Lip dermal fillers are a popular cosmetic procedure that can enhance the appearance of your lips, giving them a fuller, plumper look. At J. Sweat Plastic Surgery, you can expect high-quality, personalized care from our skilled team. Lip fillers can be a great option if you’re looking to restore volume to your lips that have been lost over time or enhance the shape of your lips to create a more attractive, youthful appearance. Whether you’re a first-time lip filler patient or considering a touch-up, our team is here to help you achieve the look you want.

Lip Fillers: An Overview

In order to non-surgically augment the lips, hyaluronic acid fillers are used. These dermal fillers, or lip filler injections, are gel-like substances and are used to add natural-looking volume to the lips to add plumpness and shape the lips for a more attractive appearance. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring substance in the body that attracts and binds water. Because of this, HA fillers are a popular choice among plastic surgeons and med spas for lip augmentation and lip reshaping. These fillers can also be used to smooth lines around the lip region for a more youthful appearance. At our office, we are proud to use the Juvederm line of dermal fillers.

Lip fillers can be used for the following:

  • Highlighting the cupid’s bow on the upper lip and overall lip shape
  • Improving volume loss in the upper and lower lip
  • Augmenting the lips and balancing overall facial anatomy
  • Facial features will appear more harmonious
  • Smoothing lines around the lips

Who is a Good candidate?

Healthy individuals with realistic expectations of what to expect from their desired results are often the best candidates. Those with sagging skin, an active infection in the treatment site, conditions that affect the facial muscles, those with a history of severe allergies, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not receive HA fillers. To determine if injectable fillers are right for you, please contact our office today to schedule a consultation.

Before Your Appointment

It’s important to take the time to research your options and choose a reputable plastic surgeon’s office like Dr. Jeffrey Sweat. During your initial consultation appointment, you will be asked about your medical history, if you have any medical devices, your history of allergic reactions, if you have ever used any filler products in the past, and your individual aesthetic goals. Our team will work with you to create a personalized dermal filler procedure plan to help you achieve the beautiful results you desire.

You should also let your nurse injector know if you’re taking any medications or have any allergies, as these could affect the outcome of your procedure. In the days leading up to your appointment, it’s important to avoid alcohol, blood thinners, and anti-inflammatory drugs, as these can increase the risk of bruising and swelling.

During Your Lip Filler Procedure

Your lip filler appointment can be performed in your doctor’s office as an outpatient procedure. At your appointment, the nurse will start by evaluating your lips and discussing your goals for the procedure. This will help him determine how much filler to use in the treatment area. The injection site will be cleansed, and they will then use a local, topical anesthetic to numb your lips and minimize discomfort during the procedure. Your injector may also mark the injection sites . Next, they will inject the dermal filler into your lips, carefully injecting the product into the desired areas to achieve your desired look. The entire procedure usually takes about 30 minutes and is relatively painless.

After Your Appointment

After your appointment, you may experience some swelling and bruising, but these side effects should subside within a few days. It’s important to avoid touching or manipulating your lips, as this can affect the procedure results. You should also avoid exposing your lips to extreme heat and sun exposure, which can cause the filler to break down more quickly. If you experience any severe side effects or notice any changes in the appearance of your lips, it’s important to contact our team immediately.

While you will notice results immediately following treatment, your desired result will continue to become noticeable as the swelling goes down. Generally speaking, swelling usually dissipates over the next 2-3 days.

Hyaluronic acid filler results are not permanent, and a touch-up appointment will be needed once the effects of the filler begin to wear off (6-12 months). Patients can contact our office to schedule an appointment for more filler to maintain their natural-looking results.

Schedule a Consultation

Overall, lip fillers and dermal fillers in Sacramento, CA, are a great option for anyone looking to enhance the appearance of their lips and restore the volume that has been lost over time. With careful preparation, expert treatment from the Sweat team, and proper aftercare, you can achieve the look you want and enjoy long-lasting results. So why wait? Take the first step towards achieving your perfect look today and schedule your consultation with a nurse injector at J. Sweat Plastic Surgery.

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How is Botox priced?

