Lip Fillers in NYC

Leah holding a syringe with a gloved hand

Lip filler is hyaluronic acid gel placed in the lip to add volume, define the border and correct proportion. Leah Corredora, PA-C performs the injections at the Manhattan practice. The treatment takes about half an hour, the result is temporary, and it can be dissolved if it is not what you wanted.

What lip filler does

Lip filler adds volume to the lip and changes its shape. Hyaluronic acid gel is placed in specific parts of the lip, and the lip takes the shape that the placement dictates.

Volume is only part of it, and often not the important part. A lip can look tired because the border has lost definition, because the upper lip has lengthened and rolled inward with age, or because the upper and lower lip are out of proportion with each other. Those are different problems, and adding volume indiscriminately does not solve any of them. It is what produces a lip that looks filled rather than a lip that looks better.

Filler also has limits. A very long upper lip, a lip that has thinned because the tissue has descended, or heavy vertical lines set into the skin above the lip are not volume problems, and a lip lift or resurfacing may be the more honest answer. The team can arrange a surgical assessment with Dr. Smith when appropriate.

What can be changed

Volume in the body of the lip, either upper, lower or both
Definition of the vermilion border, the line where lip meets skin
Proportion between the upper and the lower lip
Symmetry, where one side sits differently from the other
Shape, including the central peaks of the upper lip
Fine vertical lines immediately above the lip, to a degree

Most patients who describe wanting fuller lips actually want a specific one of these, and the consultation is where that gets separated out.

Which fillers are used in the lip

Lip treatment uses hyaluronic acid fillers. The lip moves constantly and the tissue is thin, so the product has to be soft enough to move with it and to feel natural, and the families used in the lip are formulated for exactly that. Both the Juvederm and the Restylane ranges include products made for the lip.

Collagen-stimulating products such as poly-L-lactic acid are not used in the lip. They work by prompting a diffuse tissue response, which is the wrong mechanism for a structure this small and this mobile, and they cannot be dissolved.

Being able to dissolve the product is the main reason hyaluronic acid is preferred here. Hyaluronidase breaks it down, so a lip that has been overfilled or filled unevenly can be corrected rather than waited out.

The consultation

The consultation starts with what you want the lip to look like, and with whether filler is the way to get there.

An examination of lip proportion, border definition, tooth show and how the lip sits at rest and when you smile
A review of your medical history, medicines and allergies, including any history of cold sores, since treatment can trigger an outbreak
A record of any filler you have had in the lip before, what was used and when
A plan setting out what will be placed where, and how much

Your clinician treats lips conservatively and prefers to build over more than one appointment rather than place a large volume at once. A lip that has been filled slowly looks better and is easier to correct.

A medical aesthetics consultation with Leah Corredora, PA-C is $100, collected to reserve your time and credited toward any procedure.

What the treatment is like

A lip filler appointment takes about thirty to forty-five minutes, most of which is numbing.

A topical numbing cream is applied and left to work
The lip is cleaned and the plan is marked
Small amounts of filler are placed at specific points with a fine needle or a blunt cannula
The lip is shaped and checked as the work proceeds, with you sitting up and animating
Ice is applied afterward

Most of the fillers used in the lip contain lidocaine, which adds to the topical numbing as the treatment goes on.

Lip filler recovery and how long results last

The lip swells more than any other area treated with filler, and it swells immediately. Plan for that.

Swelling is at its worst in the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours and settles over several days
Bruising is common and fades over a week to ten days; makeup can cover it after the first day
Ice in the first day helps; avoid heat, alcohol and strenuous exercise for twenty-four hours
Use acetaminophen rather than an NSAID for discomfort
The final shape is apparent at about two weeks, which is when any refinement is planned

Do not book lip filler in the week before an event. Patients who do almost always regret it.

Results in the lip generally last less time than filler elsewhere in the face, because the lip is in constant motion. Most patients find they want a refresh within six to twelve months.

Safety and risks

Common side effects are local: swelling, bruising, tenderness and small palpable lumps in the first days, which usually settle as the product integrates.

The serious risk with any filler is injection into or compression of a blood vessel, which interrupts the blood supply to an area of tissue. The lip and the region above it are supplied by vessels that connect to vessels around the eye, which is why technique, knowledge of the anatomy and the ability to recognize and treat the problem immediately matter more here than the choice of product.

Patients who get cold sores should say so, because injection in the lip can trigger an outbreak. Preventive antiviral medicine can be arranged beforehand.

Tell your clinician about any autoimmune condition, bleeding problem, medicine acting as a blood thinner, or active infection or skin condition around the mouth, and if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Filler is not given during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Any decision to hold a prescribed blood thinner is made with the physician who prescribed it.

What determines the cost of lip filler

Lip filler is priced by the amount of product used, so the cost follows from how much your plan calls for rather than from the length of the appointment.

How many syringes are needed, which is usually one or less for a first treatment
Which product is used
Whether the plan is built across more than one appointment
Whether anything else is treated at the same visit

You are given an exact figure at consultation before anything is booked. Dr. Smith is out of network with all insurance plans, and the practice helps patients use out-of-network benefits toward care; cosmetic treatment is not covered. Financing is available through CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit. A medical aesthetics consultation with Leah Corredora, PA-C is $100, collected to reserve your time and credited toward any procedure.

Common questions about lip fillers

How long do lip fillers last?

Generally six to twelve months. The lip is in constant motion, so filler placed there breaks down faster than filler placed elsewhere in the face.

Will my lips look fake?

That comes from how much is placed and where, not from filler as such. Treating conservatively, respecting the proportion between the upper and lower lip, and building over more than one appointment are what keep a result looking like your own lip.

How much swelling should I expect?

A lot, in the first day or two, and more than patients expect. It settles over several days, and the final shape is apparent at about two weeks. Do not book this in the week before an event.

Does it hurt?

There is discomfort, but it is managed. Topical numbing is applied first and most lip fillers contain lidocaine.

Can lip filler be removed?

Yes. Hyaluronidase dissolves hyaluronic acid filler, so an overfilled or uneven lip can be corrected rather than waited out.

How much filler will I need?

For a first treatment, usually one syringe or less. Your clinician would rather place less and add at a second appointment than place more and have to dissolve it.

Will it help the vertical lines above my lip?

To a degree. Lines etched into the skin itself often need resurfacing rather than volume, and a plan may combine the two.

Can men have lip filler?

Yes. The proportions aimed for are different, and that is a planning matter rather than a different treatment.

I get cold sores. Can I still have it?

Usually yes, but tell your clinician, because injection in the lip can trigger an outbreak and preventive antiviral medicine can be arranged beforehand.

What happens when it wears off?

The lip gradually returns toward how it looked before. Filler does not leave the lip thinner or looser than it was.

Who performs the injections?

Leah Corredora, PA-C performs medical aesthetics injections at the Manhattan practice.