With Valentine’s day just around the corner, what better time to think about improving your pucker? The mouth is such a sensuous feature—one we love to play up with lipsticks and glosses. (Be honest, how many tubes of lipcolor are lurking in your makeup bag?!) Too-thin lips may make you feel like your pout is less than perfect. Artists have known since the time of Leonardo DaVinci that symmetry of the face is key to what’s classically considered beautiful, and the mouth plays a starring role in that. A rounded, lush lip on a face lends well to a healthy, pleasant, happy appearance. For the lip, according to this mathematical beauty equation, the ratio of the top lip (also called the “cupid’s bow”) to the bottom lip should be 40/60. But if you feel out of proportion, and your upper lip is too thin, that’s where lip augmentation comes in.
Restylane is the filler that’s FDA approved for use in the lips and gives extremely natural-looking results. It is a hyaluronic acid gel that acts very much like the body’s own hyaluronic acid for restoring volume to the skin. MK Maloney, an injection specialist who works for Medicis, stopped by my office the other day to talk about lip augmentation. We were laughing about some of the horrifying examples you see out there (on the street and in the celebrity weeklies)—she called them ‘coconut lips.’ The truth is that when lip augmentation is matched to the rest of the face, it enhances your look completely. Not everyone needs an Angelina Jolie-like pout to look great. Younger women may seek lip injections to simply improve the shape or proportion of their lips—in order to achieve better facial symmetry. And as we age, the lips naturally lose volume and definition. So even if you always loved your lips, you might suddenly feel they need a little boost.
To learn more about lip filler injections, visit WebMD.com.
In the right hands, Restylane injections help create kissable lips—that no one will ever suspect aren’t totally natural. And best of all, the results can last for up to six months. Now that’s something to celebrate on February 14th!