Lip Augmentation
If you have thin lips or a large space between your mouth and nose, you may feel self-conscious about your appearance and wish to balance out your facial features.
Depending on your goals, board-certified plastic surgeon Patricia Berbari can perform lip augmentation using dermal fillers or your own fat. She also offers lip lift procedures.
Learn how lip augmentation or lip lift surgery at our Gatineau, QC, practice can improve your appearance.
How Does the Process Work?
Why Choose Dr. Berbari?
Dr. Berbari is board-certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is experienced in a comprehensive range of cosmetic procedures for the face, body, and breasts. Patients from Gatineau, Ottawa, and surrounding areas can schedule a free consultation to learn more about our surgical and minimally invasive treatments for the face or breasts–virtually any area you would like to enhance.
"No matter if you choose to undergo lip augmentation with injectables or your own fat, you can enjoy outstanding outcomes from a relatively simple procedure." - Dr. Berbari
Lip Augmentation
In this video, Dr. Patricia Berbari discusses our three lip augmentation options and candidacy. Our lip augmentation options include hydrogenic acid injection, fat injection, and a lip lift. Anyone who thinks his or her lips are too thin is a good candidate for this procedure.
Your Lip Enhancement Options
Undergoing lip enhancement at our plastic surgery practice, serving Gatineau and Ottawa, can enhance your overall appearance and boost your self-confidence. Dr. Patricia Berbari will explain the unique advantages of each form of lip augmentation to determine the approach that is right for you.
Lip Augmentation with Injectables
Lip enhancement using an injectable dermal filler offers a minimally invasive way to highlight your lips. During treatment, which takes less than half an hour, we will inject a special material into your lips to increase their size. We can perform lip enhancement using hyaluronic acid, a natural compound found in human connective tissue that can boost the volume of lips for up to one year. Dr. Berbari will review the advantages of each dermal filler during your initial consultation to determine the type that can best achieve your goals.
Lip Augmentation with Your Own Fat
If you are seeking the most dramatic, long-lasting cosmetic results possible, Dr. Berbari may recommend lip enhancement with your own fat. She is one of the few plastic surgeons in the Gatineau and Ottawa areas offering this treatment. The advantage of choosing fat transfer is that you can have a larger volume injected in one session, the feel is more natural, and results last longer. In addition, the result is more uniform because there is less risk of getting lumps or foreign body reactions.
Lip Implants
This facial surgery option involves the placement of lip implants and it is the longest-lasting lip enhancement option. However, many patients prefer fillers or fat transfer because these procedures offer more natural-looking results compared to implant surgery. In addition, the placement of implants requires a longer recovery period.
What Is a Lip Lift?
Many patients who visit our office describe cosmetic concerns that would be more easily addressed with a "lip lift." This surgical procedure achieves permanent results and is designed to minimize the space between the top of the upper lip and the nose. It can also create the appearance of a larger upper lip, so it is often preferred by patients who want to see more vertical height in their lip line but not necessarily more volume.
Preparing for Treatment
Dermal filler injections are less invasive than fat transfer, and do not require preparation or restrictions. However, patients undergoing the fat transfer procedure should avoid blood thinners like anti-inflammatory medication (Advil, Motrin, etc.), garlic, ginger, and alcohol to prevent bruising.
The Fat Transfer Treatment Process
Because fat must be harvested for this procedure, it involves more steps than lip enhancement with dermal fillers, which only involves administering an injectable.
The entire treatment process is performed under local anesthetic with minimal discomfort.
Risks and Disadvantages
Lip enhancement is considered very safe. However, these forms of treatment do pose certain risks.
Injectables
The risks of lip enhancement with an injectable include:
- Infection
- Inflammation
- Bruising and even hematoma (excessive bleeding)
- Soreness or aching, which typically dissipates quickly
Fat Transfer
The downsides of using your own fat include:
- Infection
- More expensive
- More swelling that may last up to two weeks
- In rare cases, the procedure needs to be repeated
