Plumping Up Your Lips With Restylane

There are numerous reasons why your lips can look thinner as we age. It can be do to dental work, sun exposure, hormone changes and weight loss.  There was a time in the seventies and eighties where thinner lips with an exaggerated cupid bow were considered to be in fashion.  However in the past two decades the fashion seems to be more in line with having thicker, poutier, plusher lips. 

A lot of how we view our faces is informed by popular culture. Many celebrities nowadays have fuller lips and this also influences how people perceive us.  Women with fuller lips tend to look six or seven years younger to others.

How It Works

Getting a treatment with Restylane is quite simple. In order to anaesthetize the area to be treated you might be given a topical cream that numbs the dermis. This way you will not be able to feel the prick of the needle.

Restylane is an injectable made with hyaluronic acid, which is found abundantly in the body anyways. In fact, it is found everywhere in everything that grows in nature. As humans age, we produce less of this acid and the injections are meant to replace that lost volume.

How long the injection lasts for you depends on a lot of factors. Some people need a touch up treatment about four weeks after the initial injection. One of the conveniences of using Restylane is that the results can easily be touched up by a quick visit to the office or even plumped up further.

The Benefits of Restylane

One of the great things about Restylane is that the results are visible immediately. You can walk out of the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic office immediately with beautiful results. 

On the other hand, if you do not like the results you are not stuck with it forever.  This dermal filler is eventually absorbed back into the body.

Restylane is very compatible with the body’s tissues and it does not migrate, pucker or cause allergic reactions.  Restylane is a sugar molecule already present in your body. This is not true of collagen that is made of bovine protein.

Also, unlike collagen, you do not have to be tested for an allergic reaction before the shot is administered.

What to Expect After Treatment

There is absolutely nothing to stop you from resuming your normal activities after you have had a Restylane injections. The most commonly experienced side effect is an overswelling at the point of injection. If you do experience “duck lips” or “trout pout” or feel that you have an exaggeration of what you asked for, do not worry. The swelling causing this usually goes down quite quickly. For most people this disappears in a day or two.

To encourage the swelling to diminish it is best to sleep with your head propped slightly upwards on a pillow to discourage blood flow to the injected site. If they are sore or feel swollen you can wrap an ice cube in a washcloth and apply it to your lips as well as take a simple anti-inflammatory like Advil. (400 mg)

For more information about dermal fillers for the lips or to book an appointment for a Restylane lip plumping session, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Centre website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.