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Noticing that your lips are more chapped than usual? You’re not alone. Although winter weather can be a great change from hot summer days, the seasonal change can significantly impact your skin’s health. While most patients prepare their skin for the weather change by refreshing their daily skin care routine, the lips are too often overlooked and left to dry out. Rather than applying tubes of Chapstick over the coming months, hyaluronic acid fillers might be your best bet for adding moisture to lips.

Why Winter Means Dry Lips

There are a few factors that contribute to the development of dry skin and chapped lips as soon as the weather chills. For starters, winter usually means less moisture in the air. Exposure to cold, dry air outside combined with typical sun exposure can cause lips to lose moisture quickly. With more of your day spent indoors with the thermostat turned up high, your lips can quickly dry and become chapped or cracked.

Beyond the environmental factors, behavior and self-care can also play a role in how quickly skin can dry out. Even if you’re not regularly breaking a sweat, staying hydrated is especially important during the winter. Dehydration and a salt-heavy diet can also dry out lips and lead to unpleasant chapping. While it may seem counter-intuitive, licking or biting your lips repeatedly or over-applying products that have a lot of additives can worsen the condition.

Hyaluronic Fillers – The Answer to Your Chapped Lips

Most patients are familiar with hyaluronic fillers as a way of discreetly filling in thin wrinkles around the face and adding volume to thin lips. However, the same factor that provides these dermal fillers with such success can also help your lips retain moisture better, even during the driest winter month.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance usually found in the skin and connective tissue. Whereas collagen helps to add volume to the lips, hyaluronic acid helps skin cells retain moisture, keeping lips looking healthy and full. While hyaluronic acid can be applied topically as a serum or ingested as a supplement, the best and most immediate results are found when it is injected as a dermal filler. In this form, patients not only get the added benefit of improved lip hydration but can also enjoy a fuller-looking pout.

Regain Your Luscious Lips at BHPS

Not all hyaluronic fillers are the same. At BHPS, we offer several high-end brands that are backed by patient success stories. These include:

Restylane

Great for treating smile lines, marionette lines and adding volume to lips, Restylane is among the better-known dermal fillers available. Treatment results usually last up to six months, making it an excellent option for patients looking to overcome dry lips but who may not necessarily want augmented lips year-round.

Juvederm

Another popular hyaluronic filler, Juvederm offers a full suite of filler options that are formulated to meet different needs. As Juvederm has been shown to last up to a year, patients looking to increase lip volume as well as treat chapped lips find Juvederm to be an excellent option.

As dermal fillers are non-invasive, treatment is usually a 30 minutes session that can be easily worked into busy schedules. Once the filler has been applied, our team will provide you with post-treatment instructions as well as recommendations for protecting your lips throughout the remainder of the winter.

Enjoy a Beautiful Smile from BHPS

Don’t spend the winter covering your smile. If chapped or cracked lips are keeping you from feeling confident in your appearance or are being unpleasant or painful, call Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery. Our specialists can help you find the right treatment solution for a smile.

 

Rapid advancements in the technology of cosmetic procedures have made it possible for people to achieve dramatic changes in their appearance without a single incision or suture. Indeed, the popularity of injectable dermal fillers has skyrocketed in recent years.

Dermal fillers can help you attain the perfect pout that’s been popping up all over your Instagram feed; however, there are a few key things you should know if you’re thinking about getting a lip augmentation.

How Injectable Fillers Work

Cosmetic fillers are made from biocompatible materials, based on substances your body produces naturally. Fillers such as those in the Juvéderm family of products are FDA-approved for enhancing volume using hyaluronic acid, which acts like a soft cushion to plump lips. Hyaluronic acid, which is found in virtually all living things, also has humectant properties, which means it attracts water particles for even softer volume.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lip Augmentation

Q: Will augmented lips feel different than natural lips?

A: When properly injected by a skilled, qualified cosmetic injector, lip fillers shouldn’t feel any different from natural lips.

Q: Does the procedure hurt?

A: Initially, you’ll feel a little pinch and sting from the tiny needle used to perform the injection. If you prefer, you can ask for numbing cream beforehand or ice afterward to minimize your discomfort.

Q: Are there any side effects?

A: The most common side effects of dermal fillers are swelling, firmness, pain, bruising, and lumps. These are all temporary and should resolve within a week. As you recover, you may want to use ice packs and over-the-counter pain medication to minimize swelling and bruising. Other, rarer risks of using fillers include itching, infection, discoloration, or an allergic reaction. If you experience any of these, please call our office immediately.

Q: Will my results be permanent?

A: Your body will eventually absorb the filler naturally, which means you will need to get “refresher” treatments every six months to a year if you want to maintain your look. Your age, health, and any history of smoking are all factors in how long you can expect your results to last.

Q: Is there any downtime?

A: The procedure takes less than an hour, and the numbing will start to wear off after about 15 minutes. You can resume your daily activities afterward, but it’s best not to make any major plans for at least a week in case you bruise. You should also skip your workout on the day of your procedure, in addition to avoiding any other activities that increase blood flow to your face, such as getting a massage or a facial.

Q: What happens if I decide I don’t like my results?

A: One advantage of hyaluronic acid-based fillers is that an enzyme called hyaluronidase can counteract the effects, even before the fillers naturally dissolve into your body. If you are unsatisfied with the look of your lips for whatever reason after evaluating your results for at least one week, it is possible to reverse the effects of HA-based fillers.

Q: What will my lips look like if I eventually stop getting hyaluronic fillers?

A: It’s an urban myth that your lips will sag and wrinkle if you fail to maintain a regimen of HA-based injectables. Your lips will just return to their pre-injected state. However, hyaluronic acid has been proven to jumpstart your body’s natural hyaluronic acid production, so it’s possible your lips could naturally remain a little bit larger.

Q: Who can perform my lip augmentation procedure?

A: To avoid complications and ensure optimal results, you’ll want to seek a licensed and certified expert who is highly experienced in this procedure. At Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, our aesthetic injection specialist Sophia Kim has trained at one of the top practices in the nation and works individually with all her patients to tailor treatments that look completely natural.

Get Your Fillers at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery

We’re proud to offer minimally invasive, non-surgical options for patients who are looking for ways to achieve a selfie-perfect pout with no downtime and long-lasting results. Contact us to schedule your consultation and get the look you’ve been dreaming of.