Plainly put, your $600 - $1,500 investment in hyaluronic acid (HA) lip filler would yield results lasting for 6 to 18 months. Yes, there exist fillers that last longer than 18 months, with some promising permanent results. How Long Does Lip Filler Last? However, there’s a catch!
Step with me into the world of lip fillers to understand why experts recommend HA fillers over other lip fillers. Get to also learn what affects HA filler longevity and how to make them last longer. Explore further!
Why Avoid Other Long-Lasting Lip Fillers?
When it comes to lip injections, so much is at stake. A slight injection technique mistake may result in complications including lumps, unevenness, or a blocked vessel.
Generally, HA fillers make complication management less stressful. That’s because hyaluronic acid is a natural part of your skin, eyes, and connective tissues. It supports tissue repair, moisture retention, and skin elasticity.
So, in case of a complication, hyaluronic acid fillers specifically approved for the lips can be dissolved using hyaluronidase. This is an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid into smaller components, allowing your practitioner to correct the complication in time.
Unlike HA fillers, other fillers are synthetic and irreversible, making it challenging to manage complications. How Long Does Lip Filler Last? Here’s a breakdown of how long the other fillers last and why you should avoid them:
1. Silicone fillers
For starters, silicone fillers are not FDA approved for lip sculpting. That’s because of the adverse safety risks they carry.
While they are permanent lip fillers, correcting complications is extremely challenging. For instance, since medical-grade silicone does not dissolve over time, scar tissue may form around it. This scar tissue formation triggers the creation of granulomas (hard and painful lumps). And, these complications keep stacking up.
2. Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) fillers
Although they are made of a substance (calcium) that’s naturally present in your bones, CaHA fillers are non-reversible.
They are mostly FDA approved for restoring volume in areas like jawlines and cheeks, with an expiry period of 12 to 18 months. However, they are not recommended for lips. Why?
Other than being non-reversible, they work by boosting collagen production.
Moreover CaHA fillers are usually thicker than HA fillers, increasing the likelihood of complications like imbalance and the formation of lumps or bumps.
3. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) fillers
Even though they may last for years, sometimes up to 5 years or more, PMMA fillers also make adjustments or corrections challenging.
They are composed of collagen gel, housing tiny microspheres.
It is these microspheres that restore tissue volume by encouraging collagen synthesis. However, in case of a severe complication, you’ll need to undergo surgery to correct the issue.
Additionally, PMMA fillers may trigger chronic inflammation, especially when your body reacts negatively.
Remember, PMMA fillers are FDA-approved for specific cosmetic issues like sunken acne scars and not lips.
4. Biopolymers
Like silicone fillers, biopolymer fillers are not FDA approved for lips. Most of those available in the market are illegally manufactured and distributed because they are cheap and offer long-lasting effects.
If not semi-permanent, biopolymers offer irreversible results. However, since biopolymers are incompatible with delicate tissue, there is a higher likelihood of them triggering complications even years after the treatment.
Common complications include filler migration, granulomas, or infections — all requiring invasive surgery to resolve. If not resolved in time, some of these complications, like filler migration, may result in deformed lip outline.
Overall, fillers that do not allow for corrections should not go to the lips. Also, if they are reversible, they must be FDA approved particularly for the lips.
Avoid the temptation for “permanent” solutions despite the amount you may save. The long-lasting results may seem ideal at first, but the potential complications or risks outweigh the benefits.
Factors Influencing How Long Hyaluronic Acid Lip Filler Lasts
As stated, hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers are the only filler type that’s safe and approved for lips. How Long Does Lip Filler Last? And, they last for 6 to 18 months depending on various factors. Here are 7 factors that’ll influence the timing of your touch-up sessions:
1. The look you’re aiming for
Before undergoing lip filler injections, a consultation session is essential to discuss the changes you desire.
The practitioner inquires into your medical history and examines the nature of your lips. And, if you agree to proceed with the procedure, the practitioner prepares a personalized treatment plan.
It is from the custom-tailored plan that you can tell the level of changes to expect. Subtle changes require light and small amounts of lip fillers, meaning your desired results wouldn’t last long. Most last 4 to 7 months.
Conversely, if you desire a more plumper or dramatic look, the practitioner would use thicker and a greater volume of filler. The increased volume and filler thickness increases the time your body takes to break them down. Most last up to 16 months.
2. Your practitioner’s injection skill or experience
Entrusting your lips to an experienced practitioner lowers infection or complication risks. This is because a skilled injector understands lip anatomy, carefully assessing your lips before coming up with that personalized plan.
During plan execution, the injector uses a filler type that suits your lip structure and personal goals. Not only that, they inject the fillers strategically and precisely into the correct tissue layers, maximizing longevity. How Long Does Lip Filler Last?
Moreover, an experienced practitioner employs injection techniques that minimize trauma to the lips. This not only enhances safety but also reduces the downtime of lip injections.
Note that poor injection techniques, including over-injecting or poor filler placement, leads to complications including unevennesses or lumps.
To resolve the complications, most practitioners have to dissolve lip fillers. And, after dissolving them, you may be required to wait for a while before getting lip fillers again.
3. Filler type or choice
If you wish to ask about the details of the filler type, the practitioner is obligated to explain further.
Your practitioner may also allow you to choose a filler type after explaining the pros and cons. Nonetheless, the longevity of varied fillers varies based on cross linking and filler thickness.
The term cross-linking refers to how strongly hyaluronic acid filler molecules are joined. The stronger the HA molecules bonds, the greater they resist filler disintegration, extending durability. Also, thicker fillers are generally long-lasting — with most of them lasting up to 12 months or longer.
