Lips too thin: how to make them plumper?

When one thinks of a beautiful face, in addition to soft and regular features, an intense gaze and youthful and smooth skin, there is undoubtedly another detail that is more than just a detail: the mouth.

The mouth is undoubtedly one of the most sensual elements on the face of either sex, whether it gives a dazzling, mesmerising smile or a mischievous pout.

In particular, plump and full lips represent in the collective imagination the ideal mouth that everyone would love to have.

The ideal mouth, however, often clashes with the real one.

Whether by the will of mother nature, or due to ageing, lips, like skin, lose their original tone and volume. The problem of thin lips is an aesthetic issue that afflicts many individuals, both women and, lately, even men.

Particularly when ageing, the body’s natural production of both collagen (a protein essential to support tissues and, therefore, also of the lips) and hyaluronic acid decreases.

The latter too occurs naturally in our bodies and contributes, among other things, to tissue turgidity and plasticity.

The inevitable loss of these substances leads not only to the appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin, but also to the thinning of the lips.

Either way, whether it is a genetic factor or an ageing factor, the question remains: how to solve the problem of thin lips?

In this article, we will look at the main solutions for plumper lips, from those whose results are only slightly visible and/or temporary to those that provide immediate and lasting effects.

In particular, we will see:

• How to plump up your lips

1. How to plump up your lips with make-up
2. How to give volume to thin lips with 4 daily practices

• How to increase lip volume permanently
  • Lip fillers available
• Thin lip fillers with hyaluronic acid: before and after

How to plump up your lips

Plumping up thin lips without resorting to real filler approaches is not easy and, in any case, the results are neither immediate nor very visible, especially if the lips are really thin.

However, there are natural and non-invasive tricks to give the lips a fuller appearance.

Let’s see what they are.

1. How to plump up your lips with make-up

Certainly, the easiest and most immediate way for women to make their lips appear plumper and more voluminous is with make-up.

Of course, this is not a real remedy, but only a momentary effect that will disappear with make-up.

In any case, applying a pencil that defines the lip contour, particularly in the area of the so-called ‘Cupid’s bow’ applying a darker lipstick on the outer walls and a lighter, glossy finish in the centre, will create an optical effect of greater size and volume.

In order to avoid having to repeat this operation every day, more and more women are resorting to semi-permanent make-up, which, although it does not give volume, allows the lip edge to look bigger.

2. How to give volume to thin lips with 4 daily practices

Just how one fights facial wrinkles, lips also require the right treatments.

Let’s review a few of them:

1. A first best practice is to use a specific lip scrub every seven to ten days to remove dead cells and cuticles.
2. Massaging the lips daily, using a simple toothbrush (with soft bristles), stimulates microcirculation and gives a slight turgid effect.
3. Using dermo-cosmetic products with a filler effect consistently allows small results to be achieved over time. In particular, the best products exploit the properties of hyaluronic acid to moisturise and plump thin lips by stimulating the cells to produce collagen.
4. Protect the lips from UV radiation with adequate protection to avoid worsening the problem of lip volume loss.

Overall, one recommendation is to pay attention to using certain natural remedies.

If, for example, chilli pepper oil, by reactivating the microcirculation, could make the lips appear plumper (only for a few hours), it is also true that it would cause irritation, discomfort and unsightly redness.

Therefore, it is better to avoid do-it-yourself solutions and choose specific products.

How to increase lip volume permanently

So far, we have seen very soft approaches, just as soft are the results they achieve.

Therefore, they can be moderately ameliorative but only in cases where the problem is not very pronounced.

In contrast, in cases of very small and thin lips, cosmetic surgery may be necessary to achieve visible and lasting results .

In this regard, it should be pointed out that one should not be misled by the term surgery.

In fact, until a few years ago, the trend was towards more invasive approaches, while the current trend is that of softer approaches, both in the type of intervention and final result.

Among the most used and least invasive techniques are fillers, substances with a filling action that are injected through very thin needles into the lips and/or on the contour to plump up thin lips and give them volume.

It is no coincidence that ‘filler’ means to fill.

The goal of these substances is to plump up hollowed-out areas (such as thin lips due to age) or areas that are physiologically lacking in volume (such as thin lips in young people).

There are different types of fillers based on their constituent substances, each with specific characteristics in terms of results, durability and safety.

In this regard, although it is a rather simple aesthetic medicine treatment, it is essential that it is only performed by specialised doctors.

Lip fillers available

Before deciding whether to undergo a filler treatment, it is good to remember that it is not enough to have a ‘filler’, but it is essential to know which specific type of substance will be used to become aware of possible side effects.

Let’s see which fillers are most commonly used.

Permanent fillers

These are fillers of synthetic origin that cannot be reabsorbed by the body.

This means that the results obtained with this type of substance are long-lasting. However, the product’s non-resorbability guarantees durability but it may cause allergic reactions, side effects and rejection, even years later.

Moreover, any errors in shape or an excessive “balloon” effect become impossible to correct.

This type of filler has fortunately fallen into disuse, particularly liquid silicone which is now banned by law.

Semi-permanent fillers

They are composed of both resorbable and synthetic substances (e.g. hyaluronic acid combined with acrylic hydrogel or collagen combined with polymethylmethacrylate).

The advantage of this kind of product is its durability of up to three years.

The disadvantage is the possibility of allergies and side effects.

Resorbable or biological fillers

As the term itself indicates, they are fillers made entirely of substances that are completely resorbable by the body.

We are talking in particular about collagen and hyaluronic acid, substances that are both naturally present in the body.

The results that can be achieved with these fillers have a shorter duration than with the solutions seen above and they generally last up to six months.

This type of filler is the most widely used for thin lips, both because it allows for more natural results and because the risks of side effects are minimal, provided quality injections are used.

Let’s see how to choose the best hyaluronic acid as a filler for thin lips.

Thin lip fillers with hyaluronic acid: before and after

Hyaluronic acid injections allow having plump lips without surgery.

The best quality thin lip fillers are 100% Made in Italy and made from top-quality raw material. They are in the form of sterile, resorbable, cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel, the effects of which last approximately 7-8 months and are shown in various ways:

1. Hydration: by moisturizing the lips, hyaluronic acid relaxes the labial mucosa, redefining its contours.
2. Volume: thin lips appear naturally plumped.
3. Correction: injected in the right amount, hyaluronic acid helps to correct the small asymmetries of the lips and improve their shape

The results are immediately clear and the typical post-treatment swelling disappears in a few days.

The aim of the most innovative products is to make the lips appear fuller but without overdoing it.

So, what result should be expected when using the latest generation hyaluronic acid fillers?

Whether it is a question of redefining the contours of the lips, which have lost firmness and hydration with age, or whether you simply want a cosmetic change by acting on increased volume, the final effect will be extremely natural.

Therefore, not an unnatural and often unaesthetic distortion (the silicone effect to be clearer) but naturally larger, plumper and more elastic lips in full respect of their original anatomy and volumetric proportions in balance with the facial features.

To be certain of achieving this effect, it is essential to inquire carefully with the specialist who will perform the treatment about the type of hyaluronic acid that will be used.

This protects against unpleasant surprises on an aesthetic level, but also against the occurrence of undesirable effects.