Factors Contributing to Thin Lips
Age
Elastin and collagen are proteins that help skin stay resilient, elastic, and smooth. As we age, these proteins break down naturally, which causes our lips to lose firmness and structure.
Genetics
All of your and your siblings’ physical features were inherited from your parents, including whether your lips are thick or thin. Your brother might have gotten the plump lips of your grandmother but you got the thin lips — it’s the luck of the draw.
Smoking
Smoking won’t necessarily alter your natural lips if they are very full but it does cause premature wrinkles and discoloration which makes already thin lips look even thinner.
Sun Exposure
Ultraviolet rays cause collagen to break down, resulting in thinner lips. Use a lip balm with at least SPF 15 when going outdoors for extended periods of time.
Surgery or Injection?
Women and men wanting lip augmentations will choose either surgically inserted lip implants or injectable fillers.
Lip injections are faster than surgery
- Lip injections are usually performed on an outpatient basis, and take about an hour to complete — just like your lunch break.
Implants require anesthesia
- Surgery is a more permanent solution but the process requires surgery, meaning anesthesia is necessary and can take several hours on the operating table.
Less downtime than surgery
- After a lip injection patients can return to their normal daily activities immediately.
Recovery from surgery
- Since lip augmentation is an invasive procedure that uses sutures, one can expect the recovery process to last a week or more.
Comfort levels while healing
- Many patients healing from lip implant surgery will frequently experience discomfort and swelling.
Very little swelling or bruising
- Depending on the specific person, after a lip injection, patients usually experience very few of the side-effects that those healing from surgery do.