Lip Augmentation with Hyaluronic Acid – Lip Injections

The result lasts about 6-12 months. However, individual factors such as lifestyle and genetic predisposition can influence this timeframe.

As the product used breaks down over time, the treatment can be repeated if desired and can always be adjusted to the patient’s personal taste.

When the hyaluronic acid is broken down again, your lips will look like they did before the injection.

Most hyaluronic acid treatments can be safely and effectively repeated as needed, typically every 6-12 months. However, it’s important to discuss your individual needs with an experienced doctor to ensure that the hyaluronic acid filler used is suitable for you and that you have realistic expectations. If too much is injected or injections are done too frequently, it can lead to ‘filler migration,’ where the filler ‘wanders,’ potentially resulting in unattractive outcomes.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring polysaccharide that is found throughout the body in large quantities, including in our skin. It provides moisture to the skin and plumps it up, making it appear youthful and healthy. As we age, the hyaluronic acid content decreases, leading to wrinkles, volume loss, and other signs of skin aging. Hyaluronic acid is commonly used in lip augmentation as it helps increase the volume of the lips by moisturizing and plumping them from within.

After lip injections with hyaluronic acid, the patient notices changes in the treated area immediately – the increase in lip volume is evident, although this usually includes some swelling that subsides in the following days. Final results are visible after a maximum of two weeks.

Using a special enzyme (Hylase or hyaluronidase), the injected hyaluronic acid can be dissolved again. In my practice, I offer this treatment for patients who have had lip injections elsewhere and are now dissatisfied with the lip volume or shape, or are suffering from filler migration for various reasons. This can result in the dreaded ‘duck bill’ look, which often invites ridicule.

In such cases, it’s better to dissolve the injected filler first and then, after a few weeks of rest, rebuild the lips carefully and gently, rather than continuing to treat on a ‘poor foundation.’

The lip injection itself takes about 15 minutes. However, you should plan for at least 45 minutes, including the time for the local anesthetic cream to take effect, consultation, photo documentation, cooling, and massage afterwards.

Before undergoing lip augmentation, it’s important to discuss the procedure with a doctor and ensure that hyaluronic acid is suitable for you and that high-quality products are used. It’s also important to be aware of possible side effects such as bruising, swelling, or redness.

Be sure to seek out an experienced practitioner. In extremely rare cases, serious side effects such as vascular occlusions can occur. Experienced and responsible doctors know how to minimize this risk on the one hand, and on the other hand, how to treat these side effects if they do occur.

The thinner the lips are before hyaluronic acid lip injections, the more carefully the treatment should be performed. Especially when patients desire significantly fuller lips, it’s better to build up the lip volume over several appointments instead of injecting too much in one treatment. This minimizes unwanted risks.

Hyaluronic acid is generally well-tolerated and has few side effects, but as with all treatments, there are some risks. These include temporary redness, swelling, or bruising at the injection site.

Rarely, there can be allergies to hyaluronic acid or to the local anesthetic contained in the filler.

Very rarely, severe side effects such as vascular occlusions can occur. For this reason, it is particularly important to only seek experienced practitioners, as they know how to keep the risk of side effects as low as possible, but also how to quickly recognize and immediately treat unwanted side effects.

Good doctors provide comprehensive and detailed information about the treatment and address all your questions. Never get treated anywhere where your questions about side effects are answered with a “it’ll be fine…”.

It’s a very good idea to combine both treatments, but not in the same session. The Botox Lip Flip relaxes the lips slightly and rolls them outward, making them appear fuller and more voluminous, especially when smiling, even without hyaluronic acid fillers. Vertical lip lines (smoker’s lines or pleated wrinkles) are reduced. During the subsequent lip filler treatment, about two weeks after the Botox treatment, less hyaluronic acid is often needed compared to without the Lip Flip. This makes the results look even more natural.

If too much filler is injected or injections are done too frequently, filler migration can occur, where the filler ‘migrates’, leading to unsightly results. The hyaluronic acid filler is then no longer behind the vermilion border but also in the white area of the upper lip, where it doesn’t belong. If filler migration has occurred, often the only solution is to dissolve the filler and, after a break of several weeks, carefully rebuild the lips.

It’s important to consult experienced doctors from the beginning to prevent filler migration from occurring in the first place.

Lip treatments with hyaluronic acid are not approved during pregnancy and breastfeeding and should not be performed.

After a lip augmentation, you can use lipstick and other lip care products as soon as the day after the treatment.