Generality
Thin lips are considered by many people as a real aesthetic defect that must be resisted.
Having little bulky lips can be a problem for both women and men, even if the female sex tends to "worry" more about this feature.
In the common imagination, having full and fleshy lips is a symbol of beauty and sensuality and it is probably for this reason that many female exponents consider thin lips as a real flaw to fight . On the other hand, there are also women who think differently and who, instead of considering thin lips as a problem, consider them as a characteristic trait that can be enhanced with the right precautions.
However, for many women (and sometimes men) who want to give new volume and fullness to their lips, the world of cosmetics and cosmetic surgery responds loudly by offering a wide range of products, treatments and interventions suitable for every need and to every pocket.
During the article, therefore, the main treatments - cosmetic and aesthetic medicine - that can be used to flesh out thin lips will be analyzed.
Filler
Using the Filler to Replenish Thin Lips
Fillers are products used in the field of aesthetic medicine to replenish empty areas (for example, due to aging processes) or areas that are physiologically lacking in volume, as happens, in fact, in the case of thin lips. Not surprisingly, the word "filler" comes from the verb "to fill" which means "fill".
More in detail, fillers are substances capable of exerting a filling action in the areas in which they are injected, including lips. In this regard, we recall that given the method of administration, the treatment of thin lips with fillers must be carried out only and exclusively by competent medical personnel specialized in this field. In fact, although it is a relatively simple aesthetic medicine treatment, poorly performed filler administration can lead to side effects and even serious complications.
Filler types
Depending on the characteristics and components of the filler, it is possible to distinguish:
- Permanent fillers: these are fillers composed of substances of synthetic origin that can not be absorbed by the body (polymeric materials). Therefore, the results obtained with this type of products are long-lasting. On the other hand, permanent fillers can cause allergic reactions, side effects and complications even years after their administration.
- Semi-permanent fillers: these are fillers composed of both resorbable and synthetic non-absorbable substances (polylactic acid, collagen associated with polymethylmethacrylate, etc.). The results obtained with these products have a duration that varies from one to three years.
- Resorbable or biological fillers: these are particular types of fillers entirely composed of substances that can be completely absorbed by the body (collagen and hyaluronic acid). The results obtained with these fillers have a shorter duration, ranging from a few weeks to six months.
Currently, the fillers most commonly used to give new volume to thin lips are precisely the absorbable ones, as they are better tolerated and because they allow a more natural volumizing effect to be obtained.
Side effects and complications
The side effects and the possible complications deriving from the injection of fillers in the lips may vary depending on the type of filler used, but also depending on the skill with which the doctor performs the treatment. Furthermore, there may be some variability between one patient and another, as each can react differently to the administration of the product. However, among the various side effects and the possible complications that can occur, we recall:
- Swelling of the lips;
- Appearance of small bruises;
- Feeling of soreness;
- Local necrosis;
- Possible onset of allergic reactions.
For more information on fillers that can be used to flesh out thin lips, see also the dedicated articles: Lip Filler - Hyaluronic Acid Lip Filler - Lip Filler - Techniques, Treatment, Risks and Complications.
Lipofilling
Volumize Thin Lips with Lipofilling
Lipofilling is an aesthetic medicine treatment that can be used to flesh out thin lips, just as it can be used to give volume and fill other areas of the face or body (breast, buttocks, etc.), or to fill and smooth out wrinkles.
Also known as " lipostructuring intervention ", lipofilling is a technique of aesthetic medicine which involves taking fat from the patient in areas where it is physiologically more abundant (for example, thighs, abdomen, etc.) and the its subsequent re-injection in the areas to be filled on the same patient.
More in detail, lipofilling is performed by taking adipose tissue from the same patient ( autologous fat ) in an area where it is present in large quantities. After that, the autologous fat is subjected to a purification process using a centrifuge before being injected into the patient's body areas that need volume.
The use of lipofilling to replenish thin lips is spreading a lot since it allows to obtain extremely natural results with a risk of practically zero allergies . In contrast, autologous injected fat tends to be partially reabsorbed in the early periods after treatment in an unpredictable percentage. Because of this phenomenon, therefore, it may be necessary to perform more than one treatment.
Please note
Lipofilling cannot be performed in an outpatient setting, as autologous fat is, to all intents and purposes, a real cosmetic surgery . As such, it must be performed in the operating room, generally under local anesthesia with sedation . Clearly, such an intervention can be performed only and exclusively by specialized aesthetic surgeons who work in suitable and qualified facilities.
To learn more: Lipofilling »Hyaluronic acid
Applications of Hyaluronic Acid to Fill Thin Lips
Hyaluronic acid - glycosaminoglycan of fundamental importance which is part of the composition of all the connective tissues of the organism - can be a valid aid in fleshing out thin lips even when applied externally and not only when injected as a filler.
The external application of hyaluronic acid on thin lips, in fact, can lead to a slight increase in their volume, even if the result will have a rather short duration.
However, to give volume to thin lips, hyaluronic acid can be used in specific dermo-cosmetic products . These are products that can be purchased in pharmacies or parapharmacies made with low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, or with hyaluronic acid molecules with different molecular weights (for example, Fillerina®). These products, generally made in the form of gel, must be applied to the area to be treated (such as, for example, thin lips, breasts or other areas of the face or body) and left to act for about 10 minutes. Depending on the product used, to give volume to thin lips, it may take from two to three applications a day, for a total duration of treatment that can vary from two weeks to a month.
