As one of the focal points of the face, the lips work in synergy with your eyes, nose, and bony structures to influence your overall facial aesthetics. This key player has received copious amounts of attention in recent years, leading to a widely adapted shift to fuller, well-defined lips. Lip liners and plumping glosses are excellent for providing several hours of enhanced lip contours; however, for those desiring more sustainable results, modern lip augmentation procedures can provide personalized volumization and definition to expertly highlight this critical feature.
Injectable dermal fillers are composed of synthetic volumizing agents that are carefully placed to plump and shape the lips according to your desired cosmetic outcome. Fat transfer or autologous fat grafting is a two-in-one treatment that eliminates fat from an unwanted bulge and transfers the extracted material to the lips. The result? Precisely enhanced lips and an improved silhouette at the fat donation site.
The ideal ratio of the vertical height of the upper lip to that of the lower lip should be 1 to 1.6. Unfortunately, many practitioners fail to abide by this paramount aesthetic rule. Poor results from unnatural, overfilled lips have given this procedure a bad reputation. Dr. Hooman Khorasani is a renowned national educator in the art of lip augmentation and has spent the majority of his career training the next generation of cosmetic surgeons. Throughout his medical career, he has consistently emphasized that “less is more.” This approach is critical when crafting the perfect lip contour.
Dr. Khorasani uses a special technique where he only makes two entry points from the corners of the mouth to treat the entire upper and lower lip. He uses a fine, blunt cannula (hollow tube) to place the filler in the desired location. Therefore, there will be no needle marks on the actual lips and there is significantly less discomfort, swelling and bruising using this technique.
The combination of Dr. Khorasani’s extensive clinical expertise and a consistent aesthetic principle lends itself to the production of natural-appearing lips that expertly compliment the neighboring features. No matter the shape or size of your lips, we will be able to recommend an augmentation procedure that helps transform your cosmetic goals into reality
To find out whether a cheek or jawline contouring procedure can help facilitate your aesthetic goals, visit Dr. Hooman Khorasani at our New York City practice. To request a consultation, message us securely, or contact Dr. Khorasani’s Manhattan office by phone at 347-574-8500.
Lip augmentation encompasses a variety of cosmetic procedures that shape and plump the lips. The benefits of these treatments are two-fold, as these volumizing agents also help diminish the appearance of fine lines surrounding the lip borders.
Over the course of his decade-long career, Dr. Khorasani has dedicated substantial time investigating and subsequently mastering the most safe and effective lip enhancing treatments. Years of research and experience have led to the conclusion that augmentation with injectable fillers or a fat transfer provides optimal volumization and shaping of the lips. Please see our below sections Injectable Dermal Fillers and Fat Transfer for further details regarding each of these innovative therapies. Regardless of the treatment modality chosen, rest assured that each procedure is carefully executed to minimize risk and secure excellent cosmetic outcomes.
Dr. Khorasani is a triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon that meticulously tailors each lip augmentation procedure to account for your pre-existing anatomy and desired aesthetic outcomes.
The most commonly used injectable fillers are composed of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occuring substance that attracts and stores water. The ability of hyaluronic acid to retain nearly one thousand times its weight in water is responsible for the dramatic volumization effects seen with these types of fillers. Specialized hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvéderm Ultra XC®, Juvéderm Volbella®, Restylane Kysse® and Restylane Silk® are uniquely suited to augment the lips, as their proprietary, non-bulky formulas allows for an enhanced shape that both looks and feels natural.
Soft hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvéderm Ultra XC®, Juvéderm Volbella®, Restylane Kysse® and Restylane Silk® can be administered in small quantities to deliver volume and shape to the exact areas you wish to treat. Furthermore, their delicate composition prevents these fillers from being detected while smiling, talking, eating, or kissing. The combination of these effects lends itself to precisely enhanced lips that seamlessly compliment the natural contours of your face.
This treatment is ideal for those wishing to volumize, define, or shape their lips with minimal interruption to their daily lives. Individuals seeking to correct asymmetry or reduce the appearance of fine lines located on the lip border are also candidates for this procedure. In particular, patients with busy personal and professional schedules are most likely to benefit from this highly effective procedure, as the associated downtime is negligible.
