How to Get Beautiful Looking Lips for Christmas

For me, the only products that I would currently consider are tried and tested hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers. We have been using these in the UK since 1998 – and the two brands that are most widely used are the Restylane and Juvederm product ranges.

Personally, I have graduated towards Juvederm following clinical studies that I have been involved in where I have used a new version of Juvederm in a lip study that we performed at MediZen. Juvederm ULTRA SMILE was developed specifically for natural smooth looking results in the lips with the added advantage of containing a local anaesthetic to ensure that the treatment is as comfortable as possible – and we have been getting rave reviews from our clients using this product.

How do you choose a clinic and/or practitioner?

Unfortunately this question is not as easy to answer as it should be!

Due to lack of regulation by the government, anyone can seemingly pay a few hundred pounds for a training course and start to advertise that they are an “expert” in the use of fillers for lip enhancement; and there are literally thousands of people now offering this service in the UK.

So – how do you find someone who can provide the results that you want in a safe environment?

Well, you can shortlist clinics offering the “cheapest deal” on a voucher website (which is not the way to promote any medical treatments - in my humble opinion) or one with the glossiest website or brochure (which may also not guarantee a good result). Or, you can choose a clinic based on the following criteria which should help to filter out providers where you may not get the best treatment or service in the event of any problems.

1) Although there is no formal regulation – choosing a medically led clinic that is both registered with the Care Quality Commission (check using this site : http://www.cqc.org.uk/ ) and the voluntary self regulation scheme for cosmetic injectable treatments – Treatments You Can Trust (http://www.treatmentsyoucantrust.co.uk) will direct you to a clinic that adheres to certain standards of medical practice.

2) Only accept treatment from a practitioner who is medically qualified – if you perform the check above, you won’t need to worry about this.

3) We would highly recommend that you don’t opt for a permanent filler – ensure that whatever brand is recommended that it contains only hyaluronic acid.

4) The tricky bit – how do you know that the practitioner is any good?! – Its not a bad idea to ask how long they have been using these products, how many clients they have treated – and to always ask them to show you before and after photographs of clients that they have treated themselves. If you don’t like their work (ie you think that the lips look too exaggerated), don’t have treatment with them as its likely that you won’t like the results.

Occasionally I am asked by (usually younger women) for enhancements beyond what I consider to be natural, and spend my time trying to dissuade them from the “Katie Price” look.

Personally, I prefer to give women and men the fullness back in their lips that they may have lost (due to ageing) and also enhance the symmetry of lips in women who may never have been happy with this aspect of their mouth – as in the example photos that I’ve included of two of my clients in this article.

Whatever the reason – the right lip filler in the right hands can give safe, long-lasting (up to a year) lip-shaping results for just a few hundred pounds, often resulting in women enjoying using their lipstick for the first time in a while.

For more information visit The MediZen website