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With aging the upper lip can undergo several undesirable changes such as
thinning of the lips, a relative lose of pout and the development of a longer
distance between the base of the nose and the upper border of the upper
lip. Improvement of this area can significantly help rejuvenate the face.
This surgical technique can also be used in young individual's who have thin lips that desire fuller, more sensual ones.
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Before lip augmentation |
3 months post-op |
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11 months post-op |
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There is a multitude of techniques available, in
which foreign material is
either injected or surgically placed in the lips. The downside to all of these
is it is either temporary, or if it is permanent, the lip may never regain
normal sensation, may not animate appropriately when one talks or smiles,
or the implant may be either visible or palpable.
For these reasons, Dr. Semlacher prefers to augment lips with Alloderm, as
this soft tissue filler has minimal downsides.
Alloderm is freeze-dried tissue from donated human skin. Alloderm is regulated by the FDA as human tissue for transplantation.
WHO SHOULD NOT HAVE ALLODERM IMPLANTED? Patients exhibiting
autoimmune connective tissue disease. It is contraindicated in infected or
nonvascular surgical sites.
POTENTIAL POST-OPERATIVE PROBLEMS:
1) Suture site infection- usually resolves without graft removal and antibiotic
treatment alone
2) Graft infection- this will require graft removal and antibiotic treatment.
3) Wound opening - at entrance site for graft placement. This requires
resuturing of the site and antibiotics.
4) Graft palpability- this is usually present for two to three months and then
resolves.
5) Altered lip sensation- this occurs with the swelling and surgery. This
should totally resolve within 3 to 6 months.
6) Swelling- the lips will remain swollen for approximately 2 to 3 months but
at approximately 2 weeks one will be presentable in public.
Longevity of the graft- it appears that at 2 years the augmented lips will
retain about 85% of their bulk. There is the small risk that the graft will be
totally absorbed in a several month period and this would require further
augmentation.
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