Lip augmentation, the process of injecting the lips and area around the lips with dermal filler, is being more frequently requested in the doctor’s office.
Patients seek lip augmentation because they want larger, sexier lips, and, also, they want to decrease or reduce the signs of aging.
Injectable dermal fillers can combat thinness and wrinkling of the lips and mouth, but not all dermal fillers are safe for use in the lip and mouth area.
There are many injectable fillers on the market today, with the newest technology being fillers made of hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occuring acid in the body. The hyaluronic acid based fillers are often more pliable and easier to place in the skin, giving a more natural appearance.
When considering a mouth/lip rejuvenation procedure, it’s best to consider a treatment course which will address the inner lip, the edge of the lip, and the outer mouth (where laugh lines might appear). While all fillers could work in these areas, some are going to perform better than others, depending on the areas of treatment.
Semi-permanent dermal fillers are going to work best around the mouth and along the lip line. These work to reshape the edges of the lips, and will fill in wrinkles and laugh lines. However, when semi-permanent fillers are injected into the lips, patients may experience a higher chance of lumps and clumping, which are both unsightly, and can be painful.
(Semi-permanent dermal fillers can last between 12-24 months, so you might be walking around with that bump in your lip for a very, very long time…..)
However, as I mentioned, the current preferred dermal filler for the lip area is hyaluronic acid, which tends to last about 3-6 months. This is the current gold standard for this type of procedure, and is more cost effective than collagen, which has also been used for lip rejuvenation.
The focus of lip rejuvenation should be to restore a youthful appearance, not to overfill the lips or make them very noticeable.
If you are aged 35-64 and are noticing wrinkles around your mouth, you may be a good candidate for a hyaluronic acid lip rejuvenation procedure. The only possible downside? You will need to repeat the procedure every few months to maintain the same benefit.
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While it has long been believed that athlete’s foot and toenail fungus could be transmitter from person to person, apparently that has not been well documented in scientific research, until now.
Using advanced molecular biology techniques, scientists have now confirmed that toenail fungus and athlete’s foot could infect people living in the same house.
However, the most interesting thing about the study, at least to me, is that not all of the family members became infected by these skin conditions. Some were able to successfully fight off the infections before they became a problem.
It’s been often held that athlete’s foot and toenail fungus can be transmitted from public showers (such as a gym) so it makes sense to think they could be transmitted by sharing bathing facilities at home, too.
What’s more curious is that some people seem more likely to get the infections compared to others.
Researchers continue to work on defining how and why certain people get infected with toenail fungus and athlete’s foot.
For right now, the recommendation is to treat these conditions quickly and aggressively to prevent their spread through the household.
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The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons recently published a concise checklist for consumers considering cosmetic surgery. The checklist is in the form of the acronym, SURE, with each letter offering some guidance for how to decide if you’re ready to pursue plastic surgery.
If you’re considering cosmetic surgery, but want to be SURE you’re ready (sorry, sorry, just couldn’t resist!), the checklist offers:
S: Check your surgeon’s credentials and qualifications. Your practitioner should have the academic and professional qualifications to perform your desired procedure(s), and it’s always best if the physician has performed these procedures before. Don’t be afraid to ask about training, experience, philosophy and approach. You want the most well-trained and experienced person you can find to perform your cosmetic surgery.
U: Understand what’s involved. Find out about the risks of the procedure(s), and possible side-effects. Ask about what the cosmetic surgery entails, and how much it costs. This is also a good time to make sure your insurance will cover the procedure or that you can afford to pay for them.
R: Recovery. Ask about recovery times, whether you should have someone accompany you to the procedure and how much follow up care you will need.
E: Expectations. Thoroughly review your expectations for cosmetic surgery. Can you achieve what you desire by this procedure? Can you specifically identify what you want to feel like, look like, be like, after the surgery?
Research shows that patients with realistic expectations are more likely to be satisfied with the results of their cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery can help you look better, may boost your confidence, and may help you feel better. It will not 100% magically change your life.
Unless, of course, you have an Extreme Makeover (ouch!!!) which is a bit more extensive than what we’re talking about here.
If you have any doubts about cosmetic surgery, don’t move ahead until you’re SURE.
Would you like to know more about cosmetic surgery?
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