Luscious Lips - Lip Plumper

Full, pouty, sensual lips are in the news. And it's all the same news; i.e. three young, hopeful women trying several topical items hoping they will see noticeable changes in the plumpness of their lips. In truth, the results are so temporary; the user will never experience any substantial lip pouting.

Lips are soft tissue; they easily lose hydration and shrink when men and women reach a certain age. The area surrounding the lips is muscle. As the orbicularis orris muscle shrinks due to atrophy and no exercise, the lips begin to implode. They appear smaller because they are affected by the collapse of the mouth muscle into the soft tissue.

After a while, the lips look dormant; they become thinner and usually lose their well-accentuated borders and contours. Likely, small lines will invade the area where the border was once prominent. Women see little lines that disturb their lipstick and liner; lip putties and topical preparations will slightly help to "fill in the cracks" but these are only temporary.

Many women and some men will try soft tissue augmentation to enhance their lips. There are many injected types of filler offered by physicians; these, too, are temporary and may cause discoloration, lopsidedness and swelling.

Some fillers are human derived (cadaver material!); some are animal and non-animal sources. These materials are "purified" before use then dehydrated, re-hydrated and then either injected or pulled through tunnels underneath the lip. Does that sound scary? These methods and modalities will have to be repeated over and over again for the user to maintain the enhancement.

So how does one enlarge the lips without pain, recovery time and expense? If you are serious about protecting your lips, your face, here is a proven exercise to give new life to your mouth:

While standing in front of a mirror, put the heels of both hands together. Place your thumbs in your mouth in a "V" position. Push the lip muscle outward without creating any lines around the mouth or lip area. The entire upper lip surface should be smooth and oval. Compress the upper lip muscles against your thumbs and hold for a count of five seconds. Remove your thumbs, take a deep breath, exhale and repeat the above movement for 10 seconds. Again, remove your thumbs, take a deep breath and exhale. Repeat the above movement twice for another twenty seconds.

Stand back and look at your face...keep it still and relaxed while you experience the rush of oxygenated blood and strength to your upper lip. Watch closely as your mouth corners turn upward...and your lips feel fuller, now marvel at the new, appealing you.

Aaaahhhhh, fuller, younger looking, pouty lips. Full lips are definitely a sign of "youth" but what happens to our lips when we begin to mature? Lips become thinner, less attractive and pretty soon, one just might give up wearing lipstick because the top lip virtually disappears, especially when smiling. When this shrinking act is apparent in the mirror, usually vertical lines begin to invade the lips making a mature women look positively ancient.

Women aren't the only ones who want softer, fuller lips. Men whose lips are thin and hard may portray a steely attitude in the boardroom; however, men with fuller lips look more attractive, boyish and younger.

Lips are soft tissue and as a man or woman begins to mature, volume dissipates which means tissue shrinks.

There are many modalities for revitalizing soft tissue in lips; the old standby - bovine collagen, Zyderm® and Zyplast® has competition. Restylane®, CosmoDerm® and ComoPlast® (human {cadaver} collagen), Radiance®, Artecoll® and others have entered the market of "fillers". These new fillers do not require skin testing for allergic reactions and they are all injected. The procedure time varies from 3-10 minutes and some patients relate that these types of injections can be painful. These services can be relatively expensive because they're not permanent fixes and these injections must be repeated every few months to maintain lip fullness. The most common side effect, as with any injection, is redness, bruising and swelling at the injection site that typically last less than three weeks.

A more permanent lip procedure that is widely used is Gortex. Strips of Gortex (threads of foam-like material) are inserted into the lips; the lips do become somewhat larger after the procedure is completed but some users complain that their lips feel hard, not soft and supple. Some of these implants cannot be removed if a problem arises because the lip tissue grows into and around the implant. Possible complications include infection, migration or extrusion of the implants and lip asymmetry is a concern.

Another somewhat permanent solution is fat injections; a patient's own fat is removed from usually the tummy or buttocks, washed and then re-injected into the lips. While this is probably a fairly safe modality, the fat tends to reabsorb rather quickly, deflating the lips.

Recently over the counter glosses, lipsticks, and other types of topical preparations have been introduced promising fuller, poutier lips with more definition and volume. Many cosmetic companies have jumped on this bandwagon promising the users that their special ingredients will produce full, luscious lips after a few weeks of use. In fact, there have been over 200 new products introduced to the marketplace in the last two years ranging in price from $6.99 to almost $40. Instead of traffic stopping lips, some of these topical products have produced burns, mouth sores and empty pockets.

Some cosmetic companies do use natural components in their formulas but some of the formulas may be misleading. No product can deliver the look of a collagen injection in a topical. How these products work is through the use of an irritating ingredient such as niacin, cinnamon, caffeine or peppermint; these ingredients may cause some temporary swelling via dilation of the blood vessels along with mild inflammation, giving the illusion of fullness. Some preparations require the user to rub the lips briskly for several minutes and this friction results in some degree of temporary swelling.

Many women and men want fuller lips because poutier lips make them feel sexier and more alluring. Consumers are willing to spend a lot of money to have "the look"; but not everyone agrees that the topicals deliver what they have promised. Dr. Sam Most, Chief of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle asked seven women to use a certain topical whose website says their product increases actual lip volume and contour an average of 40.7 percent; Dr. Most said, "In subjects who used the product as directed over a long term there was no visible change in the lips."

Is there an actual difference in using topical applications that promise full, pouty lips or is lipstick and a liner enough? Maybe Yoki Ono, a saleswoman at a Madison Avenue designer boutique, quoted in the NY Times, has the answer: "You might as well get some extra-spicy Buffalo wings and eat them."

Or better yet, save yourself a bundle of cash and brush your lips with a baby's toothbrush and petroleum jelly for about a minute, your lips will be fuller and soft - guaranteed!