Please note
Hyaluronic acid is a very large molecule which, when applied as it is on the skin, is difficult to absorb. By fragmenting the molecule, on the other hand, it is possible to obtain low molecular weight hyaluronic acid with decidedly lower dimensions, such as to allow cutaneous absorption. Only by reaching the deepest layers of the skin, in fact, hyaluronic acid is able to exert a plumping and volumizing action, even on thin lips.
On the contrary, the whole hyaluronic acid molecule cannot penetrate deeply and, therefore, remains at a superficial level, where it is in any case able to exert a good moisturizing action .
Cosmetics
Cosmetic Products Used to Donate Volume to Thin Lips
Since thin lips represent a problem particularly felt by many women, the cosmetic and make-up industry has made specific products available for the correction of what many believe to be a defect.
In jargon, the cosmetics specifically formulated to make thin lips fleshy and turgid are called " lip plumper " (from English lip - lips and plumper - fleshy). These are generally gels, or sometimes real lip glosses (lip gloss) able to give a thinner and more fleshy appearance to thin lips.
Curiosity
Women who play a wind instrument belonging to the brass group and equipped with a mouthpiece (trumpet, trombone, etc.) can do without plumping cosmetics to make thin lips, especially if the instrument is played professionally. In fact, when instruments of this kind are played, the lips are pushed forward, inside the mouth, adhering and vibrating to the passage of air. Because of these phenomena - indispensable for emitting sounds from the instrument - the blood circulation at the local level increases, the lips swell seeming more fleshy and plumped up. Clearly, this is a temporary effect that tends to fade within a few hours; however, it is generally well visible and it is the same effect that one tries to achieve with the aforementioned cosmetics.
Ingredients contained in Lip Plumper Cosmetics
The latest-generation volumizing cosmetics for thin lips are generally formulated with ingredients capable of stimulating the local and superficial blood circulation, thus promoting lip enlargement. In other words, these are ingredients with more or less intense revulsive activity . It is not surprising, therefore, that in some of the aforementioned products natural ingredients are used which derive from plants such as cinnamon or chilli, notoriously endowed with the aforementioned property. Of course, the legislation governing the preparation and marketing of similar cosmetics requires the use of safe ingredients that are not harmful to health (on the other hand, the risk of developing allergic reactions, as for any other product, is always present and not can be expected).
Did you know that ...
The first cosmetic products used to give volume to thin lips were formulated with rather aggressive ingredients, capable of causing strong burning and irritation, which is why the lips appeared more swollen. Fortunately, nowadays formulations of this type are painless, or eventually cause a slight prickling / tingling sensation generally well tolerated and temporary.
Alternative Tools
Alternative Tools to Volumize Thin Lips
Finally, for information, let us recall the presence on the market of alternative instruments - and, to tell the truth, also quite bizarre - created to volumize thin lips without applying products of any kind. Basically these are instruments made of plastic or rubber material and have a cylindrical shape. One end of the instrument is closed, while the other is open and has a border on which it is necessary to rest one's lips and inhale, thus causing a sort of "vacuum" condition thanks to which the lips are "sucked" and held back inside the instrument. In this way, local blood circulation is increased and the lips swell. The operation described above must be repeated several times, until the desired volume is reached.
There are also other instruments similar to those just described, but connected to a pump that must be pressed several times to "suck" the lips and create the vacuum condition mentioned above. In addition to being undoubtedly unusual instruments, the result obtained - although evident - is not lasting. Furthermore, due to the pressure exerted, unsightly red marks can be created around the lips which, paradoxically, can remain on the face much longer than the much sought after volumizing effect.
Make-up
Make up Thin Lips to Volumize them or to Enhance them
When you want to remedy the problem of thin lips without resorting to specific cosmetic or dermo-cosmetic products, cosmetic surgery treatments or alternative tools of dubious utility, or when you simply want to enhance this part of the face, you can resort to use of make-up by adopting simple tricks and a few tricks.
Volumizing Thin Lips with Make-up
To make thin lips appear larger and more voluminous, it may be useful to follow the following tips:
- Using a lip pencil, redefine the contour by pushing a millimeter beyond what is the natural contour. In this way, thin lips can gain a little more volume. Clearly, in order to avoid an artificial effect, or worse, the clown effect, one must not exaggerate with the redefinition.
- Create a play of light by applying a thin brush with a bit of liquid concealer outside the lip contour, even better if the concealer in question is a lighter shade than the complexion. In this way, an optical effect should be created for which the thin lips will seem more turgid and voluminous.
- Create an additional play of light by applying an illuminant on the cupid's bow . Thanks to the effect given by the illuminant, thin lips will appear even more defined and voluminous.
Enhance Thin Lips with Make-up
If, on the other hand, thin lips are not considered a problem, make-up can be used to enhance them. In this regard, it is advisable:
- Preferably use brightly colored lipsticks with a glossy finish .
- If you want to use dark colored lipsticks, redesign the cupid bow to get a shape similar to that of a heart, in this way you get a very elegant look, enhanced even more by the small size of the thin lips.
- If you want to use matte-finish lipsticks, choose intense and bright shades .
Clearly, those listed above are simple tips, whose usefulness and applicability may vary from person to person.
Did you know that ...
On the market there are many lipsticks and lip gloss formulated with hyaluronic acid that promise to give a new volume to thin lips. In truth, the hyaluronic acid present in these make-up products is generally high molecular weight and, as such, hardly absorbed by the skin. Therefore, their effectiveness in giving volume and fullness to thin lips is generally limited.
