Lip Augmentation
Conveniently located to serve Tacoma
Lip augmentation can give you plumper and fuller lips. Board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Roy Semlacher is a top provider of lip augmentation in Tacoma. He employs surgical and non-surgical techniques to achieve natural-looking lip enhancement for his patients.
What Is lip augmentation?
Beautiful, full lips are all the rage today in a pop-culture world where thinner ones just don’t make quite the same impression. For patients in the Pacific Northwest who have this kind of dilemma, Dr. Roy Semlacher often recommends this procedure to plump up the lips and make them fuller.
Lip augmentation is a cosmetic procedure that can involve the use of injectable dermal fillers to increase the volume of the lips to make them more shapely. This may also improve the overall appearance of the lips by reducing wrinkles and fine lines around it. This procedure may also involve surgical methods when patients desire longer lasting results.
Can everyone receive lip augmentation?
An ideal candidate for this procedure should be healthy overall. Suitable candidates for surgery must not smoke or must be willing to quit smoking beforehand. Ideal candidates have realistic expectations. Certain conditions like diabetes, cold sores, lupus, blood clotting issues, or any form of scarring on the lips can disqualify the patient for this procedure.
What should you expect from your lip augmentation consultation?
A consultation with us will help determine if you are a suitable candidate for lip augmentation. Take it as your chance to ask in-depth questions about the procedure.
During the consultation, be upfront about your medical history, including current medications, supplements, and vitamins. Certain medications (like blood thinners) can affect blood clotting and thus may need to be altered or avoided beforehand. Dr. Semlacher will need this information to develop a customized treatment plan.
What are the methods used in lip augmentation?
In general, this procedure can be performed either by the injection of dermal fillers, or with the use of implants and other types of surgery specifically used for enhancement.
Injectable options for lip augmentation include:
- Synthetic dermal fillers like Artecoll and synthetic collagen
- Autologous fat transfers, fascia, and collagen transfers, which is harvesting the patient’s own fat, fascia tissues, or collagen and injecting it directly into the lips for enhancement
- Dermalogen or fat harvested from deceased donors
- Derivatives of naturally occurring hyaluronic acid including Restylane and Hylaform
Lip implants or other augmentation techniques will require local anesthesia for the procedure, and could take up to two hours to complete, depending upon the final results that the patient wants to achieve. Options include:
- Alloderm, or a sheet of collagen harvested from deceased donors that are inserted through tiny incisions inside the lip.
- Fat grafting is the technique of implanting sections of the patient’s own fat deposits into the lips to achieve the fullness that they desire.
- The implantation of synthetic materials that are not assimilated by the body will result in fuller lips that achieve a more permanent result, but could potentially initiate an allergic reaction because of their composition.
- Flap grafting is another technique for this procedure, that involves taking sections of tissue and skin from the inside flap of the patient’s mouth and transferring that to the lip area. This is often recommended as the last resort for this procedure because of its invasiveness.
What is aftercare like?
Before you leave the facility, you will get instructions for taking care of your lips after lip augmentation. These may include keeping your head in an elevated position while you sleep and going on a soft food diet for a few days after the surgery. Other tips include refraining from moving your lips too much and using a cold compress on your lips for a few days.
Recovery time varies depending on what lip augmentation you’ve had. Lip fillers often have minimal to zero downtime. On the other hand, surgical lip augmentation may require several days to a few weeks before the swelling, redness, and bruising start to subside.
Lip augmentation shows immediate results, making your lips appear fuller after the procedure. You can expect this regardless of what method was used.
How Much Does Lip Augmentation Cost?
The price of your lip enhancement procedure will depend on the specific techniques Dr. Semlacher recommends to best achieve your aesthetic goals. After Dr. Semlacher creates your personalized treatment plan, the cost associated with your procedure and financing options will be reviewed with you.
Schedule a Consultation for Lip Augmentation in Tacoma
Contact our office to schedule a consultation about your lip augmentation in Tacoma and find out the optimal treatment approach for enhancing your lips. We look forward to helping you look your best!
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