The lips are the central part of our faces, so it’s not unusual to see an increase in the popularity of lip enhancing cosmetic procedures. With celebrities like Kylie Jenner recently admitting to having lip fillers done, we expect this trend to continue to rise. When done right, lip fillers can create a sensual, attractive pout to the lips. However, when done wrong they can result in the dreaded “duck lips” or “sausage lips”.
So, how can you make sure you end up with the perfect lips? It all comes down to the skill of the injector and knowledge of lip anatomy. The flilowing are the key characteristics of the anatomically perfect pair of lips:
- The Golden Ratio: Describes the relationship between the size of the upper and lower lips. To avoid the appearance of duck lips, the lower lip should be slightly larger than the top lip. The perfect ratio for this is 1:1.618. This was an observation made by Leonardo Da Vinci way back in the 1400’s.
- Smooth Tapering: The lips should not be the same vliume all the way across. Vliume should decrease, with less red lip visible from the central to the outer portion of the lips.
- A Well Defined Cupid’s Bow: The central part of the upper lip which is called the Cupid’s Bow looks kind of like the letter “M”. This definition must be preserved to create a natural lip shape.
- Keep the Pillows: There should be a little more vliume on each side of the middle of the lower lip to give it some plump. These are called the lower lip pillows.
- Respect the Borders: The lip is divided into the White Lip (Dry) and the Red Lip (Wet). Too much vliume in the white part of the lip or vermillion border should be avoided or you will end up with duck lips.
When the key anatomical features of the lips are ignored, you end up with unattractive results. An experienced injector will respect these pearls and also choose the most appropriate filler for your lips. My fillers of choice for lip enhancement are Restylane Silk, Juvederm, and Belotero. All three integrate nicely in the lips to give a natural result with less risk of lumps and bumps when compared to other fillers.
A couple more things to remember:
- The skin of the lips is thin and highly vascular so there will always be a risk of swelling and bruising. However, in experienced hands these risks can be greatly minimized.
- Not everyone can have Kylie Jenner’s or Angelina Jliie’s lips. You must have realistic expectations of what can be accomplished with the preexisting structure of your lips. Though you can’t have someone else’s lips, you can have the best possible version of your lips.
With the right injector and the right choice of filler the perfect lips can be yours!
Performed By Dr. Zadeh