Result onset and longevity depends on which injectable filler is used. The enhancing effects of dermal fillers are evident immediately after treatment. Please note that some of the instantaneous volumization may be attributable to post-procedural swelling. Consequently, the final results may not be visible until two to three weeks following treatment.
As with all cosmetic procedures, the enhancement induced by injectable dermal fillers is not permanent. As such, we recommend that you schedule maintenance treatments every ten months for Restylane Silk and every twelve months for Juvéderm Ultra XC, Juvéderm Volbella and Restylane Kysse.
Patients wishing to induce more permanent changes to the shape and size of their lips may be candidates for a fat transfer lip augmentation. Please visit our Fat Transfer section below to find out if this minimally-invasive surgical procedure is more aligned with your aesthetic goals.
During your initial consultation, Dr. Khorasani will thoroughly examine your lips to determine the most appropriate injectable filler and the most beneficial sites for volumization and definition. Prior to injection of the filler, the lips and surrounding skin will be numbed with a topical anesthetic cream for approximately twenty minutes. Once the treatment area is sufficiently numbed, Dr. Khorasani will strategically inject the filler using a thin cannula (a blunt, hollow tube) that is inserted near the corners of the mouth. This advanced clinical technique allows for precise, safe placement of the filler while also minimizing discomfort and post-procedural bruising and swelling.
Injecting the filler requires approximately 25 minutes to complete. Accounting for the 20 minutes required to numb the treatment area, please expect to be with us for approximately one hour in total.
Aside from its efficacy, patients love Dr. Khorasani’s lip augmentation with injectable dermal fillers because this procedure is associated with almost zero downtime. The main reason for this is because, unlike most other providers, Dr. Khorasani does not use needles for lip injections; he uses a cannula, which does not traumatize the lip skin or the surrounding vessels. Less trauma translates to less bruising and swelling after the procedure. Most patients may resume normal activities immediately after treatment.
Mild swelling for three to five days may occur following the procedure. Bruising and redness near the injection site is uncommon, as Dr. Khorasani’s precise technique substantially reduces the risk of these events; however, if these effects do occur, they are typically mild and resolve within three to five days. Patients taking medications that thin the blood such as aspirin or ibuprofen have an increased chance of bruising.
Fat transfer or autologous fat grafting is a highly-efficacious sculpting procedure that banishes unwanted pockets of fat from under the chin, belly, thighs, etc. and repurposes its contents to enhance the natural contours of your lips. This in-office procedure harvests fat from the sites most bothersome to you using localized liposuction. The extracted fat is then rigorously purified to remove excess fluid, oils, and cellular debris. Upon completion of the refining process, the fat is transplanted to the lips to provide increased volumization and definition.
The principles of fat redistribution can also be used to enhance other areas of the face or body. Learn more on our Fat Transfer page to ascertain if the multiple applications of this versatile treatment can compliment your lip augmentation to provide you with optimal face and body contouring.
Many of our patients opt for head-to-toe liposuction in combination with their fat transfer lip augmentation to achieve their ideal silhouette. Liposuction has been a staple of Dr. Khorasani’s decade-plus career and he is proud to have helped thousands of patients look and feel their best through this minimally-invasive surgical procedure. Please visit our Liposuction page to determine if this comprehensive surgical treatment can help you obtain your aesthetic goals.
Fat transfer lip augmentation is ideal for patients who have been satisfied with dermal filler augmentation but wish to have a procedure that lasts longer. This two-in-one treatment allows you to eliminate a stubborn double chin, belly pooch, or love handles while simultaneously volumizing and shaping the lips. The redistribution of fat in this comprehensive procedure results in precise face and body sculpting that aligns with your aesthetic goals.
The cosmetic outcomes of lip augmentation with autologous fat grafting also look and feel as natural as possible, since this procedure utilizes your body’s own organic materials. Additionally, transplantation of purified fat to the lips does not require a surgical incision. This prevents the formation of scars in this aesthetically prominent location, which further enhances the natural appearance of your lips. Use of your own fat storages also lends itself to permanent results, as the grafted product is not targeted by your body’s natural disposal systems. As a general rule, about 65% of the fat transferred to the lips will survive permanently.
