Question:
I would like shapelier lips without surgery. Are silicone injections the only option for lip augmentation?
Answer:
In order to get shapelier lips, I would advise against surgery. In terms of the use of silicone, I do have some colleagues who are using liquid silicone and obtaining decent results with respect to the appearance of the lips. However, I am not a big fan of silicone injections or the use of any permanent injectable fillers for numerous reasons. My biggest hesitation is the permanence of the injections and the potential long term issues that can arise from these injectable fillers. The permanent fillers do not change as our face ages, but, the rest of the face does change. What may look fantastic when the permanent fillers are intitially injected, has the potential to look fake and distorted in a face that has aged even a few years following the injections. There are solid soft silicone implants available for lip augmentationthat have shown some promise and they can be removed if necessary or exchanged if the shape is not quite correct. My first preference for lip augmentation is still dermal fillers. They are fast, safe, effective, and easily injected in the office.
