The lips are a focal feature, and when they don’t have sufficient volume or begin to show the signs of aging, it can affect your appearance overall. There are treatments to plump up thinning lips today, but how do you know where to go and who to trust? At Sapphire Advanced Aesthetics, we want to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the right choice for all your cosmetic treatments, including lip fillers in Minneapolis.
Understand Why Lips Age
The lips can be vulnerable to the same aging process as the rest of the face. Over time, our dermal structure begins to lose collagen, a vital protein that keeps skin soft, firm and supple. As collagen levels diminish, we begin to see our skin become lax and lines and wrinkles start to form. These changes hold true for our lips as well as the midface, brow and jawline. In addition, you may notice the development of fine vertical lines feathering out from the upper lip. These lines are known by the technical term perioral lines, but they are also referred to as lipstick lines since they can cause lipstick to bleed. They have also been dubbed smoker’s lines because they frequently appear on people that smoke frequently. Other habits that may lead to their appearance include sucking on straws or pursing the lips over and over.
If collagen loss is a culprit in these aging symptoms, it makes sense that restoring support to the dermal structure can also reverse them. Lip injections do just that, targeting the underlying areas that have lost collagen to smooth and volumize lips from the inside out. Some of these treatments are also effective in smoothing away perioral lines to further enhance your results.
Know Your Options
There are many paths to lip enhancement today, but not all of them produce the same outcome. Lip fillers require a very smooth consistency that creates subtle volume without bumps or making the lips look overdone. Not all formulations used for anti-aging treatments fit that bill.
Volbella is one of the latest additions to the Juvederm family and designed explicitly for lip enhancement. This product features Vycross technology, which combines a variety of hyaluronic acid molecules, mixing and matching molecular weights to create a smooth consistency and results that last longer than other fillers. The technology also makes for a more comfortable procedure, since there tends to be less bruising and swelling from the lip injections. Lidocaine is also included in the formulation to add to patient comfort during treatment.
Volbella offers a secondary benefit not seen with many other lip fillers as well. The FDA has approved this product for treating perioral lines, smoothing them away for a more youthful pout. It is the first injectable lip treatment to be approved for this purpose. In fact, you can have both the lips and the lines treated in a single session in our office, which shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Ask the Right Questions
When choosing a clinic for your lip injections, there are a few questions you can ask to determine whether this is the right provider for you. It also helps to know what to expect during and after your procedure. Questions might include:
- What filler do you use for lip enhancement?
- Are there any contraindications for the produce?
- How long have you been doing injectable treatments?
- How many treatments do you perform each week?
- What would you recommend for my procedure?
- Will the injections hurt?
- Are there any side effects?
- How soon will I see results and how long should they last?
Dr. Smith is happy to answer all your questions at your consultation because she wants you to feel comfortable moving ahead with your procedure. At the end of your meeting, you can choose to have the treatment performed at that time or schedule another appointment for your procedure.
Choose an Experienced Provider
Injectable treatments may not be surgery, but they do require a degree of precision, skill and experience to perform correctly. Do not trust your lips to a provider that does not have the expertise to offer you an optimal outcome. Dr. Smith is a board-certified surgeon and soft tissue specialist, with more than a decade of experience in cosmetic procedures. In addition to her extensive experience in nonsurgical procedures like dermal fillers, she is certified in laser technology. Because she specializes in cosmetic treatments, she spends all her working hours performing these procedures for her patients.
Schedule Your Appointment
If you are ready to give your lips new life, now is the time to schedule your consultation with Dr. Smith. She will listen to your concerns and assess your needs to provide you with the best treatment plan for your aesthetic goals. If Volbella is the right lip injection for you, rest assured your procedure will be quick and relatively comfortable with no need for a recovery process afterward. Results become evident nearly right away and will last for up to one year before a touch-up procedure is required. To find out more today, contact Sapphire Advanced Aesthetics at 952-460-1970.