For years, dermal fillers were the only non-surgical way to enhance your smile. VIDA offers the best, most effective, and natural-looking lip fillers for those who have fallen in love with this treatment. But what if you want something a little different? The “lip flip” uses your favorite proven injectable, Botox, to improve your smile without using fillers. At VIDA, the cost of lip flip is $100 when added to another service, or $150 as a stand-alone service. How can a neuromodulator like Botox affect your lips? The same way it diminishes the appearance of wrinkles—by manipulating muscles.
Botox and its counterparts, like Dysport and Xeomin, work by temporarily stopping targeted muscles from performing their function. There are a number of muscles that impact the lips, called “muscles of facial expression.” Many of these muscles are innervated by the same nerve. The “mouth muscles” include the buccinator, a complex of muscles grouped together as the “orbicularis oris,” and the modiolus as an anchor point for a variety of mouth muscles.
Muscles for Elevation
There are different muscles that we use to control lip elevation and depression, with five muscles dedicated to elevation and four to depression. A lip flip is not meant to simply fill in volume, but rather change how the elevation of the upper lip appears. When Botox is expertly injected at just the right sites of the upper lip, it can “freeze” some of these muscles so that they appear to flip up and out. This reveals more of the pink that is typically hidden inside the mouth and against the teeth. It’s also a great help for those with a gummy smile.
Ultimately, a lip flip makes lips look fuller even though their volume wasn’t touched. However, a lip flip can only be performed on the upper lip. It can be a great treatment for those with asymmetrical lips. If you’re happy with the volume and shape of your lower lip but struggle with a thin upper lip, a lip flip can be a fantastic solution—especially if you’d like to show less gum when you smile.
Combining Lip Flips with Dermal Fillers
A lip flip alone might be the best treatment for you. The results last about as long as those of a Botox treatment in other parts of the face (3 – 6 months), but can last a little shorter since the mouth is so mobile. In many cases, this is the same length of time as dermal fillers. However, if you want to improve the genuine volume of the lips as well (particularly on the lower lips), you might combine a lip flip with dermal fillers.
At VIDA, we specialize in creating custom treatment plans to achieve your unique goals. No two clients are the same, so why should treatments be? Although the lip flip is a relatively new treatment, it uses Botox which is well-known and proven. Still, that doesn’t mean any injector with Botox experience can give you great results. This is a very delicate treatment that requires incredible skill and experience. Results might only last a few months, but you deserve to get the look you want during that period.
The Difference a Great Injector Makes
Injecting Botox in the upper lip for a lip flip is very different than, for example, injecting it between the brows to stop the “angry elevens” from forming. It’s perfectly fine and even sometimes preferred if Botox spreads a bit in other areas of the face or body, but that can’t happen during a lip flip. A subpar injection can lead to a mouth that looks flat and distorted. However, there are ways you can reduce the risk of this happening to you.
Only trust an experienced injector with your lip flip. We are much more than a medispa and can give you the gorgeous, natural-looking results you want with a lip flip or any other treatment. Schedule your complimentary consultation or appointment today with VIDA by calling the office or booking online.