Healthy Body
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The Meteoric Rise of Nonsurgical Lip Augmentation:
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By Jill Valentino
In 2017, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reported that the demand for non-surgical lip augmentation had increased by a whopping 60% since 2000. Five years later, that percentage is likely even higher. Back in 2015, data collected by the ASPS indicated that more than 27,000 lip implant procedures had taken place in just that year, equating to about one augmentation every twenty minutes.
Today, with lip augmentation (also known as lip enhancement) more popular than ever, the rate of demand for this procedure has continued to steadily climb. Although it’s not for everyone, let’s look at the reasons for this dramatic increase in demand and how the procedure has become safer and less invasive.
Lip Enhancement: A Brief History
According to New Windsor, New York board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Fugo, D.O., “The world of plastic surgery has changed unimaginably since I was in fellowship over a decade ago.” To illustrate his point, he describes that shift in real time. “When I was in my early training,” Dr. Fugo explains, “fillers were just on the horizon, and not yet widely embraced.”
In 2017, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reported that the demand for non-surgical lip augmentation had increased by a whopping 60% since 2000. Five years later, that percentage is likely even higher. Back in 2015, data collected by the ASPS indicated that more than 27,000 lip implant procedures had taken place in just that year, equating to about one augmentation every twenty minutes.
Today, with lip augmentation (also known as lip enhancement) more popular than ever, the rate of demand for this procedure has continued to steadily climb. Although it’s not for everyone, let’s look at the reasons for this dramatic increase in demand and how the procedure has become safer and less invasive.
Lip Enhancement: A Brief History
According to New Windsor, New York board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Fugo, D.O., “The world of plastic surgery has changed unimaginably since I was in fellowship over a decade ago.” To illustrate his point, he describes that shift in real time. “When I was in my early training,” Dr. Fugo explains, “fillers were just on the horizon, and not yet widely embraced.”
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Initially, plastic surgeons were hesitant to switch use of the then-standard bovine-derived collagen lip fillers popularized in the 1990s and early 2000s to the newly developed, hyaluronic acid-based fillers commonly used in most dermal injections today. When asked why that was, Dr. Fugo lays some of the blame on a common personality trait many of his plastic surgeon peers often share. “Surgeons tend to be creatures of habit,” he explains. “Many of them will learn what they learn during training, go into practice having adopted certain strategies, and never change what they do.”
However, in the next breath, Dr. Fugo admits that the stubbornness of surgeons is not the sole reason for his peers’ hesitancy. “There’s a lot of junk, gimmicks, and garbage out there in the aesthetics world,” he admits. “But some products do come along that are legitimate.” |
“There’s a lot of junk, gimmicks, and garbage out there in the aesthetics world,” he admits. “But some products do come along that are legitimate.” ~ Dr. Jonathan Fugo, D.O. |
The Rise and Fall of Collagen
Collagen, the first widely used dermal filler, is extracted from cow hides and then synthetically treated for human use. Utilized mostly in the 1990s and early 2000s, collagen was at one time considered the ‘gold standard’ of all dermal fillers. However, use has fallen out of favor in recent years. Before the widespread use of collagen, the only option for lip enhancement was to have a surgical implant procedure Dr. Fugo refers to as “a disaster.” Due to the risk level and the often unfavorable aesthetic results of surgical lip augmentation, it is rarely performed by reputable plastic surgeons today.
While the advent of collagen did transform lip enhancement to a safer, nonsurgical, much more accessible and less expensive procedure, “collagen did have a significant downside,” says Dr. Fugo. “It was wildly unpredictable. Some people it worked very well for; others it did not. Collagen, when injected, tends to cause tremendous inflammation and swelling which can last up to two weeks or more, and a small subset of patients have even reported an anaphylactic response post-injection.”
In contrast to collagen’s overall moderate-to-severe inflammation risk and threat of complications, the next major innovation in dermal fillers, hyaluronic acid (HA)-based Restylane, boasts a much milder inflammatory response than that of collagen, lasting just a few days to one week. Restylane replaced collagen around the start of the 2010s to become the new dermal filler standard-bearer for lips. These days, even newer dermal fillers, such as Revanesse Versa (like Restylane it’s hyaluronic acid-based), are starting to take over the market because its greater HA-concentrated formula typically results in both softer lips and either a small degree of inflammation or none at all.
With all of collagen’s downfalls, however, Dr. Fugo credits it with “opening the gateway to what modern fillers became.” He adds, “After the advent of collagen, people started asking questions such as, ‘how can we make dermal fillers safer, more predictable, and more reliable?’ This led to the creation of fillers as we know them today.”
Today’s Fillers: Low Risk, High Demand
“Most dermal fillers used in the lips these days are made up of hyaluronic acid,” explains Dr. Fugo. “HAs are a natural derivative of human tissue. We all have hyaluronic acid in our bodies in various forms. The HAs used in fillers today are synthetic, but they are created in a way that doesn’t precipitate allergic reactions. Some people will have reactions to HA-based fillers, but those reactions are typically due to normal swelling or bacteria introduced through the skin while doing the injection, which is why injections need to be done carefully and cautiously by a well-trained professional.”