4. Your body’s metabolic rate
Higher metabolism shortens lip filler longevity. Why? Normally, after lip fillers settle into place and integrate with lip tissue, your body treats them like normal hyaluronic acid.
So, your system secretes enzymes, particularly hyaluronidase, to disintegrate HA fillers. While the disintegration process is usually slow and gradual, having a greater metabolism rate accelerates the breakdown process.
Metabolism rate varies based on activity level, age, and general well-being. If you are young and engage in intense activities such as weight lifting, your fillers won’t last as long. Plus, lip muscles are highly mobile, accelerating filler erosion.
5. Lifestyle choices
Unhealthy lifestyle choices like excessive alcohol intake and smoking speeds up lip filler erosion. Alcohol, in particular, dehydrates your body, yet HA lip fillers need to draw water to the lips to maintain volume.
Smoking, on the other hand, diminishes blood supply to the lips. This denies lip tissue access to vital nutrients, negatively impacting filler’s lifespan.
Besides alcohol and smoking, spending most of your time in settings with a high temperature such as steam rooms and saunas increases blood circulation and enzyme activity, quickly breaking down lip fillers.
Lastly, positive lifestyle choices can also lower the durability of lip fillers, especially engaging in high-impact activities. For instance, working out a lot elevates blood flow and lip muscle movements, boosting your body’s metabolic rate.
6. Age and skin condition
With old age comes a decline in the natural levels of hyaluronic acid, elastin, and collagen. That’s why lines and wrinkles form. How Long Does Lip Filler Last? The hyaluronic levels meant to keep skin moist and subtle are low. Moreover, there’s little collagen and elastin to support skin structure and elasticity.
The older you are, the thinner and less elastic your skin is. So, fillers disintegrate much quicker because the lips have an unstable environment. The lip tissue has less natural structure and support to host the fillers for an enduring period.
Other than old age, if your lips are sun-damaged and dehydrated, they won’t hold onto the fillers for long. Poor skin quality affects how evenly filler distributes and draws water to the lips, reducing filler longevity.
After lip filler injections, ensure you consistently hydrate and protect your lips from UV damage, providing a more stable environment for the fillers to serve you longer.
7. Hydration levels
By “consistently hydrate,” I not only mean drinking adequate amounts of water after getting lip fillers — I also mean acquiring moisturizing products to keep your lips plump and supple over a longer span.
The more dehydrated you are, the less water HA fillers get — gradually impairing or weakening their ability to attract and hold water molecules.
Besides internal hydration, here are some products you can use to maintain or sustain filler longevity. These products nourish your lips, combating dryness:
● Lip oils or masks: There are lightweight oils containing moisture-locking additives such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, or argan oil. Apply them during the day. Then, incorporate overnight lip masks, particularly those with beeswax, ceramide, or shea butter to provide intense hydration.
● Lip balms with hyaluronic acid: These lip balms retain moisture, enhancing the effects of lip fillers.
● Petroleum-based products: Look for products like Vaseline that create a protective barrier on your lips, locking in moisture to prevent lip cracking or dryness.
● SPF lip balms: In case you’re exposed to lots of sunlight regularly, have a sun-shielding hat on and get a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher to shield your lips from drying out.
● Vitamin E oil: You can apply this super moisturizer on your lips to protect and soften them.
Besides providing external moisturization support, avoiding smoking or alcohol, protecting your lips from UV rays, making healthy lifestyle choices, and avoiding excessive heat, here are more tips to maximize the lifespan of lip filler.
More Tips to Maximize the Lifespan of Lip Filler
1. Cut back on intense physical activity
Though positive, intense physical activities like extreme cycling and weight-lifting lower filler lifespan.
The increased blood flow and muscle stress as a result of these activities heighten your metabolic rate, degrading fillers rapidly.
Right after a lip filler injection procedure, cut back on both light and intense exercises for two weeks. Fillers need this period to adjust and set properly.
After two weeks, you may slowly resume exercising. Nonetheless, monitor the intensity and frequency of intense exercises. It is optimal to engage in light to moderate workouts like light stretches, walking, or yoga.
2. Adhere to post-procedure instructions
After a lip filler injection procedure, the practitioner must provide you with post-procedure instructions. These instructions serve as a guide on how to safely handle your lips, ensuring complications are less likely to occur.
Some vital post-procedure instructions include avoiding alcohol for the first 24 to 72 hours after the procedure. Alcohol interferes with the functionality of blood platelets, lowering the blood’s ability to form clots.
Impaired clot formation poses a risk of excessive bleeding, bruising, or lip filler swelling in case the practitioner unintentionally punctured blood vessels during the procedure.
Apart from avoiding alcohol, you should also steer clear of makeup and lip fillers lipstick to avoid introducing bacteria.
Also, you must minimize excessive lip movement, like talking, kissing, or eating hard foods. All these activities may interrupt lip filler placement, leading to complications like filler migration or asymmetry.
3. Plan for scheduled maintenance
The impact of lifestyle choices, filler choice, and the other factors varies from one person to the other.
To put your mind at ease, schedule routine upkeep. Have your practitioner review your lips from time to time to assess how well your body is responding to lip fillers.
Your practitioner should let you know when to come in for a touch-up to replenish filler volume before it dissolves fully.
Periodic touch-ups or servicing is critical to capture any instances of complications in time and reduce the long-term investment in maintaining lasting lip beauty.
Wrapping Up!
While many sources may have the answer to the question, “How long does lip filler last?” as 6 months to 18 months, note that some enjoy results for weeks only. Why?
I’ve put together all you need to know in this piece. From factors impacting lip filler lifespan to practical tips to elongate lip filler longevity.
Remember, always follow post-care instructions as provided by your practitioner. Not doing so is the number one reason many end up having to dissolve their lip fillers after weeks of having them.
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