Are you considering having lip injections, but are scared of looking like one of the Kardashians? Many women who visit our office have considered a lip augmentation, but never took the plunge worried that they may end up leaving with “duck lips”. This year a study was performed by JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery to determine what men and women today felt like was the perfect amount of filler in lips. The study included 98 volunteers, of these volunteers 76 were female and the rest were males. Each participant was asked to view photographs of lips that were altered in five sets up features: upper lip, lower lip, upper and lower lip, and shape of the Cupid’s bow. The participants were asked whether they felt the lips were augmented or not and if so, did they look attractive or unnatural.
The results? Not surprising at all, the study found that if the lower lip looked either too big or too small in relation to the upper lip participants felt the look was unnatural. The human eye is a brutal critic, the study showed there is a very small window within which the lips still have a natural form. Participants felt that if both lips were enhanced it presented with a more natural look. Another interesting fact that the study showed was that any enhancement to the Cupid’s bow, the “V” shape in the center of the upper lip, participants associated the lip augmentation with a more artificial look or that the lips seemed to be “over done.”
The old saying “less is more” can definitely be applied to this situation. The best way to give a natural look is to just enhance what a patient already has by altering upper and lower lips at the same time. A true natural look can be achieved by creating a balance of all three components, generally a larger lower lip compared to an upper lip with a slight augmentation to the Cupid’s bow. However, not all lips are made equally, there is always an exception to the rule, so what size lip looks best on you is up to you and your provider!
Our injector Terri, always strives to achieve a more natural look with our patients. At Spa Medical we tend to use more conservative measures on our patients using the three components listed above. Terri’s rule of thumb for perfect proportion in lips would be 60% volume on the lower and 40% volume on the upper. Achieving the perfect lips for each patient is an art and requires an injector like Terri who possesses a true artistic ability when shaping lips. Terri must approach each face individually, because in most cases facial features dictate size of lips.
