Lip augmentation

Loss of volume in the lips may be the result of aging, or some people are simply born with thin lips.  Enlarging the lips is directed at increasing the visibility of the pink portion of the lip (for women, the area where lipstick is applied).  There are a variety of products on the market for increasing the volume.  These include injectables (collagen, Radiance, Restylane), implantable cadaver skin (Alloderm), and implants (Gortex).  These all have drawbacks that include lack of permanence, risk of allergic reaction, rigidity, extrusion and infection. 

A person's own tissue may be used for lip augmentation either in the form of skin or fat.  Fat is the more common choice because it is easily harvested from almost anywhere on the body with minimal scarring, there is no risk of allergic reaction, and a portion of the transferred fat will become permanent.  Repeat sessions can then be used to tailor the final volume.  Recovery is less than 1 week.