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Update your Approach to Lip Augmentation | Dr Olha

Without a doubt, 2014-2015 has been the year for lip filler in the UK non-surgical aesthetic market. We only need to take a look at the biggest search engine; Google to see that it is the most searched for cosmetic treatment and this demand is only increasing.

Olha Vorodukhina Cosmetic CoursesAesthetic Dentist at Shine Medical and one of our expert trainers on our lip masterclass Dr Olha Vorodyukhina offers her advice on why lip fillers are essential for any cosmetic practice and how to safely deliver this treatment to your clients.

The Demand for Lip Fillers

At Shine Medical we receive enquiries about lip fillers almost every day. When speaking with my patients, a majority of them have considered this treatment at least once and it is without a doubt one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

A key aspect of determining the correct treatment plan for your patient is to be mindful of what they are trying to achieve but also what you feel comfortable with as a practitioner. I see a range of patients all with different expectations from lip augmentation treatment.

Following the ‘Kylie Jenner Lip Craze’ we do have a lot of young women in their 20s looking for a more noticeable increase in the size of their lips but we also see middle-aged women and ladies in their 70s looking for a more subtle enhancement to restore shape and volume that has been lost during the ageing process.

Lip filler is a highly versatile treatment for any age, gender and look that is trying to be achieved and with the continual demand for this procedure, we believe it is an essential part of your treatment portfolio.

Confidence is Key in Lip Augmentation

We often hear from delegates at our Lip Augmentation Masterclasses that they do not feel confident or comfortable enough to offer lip fillers to their clients. This is despite them knowing there is a high demand for this procedure.

And this is absolutely understandable. Lips are one of those areas that can create swelling and bruising both during and after the treatment which can be disconcerting for both you and your patient.

However, the good news is that if lip augmentation is performed correctly, it is one of the most rewarding treatments to carry out.

Patient Consultation and Assessment

With more celebrities than ever being featured in the news with their plumped up pouts it is important to manage your patient’s expectations and not allow them to push you over the limits of a safe treatment. Key to this is identifying your patient’s needs as well as their expectation from the outset. This is where your consultation and communication skills come into play.

During our Lip Masterclass one of our main learning objectives is correct treatment planning and patient management.

Assessment of the lips cannot effectively be performed by simply looking at your patient. It is important to ‘look beyond your patient’s mouth’ by looking inside the mouth as well. You will be looking for dental occlusion, teeth positioning, smile lines and facial expressions. Assessing each of these areas in detail with allow you to create a bespoke treatment plan for your patient.

You will also then be equipped to select the most appropriate dermal filler product. This will be determined by what you are trying to achieve, whether it be:

  • Restore age-related atrophy
  • Add volume
  • Define the shape of the lips
  • Restore philtrum columns
  • Give support to oral commissures

Very often you may be looking to achieve more than one of these outcomes and therefore you may combine fillers of different viscosity to deliver the most natural and effective results for your client.

Method of Injection for Lip Augmentation

An area we focus on during our Lip Masterclass is method of injection. When injecting the lips an important decision that you’ll make is whether to use a needle or a cannula. A cannula can be uncomfortable for your patient and in some cases creates more swelling but a needle is more likely to cause bruising. Often, for my patients I use a combination of both cannula and needle.

The best way to minimize trauma is by injecting indirectly and minimizing, where possible, the number of injection points.

But always remember that whichever method you choose and are comfortable with, if your patient does experience bruising and swelling this doesn’t necessarily mean you have injected incorrectly. The truth is 1 in 5 patients will bruise following lip augmentation, so don’t let this knock your confidence.

‘Always aim for natural results. It’s better to under treat than over treat.’

By knowing the right technique and restoring the natural tubercles of the lips you can achieve great results by using only 0.5-1ml of dermal filler product.

Dr Olha’s Lip Filler Before and After Photos

Book your Lip Masterclass Today

So if you’re interested in learning how to create beautiful, natural-looking lips, book on to our lip masterclass today. You can secure your place online or alternatively you can contact the team who will be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

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Lip augmentation – professional integrity comes first

Lip augmentation is back in the news, thanks to youngest Kardashian sister Kylie Jenner…

The teenage star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians has finally admitted what most of us knew already – her newly plump pout is thanks to temporary lip fillers, not lip liner after all.

The revelation didn’t go unnoticed by the British public. In the 24 hours after she confessed, UK clinics saw a huge spike in enquiries for the procedure, with some reporting a staggering 70% increase.

