Angelina Jolie. Megan Fox. Lovely women, made more desirable by their sexy pouty lips.
A new study by Unilever done on Dutch women revealed that even if a woman shows other signs of ageing, such as wrinkles or tired hair, fuller lips can make a woman appear younger to test groups. In a nut shell, women want those lips!
The Perfect Lip
The perfect lip, in my opinion, is plump and pillowy, with well defined lip borders, and upturned lip corners. The ratio of the height of the upper lip to the lower lip should be about 1:4 to 1:6. The 2 vertical lines which run down from the nose to the upper lip (the philtrum) should be well defined and visible. The lower lip contour should be symmetrical on both sides with slightly less volume in the midline, giving a dumbbell shape. Finally, the skin on the perfect lip is smooth and well hydrated.
Causes of thinning lips
Our lips begin to thin after 30 years of age. The lip border definition is lost, the volume diminishes, and the lip corners begin to droop downwards, giving the face a sad looking appearance. While genetic factors play a large part on how fast the lips thin, external factors such as smoking, stress and sun damage play a part as well!
Hyaluronic Acid Fillers – the best choice for lips
Dermal fillers are by far the best way to enhance the lips. With the proper technique, the perfect lip described above can be achieved with dermal fillers. Hyaluronic Acid fillers are my favourite as they produce excellent and natural results. Hyaluronic fillers also smoothen the lip surface and improve hydration, making them look luscious and youthful.
Many people have the impression that fillers will make their lips look unnatural and swollen , but they cannot be more wrong. I personally tailor the treatments to the needs of my Asian patients, such that their lips do not become overly full after fillers. For me, the final look should be such that the extra volume appears it was meant to be there all along.
Latest Trends
These days, the bee-stung lips of the Brazilian swimsuit models of the 80s and early 90s are no longer popular (and look scary in my opinion). I feel that Asians tend to place more emphasis in the lip definition rather than the lip volume itself.
Men have also started to explore lip augmentation, although many times, they request for it for feng-shui purposes: well defined, full lips express honestly, loyalty and friendliness, and hence are desired by businessmen.
Hi Dr Siew, I'd like to know if fillers can be used to make a short upper lip look less obvious (in other words reveal less of the front teeth as well as help ease out the 'triangular' shape of the upper lip). Would appreciate your help! (:
Dear Des, <br /><br />From your description, its difficult to determine what the problem is.. IT would be better if you can come down for us to take a look!
Dear Self-Conscious,<br /><br />I am actually referring to the little depression in the midline, such that the lower lip looks like 2 pillows on each side of the mid line.. <br /><br />If you could come down for me to have a look, I could see what I can do to help you with your lower lip.. Take care!