Rejuvenation of the lip area
Often, lip augmentation alone does not give the expected effect, because the skin around the red lips can look bad and old. It is therefore worth taking care of the entire lip area to achieve the best possible effect. This is especially important for slightly older people. After the age of 40 or even earlier, so-called smoker’s wrinkles of varying degrees of intensity may appear here. They may be barely noticeable only during facial expressions. In addition, in more difficult cases, they may take the form of deep, fixed furrows with features of elastosis and discoloration. They can appear on both the upper and lower lips.
Rejuvenation of the lip area – treatments
In mild cases, at a younger age, lip contouring performed using special techniques is usually sufficient, generally giving satisfactory and lasting effects. In these more difficult cases, with deep and fixed changes, the use of hyaluronic acid alone can sometimes only worsen the appearance. In such cases, it is necessary to consider the use of deep skin resurfacing techniques.
The most commonly used tool today is the fractional CO2 laser. It should be remembered that such procedures should be performed by an experienced doctor. There is a high risk of complications in the form of discoloration in this area. They are difficult to treat later and take months. Their pathogenesis and morphology are more complicated than in the case of melasma. So-called post-inflammatory discoloration occurs
Peel containing phenol is one of the less frequently used methods of deep exfoliation of this area of the face. They provide fantastic results if an experienced doctor knows how to use them properly. Unfortunately, the high price of the procedures and the long period of exclusion of the patient from social life mean that such procedures are performed relatively rarely.
What to expect?
Rejuvenation of the lip area performed correctly provides spectacular effects and can, in some cases, make the patient look many years younger. Achieving this goal may additionally require the use of combined, multi-stage techniques. Botox is sometimes used for this purpose, but I would advise less experienced doctors against performing this type of procedure. A very small number of patients qualify for such procedures. What’s more, the effects are usually unsatisfactory and the technique itself is associated with a significant risk of complications. To improve and maintain a good effect of rejuvenation of the lip area, mesotherapy treatments should be performed in cycles in various forms – i.e. traditionally and using devices for dense micro-needling. Good hydration of the skin around the lips obtained with the appropriate use of various preparations, including weakly cross-linked hyaluronic acid, makes this area retain a youthful appearance for many years.