Treatment
Lip enhancement
Most people who come to us about their lips do not want bigger lips. They want their lips back — the shape they had, the definition that has softened, the upper lip that has thinned with time.
We treat conservatively, and we say so in advance because it occasionally disappoints. A first treatment here is usually 0.5ml to 1ml, and we would rather add at a review than take away afterwards.
Dissolving is possible, but it is not free of consequence — it breaks down your own hyaluronic acid as well, and the result is unpredictable. That is the honest reason for starting small, rather than a sales position.
What it can do
Restore volume that has been lost. Define the border. Improve balance between upper and lower lip. Soften fine vertical lines. Correct an asymmetry that has always bothered you.
What it cannot do
Change the length of your upper lip, lift a heavy corner that is a muscle problem rather than a volume one, or reproduce a filtered photograph.
Downtime — read this before you book
Lips swell more than any other area of the face. At twenty-four hours they can look markedly larger and uneven. That is normal. Trial data records swelling starting the same day and lasting a median of five days.
- 24–72 hours: significant swelling. Expect to look overdone. You will not be.
- Day 3–5: settling substantially.
- Two weeks: the real result.
- Bruising: in a meaningful minority, lasting up to ten to fourteen days.
Do not book within two weeks of a wedding, a holiday or anything photographed.
Risks specific to lips
- Cold sores. If you are prone to them, injection can trigger an outbreak. Tell us — antiviral cover can be arranged beforehand.
- Lumps. Small firm areas are common early and usually settle. In trial data around one in ten patients reported a treatment-related effect, most commonly a small lump, mostly mild.
- Migration. Product moving beyond where it was placed, most visibly above the lip border. It is associated with repeated treatment, over-filling and superficial placement. Anyone claiming a technique that prevents it is going beyond the evidence.
- Asymmetry, which is often correctable at review.
- Vascular occlusion of the lip arteries — see the full risk information below.
Not suitable if
You have an active cold sore, a healing lip tattoo, or expectations set by edited images. We will have that conversation kindly, but we will have it.
Book an appointment
If you know what you want, book it. If you would rather talk it through first, a consultation is free — thirty minutes, no obligation, and the £15 deposit comes back to you when you attend.