Have you ever heard someone say, “I just cannot wait to look old?” Probably not. You’ve probably heard some people say that they look forward to getting older, and that’s usually when they are either a child or in their early teens. But once a person hits their mid-20’s or early 30’s, they usually prefer to keep looking that way. The way that aging affects your appearance is complicated. There are so many factors at play that make the aging process evident on the face. One area of your face that shows your age more than any other is your lips. Fortunately, lip augmentation can bring fullness and youth to your lips and, by extension, the rest of your face.

If you look at a picture of yourself when you were younger and then look at yourself now, what do you notice about your lips? They are most likely a lot thinner than they were before. Have you ever wondered why this is? The answer may surprise you. The older you get, the less your body produces an important protein known as collagen. Collagen is connected to everything that makes you look younger. It is what gives your face its full appearance, makes your skin look healthy, and keeps your skin looking plump. Collagen’s purpose in your body is to provide support to the soft tissues that you have. As we age, we also produce less of a substance known as hyaluronic acid, which helps keep your skin hydrated, smooth and full.

Every day we are exposed to ultraviolet rays. These also work against your lips. They cause the collagen in them to break down, making them look thin sooner. This underscores the importance of taking steps to protect your lips from the sun by using lipstick or a lip balm.

But what if age has already taken its effect? Your lips have lost their volume, and now they look thin. Is there anything you can do? Absolutely! Dermal fillers have revolutionized the way that people look at the thickness of their lips. Hyaluronic acid injections can add volume to your lips that will last for many months.

When hyaluronic acid injections are used by a trained medical professional, they can restore the fullness to your lips without giving you a worked-on or fish lip appearance. In fact, fillers such as Restylane® and Juvederm® are famous for providing beautifully natural-looking results.

There are so many benefits to using hyaluronic acid-based injections to improve the volume of your lips. One benefit is that the treatment can be performed in a matter of minutes, and the results are immediate. As soon as you walk out of our office, you will have fuller lips.

Lip augmentation can also come in the form of a fat transfer. A fat transfer consists of taking fat from a donor area on the body and replacing it in another area such as the lips. This method also comes with many benefits, including the fact that since this lip augmentation procedure uses nothing more than your own fat to enhance another area, the risk of having an adverse reaction is almost impossible.

Whether you have always had thin lips or your lips have lost volume over time, lip augmentation may be the answer for you. Ask Dr. Smith about this treatment at Smith Facial Plastics to find out if it is right for you. Contact our office in Gahanna today to schedule an appointment and learn more.