Lip enhancements have been all the rage since the 90s, and tons of celebrities boast about their plumped lips. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, lip enhancements have increased by 50% in the last six years.
However, there’s a new trend on the rise. Lip reduction is taking over from lip enhancement. All the craze with thinner lips started in Asia as far back as a decade ago. It is now even more popular in the western world.
Read on to learn why this trend is becoming so insanely popular, and what’s really about!
Why So Popular?
According to Thailand-based dermatologist Dr. Nuttae Nuttapon, “Asian men and women typically prefer Caucasian facial features, which are narrower cheekbones, deeper eye sockets and thinner lips. Nowadays the trend has shifted to prefer thicker lips following the fame of some Hollywood celebrities who have sexy, full lips.”
As Asia slowly shifts to the Kylie Jenner plump-lip archetype, lip reduction is gaining more and more popularity in the Western world! A cultural flip? An emergent beauty phenomenon? Who knows, but whatever the reason is, lip reduction is here and gaining popularity statewide with each passing month, if we are to believe thousands of Instagram tags.
Oh, and it’s not only women who are rushing to reduce their lips. Many recent articles point out that more men go to plastic surgeons to adjust the size of their lips.
Considering lip reduction? Contact one or more qualified facial plastic surgeons to discuss the procedure and ask questions, especially if you’ve had lip augmentation. This will help you make an informed decision whether this surgery is right for you.
Lip Reduction and You
Lip reduction is a minimally invasive surgical procedure aimed at creating a smaller, thinner pout through redefining the lip line and selectively removing skin from the lips. It’s not painful and it’s not dangerous, but it’s still a surgical procedure.
The main aim is to achieve a more desirable proportion between your lips and the rest of your face. It can be beneficial for people who feel their lips are too large for their face, as well as anyone who is feeling self-conscious about the size of their lips.
Main candidates for lip reduction surgery include patients who have had lip augmentation in the past and are not satisfied with the results. If you augmented your lips in the past, you might require a special procedure to get them thinned again. Make sure to give all the details to your plastic surgeon.
What’s Going to Happen?
Lower and upper lip reduction is an outpatient surgical procedure. It’s done with local anesthetic and typically takes less than 30 minutes per lip. You just relax on a doctor’s bed, receive local anesthesia and wait a bit for each lip to be done.
As every patient is unique and has different needs, incisions and stitches are tailored to the type of reduction desired. Your plastic surgeon will use dissolvable sutures that will harmlessly dissolve in time as the incisions heal, leaving behind no permanent marks. Dissolvable sutures are completely safe and used in a range of medical procedures.
As all stitches are treated by our bodies as foreign substances, our bodies act to destroy them or otherwise expel them. Dissolvable stitches are made by natural materials (including collagen, which you might recognize from lip enhancement!), which the body can break down with relative ease.
So, by the time the incisions have sufficiently healed, the stitches have started dissolving, leaving behind no scar marks or inflammation. Stitches will completely dissolve when your wound has healed enough.
If for some reason the stitches won’t dissolve completely, your plastic surgeon can safely and easily remove them. You will obviously need an extra visit for that!
Depending on your particular needs and the desired outcome, surgery may be performed on the lower lip, the upper lip or both. It’s safe and convenient to have both your lips done in one visit, as long as your plastic surgeon says it’s OK. That’s because anesthesia is local and each lip won’t take more than an hour.
Recovery and Your New Lips
Immediately after surgery, you may experience some swelling, bruising, redness and mild discomfort. This is natural and manageable with pain medication and ice bags until the pain subsides.
You won’t have any particular problems eating or drinking. Your plastic surgeon might give you a few reasonable pointers and restrictions for the first few days. Remember that these are all done for your own good and to maximize the positive impact of your lip reduction surgery.
The stitches can be removed as soon as a week after the procedure and you can return to work as long as you feel comfortable with your new appearance. Even after the stitches are off, your lips will continue to heal over the next few months. This will gradually lead to your desired outcome.
Immediately after the procedure, your lips will be smaller and more proportionate to the rest of your face. This new balance will boost your confidence and make you feel more comfortable with the appearance of your lips. Enjoy your new, thinner lips!
Thinking about Lip Reduction Surgery?
As with all cosmetic procedures, it pays to do your own research first. Since we’re talking about your own body, it’s important to focus on quality rather than inexpensive solutions.
The procedure is easier than many other cosmetic surgeries, though it is somewhat pricier than lip augmentation. If you feel that you need lip reduction, contact us at Atlanta Face and Body to schedule your free consultation.
