Two groups of women seek lip enlargement. Young women with thin lips wanting thicker, fuller lips, and older women who have lost fullness of their upper lip.
Lip enlargement can be done temporarily using collagen injections. In my experience, these procedures are relatively expensive and only last 3 - 6 months. Fat injection is another method currently being used. However, in some people, the results may only be temporary as the body may resorb the fat. It can also leave lumpy results.
Three methods of permanent lip enhancement can be performed in the office. For slight enlargement, incisions are made inside the upper lip, and the lip is rolled up and out. This gives a subtle enlargement. For a more obvious difference, material can be implanted in the upper lip. One way is to pull a substance through the lip, like a group of strings, from one side to the other. The amount of enlargement is determined by how many "strings" are pulled through and left implanted. The disadvantage to this is the expense of the material. The advantage is that the material can be removed. Another method is essentially the same, except instead of using a thread-like material, I use your own body's collagen. I cut out a scar you already have and re-close that spot, then put the scar through the upper lip just like we do with the "threads". The advantage is that you do not have to buy expensive material. The disadvantage is that it will be nearly impossible to remove.
The method I believe currently gives the best results involves implanting a soft roll of artificial material into the upper and/or lower lip. It is performed as an outpatient procedure in the office.