Dr Mark Sofonio - Palm Springs Board Certified Plastic Surgeon


Cosmetic Lip Surgery

 

 

 Cosmetic Lip Surgery

Whether you have always had thin lips or you want to return your lips to the shape and fullness they had when you were younger, cosmetic lip surgery may provide you with the look you want. If you are dissatisfied or self-conscious about your lips, this surgery can open up new possibilities for you to change your appearance and self-image.

Cosmetic lip surgery procedures increase the size of the lips to make them fuller and more attractive. The procedure is used to help women and men of all ages. The upper or lower lip may be treated singly, or both upper and lower lips may be augmented at the same time.

There are three primary means of cosmetic lip surgery:

  • Injectable Filler — the lips are enlarged by injecting a filler such as Collagen, Artecoll, and Silicone. The Autologen filler is made from the patient's own skin. Other options are injections of donated tissue, or autologous fat transplantation from another part of the body.
  • Injectable Bio-Catylist — the lips are exposed to a chemical through injection and this chemical causes the lips to grow larger.
  • Lip Implants — some form of implant, either synthetic or biological is inserted into the lips.

Collagen, often used in cosmetic lip surgery, is a naturally occurring protein that provides support to various parts of the human body: the skin, the joints, the bones and the ligaments. Injectable collagen, patented by the Collagen Corporation under the trade names Zyderm and Zyplast, is derived from purified bovine collagen. The purification process creates a product similar to human collagen. Injectable collagen received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 1981. It is produced in various thicknesses to meet individual patient needs.

Bio-Catylists include: Fibril, a gelatin powder compound that's mixed with a patient's own blood and is injected to plump up the skin (similar to injectable collagen); and Gortex, a thread-like material that is implanted beneath the skin to add soft-tissue support.

In the medical world, the fat-injection procedure is known as autologous fat transplantation or microlipoinjection. It involves extracting fat cells from the patient's abdomen, thighs, buttocks or elsewhere and reinjecting them beneath the facial skin. Fat is most often used to fill in "sunken" cheeks or laugh lines between the nose and mouth, to correct skin depressions or indentations, to minimize forehead wrinkles and to enhance the lips via cosmetic lip surgery.

 

Member of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons Member of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery American Acadamy of Plastic Surgery American Burn Association AMA American College of Surgeons American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons

Return to Top

Privacy Information

© 2002-2006, Dr Mark Sofonio
All photos are the property of Dr. Sofonio
and may not be copied or reproduced
electronically or by any other means.
All rights reserved.

Site Map
Dr. Mark Vincent Sofonio of Palm Springs offers an array of plastic and cosmetic surgical procedures. Specializing in breast enlargement ( augmentation) with implants and accessible to all Southern California residents, Dr. Sofonio is a trusted and experienced plastic surgeon.