He concludes, “With modern day HA-based dermal filler, a once very taboo procedure – which carried significant risk and great expense – has been transformed into an easy, safe and quick procedure with a much lower risk of complications at a lesser expense.”
Lip Augmentation: A Cultural Shift
Back when lip augmentation procedures were strictly of a surgical nature, and even during much of the reign of collagen, many patients did not choose to admit that they had the procedure. However, social media in the 2000s changed things. “We are now bombarded with images of women who have had lip augmentation or whose photos have been altered to give the impression of unnatural lips,” says Dr. Fugo. “[Some] people then look at their normal lips in the mirror and want them to look like those pictures.”
In the case of women over 40, lip augmentation can be used as a cosmetic preventative measure given that “the volume in our face does lessen as we age,” explains Dr. Fugo. “However, in our local area [Hudson Valley region of New York], there is still a significant stigma that older women hold against these procedures. It’s not to say they don’t do them – they do – but they often don’t admit to it in public as freely as their younger counterparts,” Dr. Fugo explains.
Finally, if you are considering lip augmentation or another type of facial enhancement, be sure to do your research: How to Ensure Your Plastic Surgery is Safe (ASPS)
Collagen, the first widely used dermal filler, is extracted from cow hides and then synthetically treated for human use. Utilized mostly in the 1990s and early 2000s, collagen was at one time considered the ‘gold standard’ of all dermal fillers. However, use has fallen out of favor in recent years. Before the widespread use of collagen, the only option for lip enhancement was to have a surgical implant procedure Dr. Fugo refers to as “a disaster.” Due to the risk level and the often unfavorable aesthetic results of surgical lip augmentation, it is rarely performed by reputable plastic surgeons today.
While the advent of collagen did transform lip enhancement to a safer, nonsurgical, much more accessible and less expensive procedure, “collagen did have a significant downside,” says Dr. Fugo. “It was wildly unpredictable. Some people it worked very well for; others it did not. Collagen, when injected, tends to cause tremendous inflammation and swelling which can last up to two weeks or more, and a small subset of patients have even reported an anaphylactic response post-injection.”
In contrast to collagen’s overall moderate-to-severe inflammation risk and threat of complications, the next major innovation in dermal fillers, hyaluronic acid (HA)-based Restylane, boasts a much milder inflammatory response than that of collagen, lasting just a few days to one week. Restylane replaced collagen around the start of the 2010s to become the new dermal filler standard-bearer for lips. These days, even newer dermal fillers, such as Revanesse Versa (like Restylane it’s hyaluronic acid-based), are starting to take over the market because its greater HA-concentrated formula typically results in both softer lips and either a small degree of inflammation or none at all.
With all of collagen’s downfalls, however, Dr. Fugo credits it with “opening the gateway to what modern fillers became.” He adds, “After the advent of collagen, people started asking questions such as, ‘how can we make dermal fillers safer, more predictable, and more reliable?’ This led to the creation of fillers as we know them today.”
Today’s Fillers: Low Risk, High Demand
“Most dermal fillers used in the lips these days are made up of hyaluronic acid,” explains Dr. Fugo. “HAs are a natural derivative of human tissue. We all have hyaluronic acid in our bodies in various forms. The HAs used in fillers today are synthetic, but they are created in a way that doesn’t precipitate allergic reactions. Some people will have reactions to HA-based fillers, but those reactions are typically due to normal swelling or bacteria introduced through the skin while doing the injection, which is why injections need to be done carefully and cautiously by a well-trained professional.”
He concludes, “With modern day HA-based dermal filler, a once very taboo procedure – which carried significant risk and great expense – has been transformed into an easy, safe and quick procedure with a much lower risk of complications at a lesser expense.”
Lip Augmentation: A Cultural Shift
Back when lip augmentation procedures were strictly of a surgical nature, and even during much of the reign of collagen, many patients did not choose to admit that they had the procedure. However, social media in the 2000s changed things. “We are now bombarded with images of women who have had lip augmentation or whose photos have been altered to give the impression of unnatural lips,” says Dr. Fugo. “[Some] people then look at their normal lips in the mirror and want them to look like those pictures.”
In the case of women over 40, lip augmentation can be used as a cosmetic preventative measure given that “the volume in our face does lessen as we age,” explains Dr. Fugo. “However, in our local area [Hudson Valley region of New York], there is still a significant stigma that older women hold against these procedures. It’s not to say they don’t do them – they do – but they often don’t admit to it in public as freely as their younger counterparts,” Dr. Fugo explains.
Finally, if you are considering lip augmentation or another type of facial enhancement, be sure to do your research: How to Ensure Your Plastic Surgery is Safe (ASPS)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Lip Augmentation (WebMD page)
Restylane’s Website
Juvederm’s Website
Revanesse Versa’s Website
Collagen Lip Injections Medic8 Page
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Lip Augmentation (WebMD page)
Restylane’s Website
Juvederm’s Website
Revanesse Versa’s Website
Collagen Lip Injections Medic8 Page
Jill Valentino is an educator, freelance writer, essayist, tutor, and educational video and teaching materials creator. Her work has been published in Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Woman's Day, and Hudson Valley Parent magazine. She is a regular contributor for Sanctuary.