This highly-durable treatment boasts several advantages over surgical lip implants, the traditional procedure used to permanently enhance the lips. Facial implants require replacement every few years and are associated with serious adverse effects such as malformation, infections and, rarely, malignancy. Additionally, lip implants both look and feel less natural than fat transfer augmentation, as these inserts are bulky and relatively inflexible. Lip implants also induce scar formation at the insertion site, further compromising the natural appearance of the lips. Fat transfer lip augmentations have a proven track-record of efficacy and safety, allowing patients to achieve their ideal cosmetic outcomes while avoiding unwanted complications.
As a permanent cosmetic procedure, fat transfer lip augmentation is usually only recommended for patients who have previously received temporary lip fillers with Dr. Khorasani and are now committed to irreversibly enhanced lips. Consequently, Dr. Khorasani strongly suggests that patients complete several non-permanent injectable treatments first to fine-tune their desired degree of lip modification prior to graduating to more durable therapies.
In general, this procedure is optimally suited for patients looking for long-term augmentation of the size and shape of their lips in a manner that blends with their natural silhouette. Candidates must also have unwanted fat pockets that are large enough to provide a sufficient amount of fat for transplantation.
Lip augmentation with injectable dermal fillers is an excellent alternative treatment for patients with limited fat reservoirs or for those not yet ready to commit to permanent enhancement. Please view our Injectable Dermal Fillers section above to see if this non-invasive therapy can better facilitate your ideal lip contour.
Immediately following your procedure, your lips will be significantly volumized; however, a substantial portion of this increased size can be attributed to post-procedural swelling. Over the course of several weeks, the swelling will subside and the grafted fat will settle into its permanent position. On average you should expect around 65% of the transferred fat to survive this healing process, which equates to a 35% loss of volumizing material. Consequently, the final results of your lip augmentation may require up to six months to fully appreciate; however, this prolonged wait period is rewarded by a permanently enhanced and defined lip shape.
Depending on the specifications of the donor sites and the degree of volumization you desire, a fat transfer lip augmentation requires anywhere from three to five hours to complete.
You will be given oral sedating lozenges immediately prior to the procedure and as needed throughout the case. These lozenges serve to reduce anxiety and control pain in the vast majority of cases. Additionally, you will be carefully numbed with an injectable medication during the harvesting and transplant stages. Consequently, you should not feel any pain during the procedure; however, you may continue to experience pressure or tugging as the fat is extracted and re-implanted.
If at any time these sensations become bothersome, please inform Dr. Khorasani and he will provide you with additional measures to ensure your comfort. These include our in-office Pro-Nox system which employs nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) to reduce anxiety and the experience of pain. Pro-Nox can be self administered by you as needed, to address any discomfort. Please note that we also offer fat transfer with general anesthesia for patients seeking to comprehensively eliminate stubborn fat pockets from top-to-bottom.
The recovery experience is mostly dictated by the liposuction component of the procedure, as this portion requires the most downtime.
Swelling and bruising of the donor site and the lips are expected, but it is more pronounced in the area from which the fat was extracted. These effects diminish significantly within three to five days, such that patients that opted for small-volume liposuction are typically able to resume their normal activities after this period. Those who underwent lip augmentation in combination with comprehensive liposuction-based body contouring may require up to two weeks prior to returning to their usual schedule. Please visit our Liposuction page for further details regarding the recovery from this top-to-bottom sculpting procedure.
In general, we strongly encourage our patients to engage in daily lymphatic massages of the donor area starting on postoperative day three. These specialized treatments can help minimize swelling and significantly reduce the time required to heal.
We understand this recovery time can be difficult. Our office staff is available at any time during this period to discuss any of your concerns. We are always here for you!
Dr. Khorasani and his highly-specialized team look forward to working with you to transform your medical or aesthetic goals into reality. To expedite a request for a consultation, message us securely, or contact Dr. Khorasani’s Manhattan office by phone at 347-574-8500. For more information about how to get in touch:
CONTACT US