Dr Laurence Beille
Thanks to hyaluronic acid injections, we can plump up the lips, which tend to thin with age, as well as refreshing the upper lip, where fine lines can spoil the smile.
We can do this by adapting the type of hyaluronic acid gel (more or less cross-linked) to the injection zone. I have injected hyaluronic acid ever since it first appeared on the market. It replaced collagen, which was ground-breaking for “erasing wrinkles” but, over time, proved to be highly allergenic.
Back then, the only method for reducing the signs of aging involved injecting very superficially. When it first arrived on the market, hyaluronic acid was used in the same way as collagen, which led to quite unnatural-looking results. I quickly understood that we should not just inject into the dermis. Later on, the introduction of micro-canulas made the procedure much less damaging but also less dangerous. Hyaluronic acid, which is now injected underneath the dermis, is no longer considered to be a simple wrinkle eraser, rather a product that is capable of restructuring and remodelling the facial mask: a real morphological treatment.
However, it is not rare to see over-injection due to product accumulation. The mouth is no exception to the rule. It is a very delicate area as the skin is very thin, sticks to the platysma muscle and has little subcutaneous fat. We often see bumpy, rigid, bulging lips. For all of these reasons, it is now vital to turn towards hyaluronic acids that are lightweight, malleable and flexible, and to perform very mild injections after having carried out a complete facial analysis.
In my opinion, injecting each wrinkle in the upper lip with a needle is not the best technique to use because this rigidifies the area and often causes an unsightly thickening that looks lumpy. Personally, I don’t try to correct wrinkles because I don’t want to alter my patients’ mouths. Instead, I use a very mildly volumising gel both into the upper lip and the vermillion lip, after repairing any hollow areas in order to plump them up.
TEOSYAL RHA® 1, thanks to its blend of cross-linked and non-cross-linked HA, is a great product for this area. I use 1 to 2 syringes, depending on the patient. The results achieved are very natural-looking. If I need to add a bit of volume, if the lips are very thin, I use TEOSYAL RHA® 2 or 3 which allow me to reshape the lips and give a subtle glossy look without the famous “duck face” that puts patients off.
Dr Laurence Beille: With a practice in Grenoble since 1994, Dr Laurence Beille is a dermatologist who specialises in dermato-aesthetics and cosmetology. The keystone to her practice is accurately analysing the skin and the morphological structure of the face in order to offer a therapeutic plan that is tailored to each patient, while respecting their natural look.
