Lip augmentation with dermal fillers is a reliable cosmetic procedure for enhancing the lips by improving plumpness, shape, definition, and texture. It’s a non-surgical treatment, so you’ll only need short downtime and experience minimal side effects. Hyaluronic acid fillers for the lips tend to last between 6 to 18 months, depending on the brand. Because of this, some patients ask if they can get permanent fillers for more prolonged effects from lip injections.
So can patients get permanent lip fillers? Patients can get permanent fillers for lip augmentation procedures with PMMA fillers and autologous fat grafting. PMMA fillers can last up to 5 years, while autologous fat injections have permanent results with successfully integrated fat. But permanent lip injections have risks, like leaving unpredictable results, not adjusting naturally with age, developing complications, and having limited reversibility options.
What Are Considered Permanent Lip Fillers?
Getting dermal lip filler injections is a popular method of lip augmentation, as it adds plumpness to the lips and improves their shape, definition, and texture. Most injectable fillers used for the lips are hyaluronic acid, which provides temporary results. Its effects can last between 6 to 18 months, depending on the brand. That’s why some patients consider getting permanent fillers instead to have fuller lips permanently. Some permanent fillers available are:
1) Polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA Fillers
Polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA Fillers are one of the options considered as permanent filler injections, although their results are only long-lasting, reaching up to 5 years. PMMA fillers are called permanent fillers because the PMMA microspheres in the filler material are non-biodegradable. This type of dermal filler can maintain its form for a long time because of its former and thicker formulation.
PMMA fillers leave your lips fuller and more supple by boosting collagen production and allowing them to fill the loss of volume between the lip tissue. This is after the injected collagen gets broken down months after injection. But this type of injectable filler is more commonly used in deep facial wrinkles like nasolabial folds or in filling acne scars.
2) Autologous Fat Injections
Another option for permanent lip augmentation with dermal fillers is autologous fat injections, but this cosmetic procedure is different from other treatments with facial fillers. Autologous lip augmentation involves harvesting your own fat cells, usually from the abdomen or buttocks. These fat cells are then administered to the lips to add volume and enhance their shape and definition.
This type of lip augmentation procedure provides unpredictable results, as many fat cells transferred to the treated area don’t survive. Only the fat cells that have successfully integrated into the lip tissue maintain to keep lips plumper permanently.
Potential Risks of Permanent Lip Fillers
Permanent lip augmentation solutions with fillers include PMMA filler injections and autologous fat grafting. These options might last longer than hyaluronic acid fillers, but they have higher risks of developing adverse reactions.
Because of this, plastic surgeons still advise temporary filler injections. If you’re opting for more permanent options, you can undergo surgical procedures and get lip implants, like silicone or polytetrafluoroethylene implants.
1) Leave Unpredictable Results
Permanent fillers, specifically autologous lip augmentation, can provide unpredictable results, requiring several follow-up treatments to achieve your aesthetic goals. This is because the number of fat cells that can successfully integrate into your lips can’t be predicted. Patients usually wait 6 months before seeing the final results of their autologous fat injections, where the fat cells successfully settle and develop a blood supply.
Compared to autologous fat injections, PMMA fillers can produce more predictable results. But because of the foreign substance as its active ingredient, it might not be the best type of dermal lip filler, causing more reports of adverse effects. Accidentally administering this type of filler to the blood vessels can cause serious blockages.
2) Fail to Adjust Gracefully As You Age
Permanent fillers might not adjust gracefully as you age, possibly leaving your lips with an asymmetrical shape as you get older. This cosmetic treatment might be appealing to many patients because of its long-lasting effects. But aging will eventually change the way our lips look, as it eventually loses volume and tightness.
Permanent lip augmentation with PMMA fillers or fat injections might not always provide enough room in your lips as your cells change with aging. That’s why aesthetic professionals recommend temporary fillers instead to provide results that highlight your natural appearance. They also recommend lip implants that will also consider your facial anatomy as you age.
3) Cause Higher Risks of Complications
Many aesthetic professionals don’t consider permanent fillers the best option for making the lips fuller and more supple because of their high risks of developing adverse events. PMMA fillers can cause post-procedural nodules when injected into the lips.
Autologous fat injections involve fewer risks of complications than PMMA fillers due to their biocompatibility with the donor area, but adverse events are still a possibility. Although rare occurrences, it can cause fat tissue accumulation at the lips and vascular occlusion, leading to loss of vision.
4) Limit Reversibility Options
Permanent lip augmentation procedures with PMMA fillers and fat injections have limited options to reverse the treatment, unlike with temporary facial fillers. Permanent cosmetic injections require surgical removal to extract the filler material and resolve possible complications, which can be costly and leave scars, if not slight disfigurement to the treated area.
With hyaluronic acid fillers, healthcare providers will usually administer hyaluronidase to dissolve the filler material. This will resolve possible adverse effects or correct the treated area.
Why Aesthetic Professionals Recommend Temporary Lip Fillers
Using permanent fillers for lip augmentation, like autologous fat injections of PMMA fillers, can lessen your visit to your cosmetic surgeon because of its long-term effects. But cosmetic face surgeons don’t recommend these options due to their unpredictable results, poor adjustment with aging, high complication rates, and limited reversibility options.
Many aesthetic professionals recommend cosmetic surgery for patients seeking permanent results and temporary fillers for patients wanting plumper and more hydrated lips. They advise temporary facial fillers because of their:
- Natural-looking results
- FDA approval
- Minimal health risks
- Flexible treatment procedures
- More predictable results
- Results lasting between 6 to 18 months
Achieve Your Beauty Goals with Customized Lip Filler Treatment Plans at Ethos Spa
PMMA fillers and autologous fat injections are some options for non-surgical lip augmentation that provide longer results than temporary fillers. But permanent fillers provide several risks, like leaving unpredictable results, failing to maintain natural-looking results, developing complications, and having limited reversibility options. Patients should seek a reputable cosmetic doctor to ensure a safe and successful lip augmentation treatment.
Ethos Spa is one of the best medical spas in New Jersey for performing lip augmentation treatments with hyaluronic acid fillers. Our board-certified plastic surgeons will create a treatment plan tailored to every patient’s needs. We use only the best tools and techniques that prioritize your safety and comfort, committed to providing the best results possible. Get started on having plumper and more supple lips today, and book an appointment with us.