Patients will often find that the price of Botox can vary widely amongst providers even within the same geographic area.   Some providers even participate in Groupon, but Botox is not a one-size-fits-all treatment, and an evaluation should be done in person on every patient prior to any treatment, which is why many reputable providers will not participate in Groupon for invasive treatments.

Some providers will inject and charge “by the area” with the forehead, crow’s feet, nasolabial folds, and the area between the brows where frown lines occur usually being considered separate areas.  However, no two people are the same, and treating the area where lines and wrinkles occur with set amounts of Botox could under-treat one patient while overtreating another.  This is why Dr. Sweat and his trained injector staff believe in charging Botox by the unit so that each patient gets a customized treatment plan based on his or her individual anatomy.  These botulinum toxin treatments can also be adjusted for an individual budget, but keep in mind that if an area is under-treated, muscle function will not be fully paralyzed with Botox and function will return much faster, resulting in some patients feeling that Botox doesn’t work for them. Fillers may not reach maximal correction of the treated area but more can always be added later after the swelling resolves.

Remember, you have every right to ask about your injector’s experience, Botox strength, and even where the Botox or filler comes from, since it is illegal for a provider to purchase Botox or filler that is sold from outside of the U.S.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions; it is your right as the consumer.  If something seems to be priced well below everyone else in town, there’s usually a reason.

Can Botox and fillers be used in other areas?

As with any medication, Botox and most dermal fillers receive approval from the FDA for specific uses, but it is completely safe and common practice to use Botox to relax various areas of hyperexpressive muscle and dermal fillers in other areas in which volume loss needs to be corrected.  This can include other areas of the face or even other areas of the body.  While this is a safe and effective practice, this is commonly known as “off-label” use, as it deviates from the specific indication that the product might have received from the FDA.  Over time, product manufacturers often seek other indications for their products, but the arduous process of getting FDA approval can take years.   It is important to understand that, just because a product is being used outside of its FDA-labeled indication, this does not mean that the practice is unsafe or experimental.

Can filler be reversed?

Depending on the type of dermal filler injections, there may or may not be an agent that can be used to dissolve the product.  All filler treatments in the Juvederm family are manufactured using hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring component in the skin.  Additionally, all HA injectable treatments can be dissolved with a product called hyaluronidase.  This can be helpful if a treatment area is overfilled or if a patient is unsatisfied with the look or feel of a product after injection.  In the unlikely event of a vascular compromise, the skin and tissue can be saved by using the dissolving agent to restore blood flow to the troubled area.  Not all dermal fillers will have a dissolving agent, so it is important to ask your injector what the product contains and if it can be reversed if necessary.

Can Botox be reversed?

Botox is slowly metabolized by the body and unfortunately, once it is injected, it cannot be removed.  In the unlikely event that a side effect from the Botox occurs, such as a droopy eyelid, there are medications that can but used to stimulate the eyelid muscle to make it function better, but time is the best treatment as  Botox wears off over 3-4 months.  Even if you have had Botox before, if you are visiting an injector for the first time, it may be wise to go a little light on the treatment and add more after the Botox has reached maximal effect at 2 weeks.

I have a big event coming up and I want to look my best.  When is the optimal timing of an injection treatment before my event?

In general, it is best to allow at least 4-6 weeks before a big event to inject Botox or fillers.  Because Botox takes 2 weeks to achieve maximum effect and reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles, waiting 4-6 weeks will allow enough to pass for a touch-up treatment and give additional time to pass for the effects of the second treatment to appear.  If a patient is receiving filler injections and Botox for the first time at J. Sweat Plastic Surgery, it may be best to be conservative with the first treatment and add more at the second treatment if necessary so as not to overtreat.  Both Botox and fillers can result in bruising since a needle is used to penetrate the skin.  This suggested timeframe also allows time for the bruise to go away and any swelling associated with the filler injection to subside.  It also allows for time for the filler to be reversed in the unlikely event that too much filler is placed or the patient is unhappy with the results.  Injecting filler or Botox in the week prior to an event is usually not a good idea as it does not allow time for bruising and swelling to subside or for the product to settle into place.

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