they have lost volume. The solution for that is lip fillers.
Lip fillers, or dermal fillers, are standard treatment options for volume loss, wrinkles, and fine lines. They are applicable to many face areas, including the cheeks, forehead, chin, nose, and lips. But won’t dermal fillers make smiling difficult if injected into the lips?
Let’s find out!
What are Lip Fillers?
Lip fillers are injectables made primarily of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance that attracts and retains water. When injected under the skin, lip fillers will lure moisture to the area and keep it there until the hyaluronic acid dissolves over time.
In other words, it is not the lip fillers and the hyaluronic acid it contains that adds volume to the area where it is injected. The water adds that volume. But it is the dermal filler that attracts and keeps the water in that area.
Won’t Lip Fillers Make It Harder to Smile?
Hyaluronic acid, the primary active ingredient in lip fillers, naturally occurs in the body. Injecting hyaluronic acid into the lips will not affect smiling; it will only attract moisture to that area.
Perhaps, the idea that lip fillers make it harder to smile is due to mistaking lip fillers with Botox or other wrinkle relaxers.
Lip Fillers Do Not Affect Smiles; Botox Might
Lip fillers use hyaluronic acid, while wrinkle relaxers like Botox use botulinum toxin. Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin that hinders the signals from the brain to the nerves, therefore paralyzing the muscles. People who think that lip fillers affect their smiles might be confused about lip fillers and Botox.
Botox might affect how you smile, primarily if it spreads to the muscles controlling the mouth. If that happens, the mouth’s facial muscles will get paralyzed, therefore causing smiling problems. There is no need for concern if you consider getting Botox because complications are easily avoidable if you work with professionals.
Lip Fillers Reduce the Appearance of Wrinkles and Add Volume
Some people might confuse lip fillers with Botox because they both reduce the appearance of wrinkles. However, lip fillers work differently than Botox. Plus, fillers do more than reduce wrinkles; they also increase volume.
Lip fillers are two-in-one miracles. They reduce wrinkles by increasing the volume of the lips. They fill the lips with moisture so that there will be no ridges on which wrinkles can form.
The results from injecting dermal fillers into the lips are plumper and smoother lips.
Do Lip Fillers Have Side Effects?
Unfortunately, lip fillers do have side effects like with many aesthetic treatments. Most side effects are minor and will dissipate within a couple of weeks. These side effects are:
- Swelling
- Pain
- Redness
- Itching
- Rashes
- Bruising
Aside from the minor side effects, lip filers also have rarer and more serious adverse effects. They are:
- Infection
- Formation of nodules around the injection site (these have to be surgically removed)
- Granulomas, an inflammatory reaction to the injection
- Blood vessel damage
- Blindness – happens when the filler gets injected into blood vessels and blocks blood flow to the eyes
- Tissue death – is also due to blood flow stopped when the filler gets injected into blood vessels
These more severe complications result from working with non-experienced practitioners who did not have appropriate training. Working with trained, licensed, and experienced medical professionals is imperative to achieve the best results without risking severe side effects.
Another possible cause of the more severe side effects is using substandard or compromised lip filler products. At the Aesthetic House, we only use the highest quality dermal fillers – products like Restylane, Juvederm, and RHA. The safety of our clients is a priority.
The Beneficial Effects of Lip Fillers
We’ve had a look at the potential unwanted effects of lip fillers; now, let’s look at the beneficial effects. The listed desirable results of lip fillers are:
- Plump and hydrate lips
- Add volume to fill the creases and folds.
- Remove wrinkles
- Replace soft tissue that vanished over time
How Many Lip Filler Treatments You Need to Achieve Desired Results
You will see these desirable results from lip fillers even after just one session. However, the effects of lip fillers are not permanent. You will need maintenance treatment sessions if you want to keep the results.
How Long Before You See Results
It may take about a couple of weeks before you heal from the lip filler injection. And it will take about two to three weeks for the effects of the treatment to manifest.
How Long Do the Results Last?
The longevity of the fillers’ effects differs from person to person. Several factors affect how long before the body dissolves the fillers. The product used, the treatment area, and the person’s biology all contribute to the length of the effects’ duration. The results of a lip filler injection can last within the range of six to eighteen months.
Lip Fillers Dos and Don’ts
To help you get the most out of a lip filler treatment, here are a few dos and don’ts for you to remember:
- Don’t rush into getting a lip filler injection. Have a consultation with a professional first to discuss the risks.
- Don’t use anti-aging topical creams for at least two days before the treatment. Products to avoid include Retin-A, Retinol, or glycolic acid.
- Don’t wax, bleach, tweeze, or use any form of hair–removal product near the treatment site within two days of the scheduled lip filler injection.
- Ask the provider about the ingredients of the lip filler to guarantee that it is safe for you. If you have allergies, talk about them with the provider.
- Do consult with a professional about conditions like facial cold sores.
- Avoid over-the-counter pain relievers that will thin the blood. Blood thinners like ibuprofen or aspirin increase the risk of bruising, bleeding, and other complications.
Get a full consultation with professionals to get the complete list of dos and don’ts. The Aesthetic House offers free consultations; you need only reach out to us by phone at (352) 601-1990, email at [email protected] or [email protected], or send us a message through our Contact Us form. We are based at 6001 West Nordling Loop, Crystal River, Florida 34429.