While people clamouring for treatment creates huge opportunities for us as aesthetic practitioners, it can also raise some interesting dilemmas.

Whenever there is massive demand for a treatment, it’s vital that we keep our wits about us.

As practitioners, we’re constantly engaged in a kind of balancing act. On the one hand, we want to give our patients the results they’re asking for. But on the other, we have to consider the results that would be best for them.

Fortunately, most of the time, these tend to be in alignment. But problems can arise when they are not. And lip augmentation is a classic example of a treatment where careful judgement is so vital. 

Age-appropriate lip augmentation

Age-inappropriate lip augmentationFull lips are attractive because they convey youth. So replacing lost volume (or adding it for younger patients with naturally thin lips) is a reliable way to give a face more youthful vigour. 

But the goal, as with any cosmetic enhancement, is to stay within the limits of what’s appropriate – particularly for a patient’s age.

Our aim with lip augmentation should always be to leave our patients with full, attractive but – crucially – age-appropriate lips.

No matter how our patients clamour for lips like Kylie Jenner, Angelina Jolie et al, we have to keep our professional integrity and be willing to say no if it won’t be right for them. 

That’s why learning the proper technique is only part of the equation when it comes to training in lip augmentation.

Bespoke lip augmentation training

Successful lip augmentation is nuanced, takes the patient’s facial features and their age into account, and has clearly defined outcomes from the beginning.

With this in mind, at Cosmetic Courses we’ve developed a bespoke training course completely devoted to lips. The intensive four-hour session focuses on age-appropriate attractiveness, covering both advanced technique and desired outcomes, based on the ‘Aurora Lip Analysis’ pioneered by our Clinical Director Adrian Richards.

During the session, you’ll learn the specific Aurora cannula technique developed by Adrian Richards, which uses a blunt cannula and only one entry point. This innovation makes it less painful for patients, with a far quicker recovery time owing to the reduced trauma and bruising.

If you have some experience of lip fillers and would like to advance your skills and become a more authoritative practitioner in this rapidly growing area of aesthetic medicine, our bespoke lip course will give you all the extra confidence you need.

For more information on our bespoke lip augmentation course, or to book a place, please contact the Cosmetic Courses team on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].

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Meet the Cosmetic Courses team at the ACE Conference

This weekend, 8-9th March, Cosmetic Courses are exhibiting at the ACE Conference If you’re going to be there, come along and say hello!

The ACE Conference is one of the biggest events in the industry, and it’s our first time exhibiting, so we’re really looking forward to it.

Lots of preparations have been made over the last few weeks, with the whole team working hard behind the scenes. Now it’s almost here, we’re excited to find out what the conference is like, and get the chance to meet lots of people in the industry.

You’ll be able to find us at Stand 31, where we’ll be offering lots of practical help for people looking to start or develop their aesthetic careers, including:

  • * Exclusive discounts – book a course during the conference and receive £100 discount!
  • * Advice and information on new training courses
  • * Upcoming course dates
  • * Business advice

On the Saturday afternoon at 3pm, our Clinical Director, Adrian Richards, and Aesthetic Nurse and Trainer, Mel Recchia, will be performing a live demonstration of lip augmentation with dermal fillers at ACE Conference.

The idea is to give people an introduction to the treatment, as well a taster of what they can expect when they come along to one of our courses. So if you are coming to the conference and interested in learning lip filler techniques, it should be well worth you coming along.

If you don’t have tickets for the event but think you might want to attend, the ACE conference takes place at the Business Design Centre in Islington, and entry to the exhibition is free (though if you want to attend lectures, seminars and masterclasses, a charge is payable).

For anyone who is going to be there, whether exhibiting or attending, we’ll see you there.

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Can Lumpy Lips from Evolance be treated with Juvederm?

Question :

Dear Cosmetic Courses,

I did the basic course with you a while ago and wondered if you can give me some advice please.

I saw a patient recently who received Evolance in her lips a year ago from another clinic. She now has hard lumps in her lips (collagen I presume).

She asked me to add volume to her lips again and I’m not sure whether it is a good idea!

From my understanding, Juvederm will not cause further lumps, but I would appreciate your opinion.

Answer :

Thanks for your email.

Unfortunately Evolance, unlike Haluronic acid fillers, cannot not be dissolved and will absorb over time.

Overall we would advise the patient to let the Evolance absorb before injecting Juvederm.

It would be possible to inject into the areas without the lumps to improve the appearance but this would not be guaranteed to improve it and could make the situation worse.

Overall we would leave her alone if possible.

Good luck!

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