Thin Lips
Thinning lips and lip lines fading.
Thin lips, a blurred border, a flattened cupid’s bow, and fine vertical lines above the mouth are what most patients describe as thinning lips. Most of it responds to injectable work placed in small amounts, and the lines above the lip respond to resurfacing.
Thin Lips
Thinning lips and lip lines fading.
Thin lips, a blurred border, a flattened cupid’s bow, and fine vertical lines above the mouth are what most patients describe as thinning lips. Most of it responds to injectable work placed in small amounts, and the lines above the lip respond to resurfacing.
CONCERN & CAUSES
The Four Patterns Behind Thin Lips
Nearly everyone books this as thin lips. What shows up is usually one of four patterns, and each one asks for a different plan.
01
Thinning Upper Lip
Collagen and your own hyaluronic acid decline year on year, so lip tissue gets finer and projection flattens. The upper lip is thinner to begin with, which is why it changes first.
02
Softening Lip Border
The ridge where lip meets skin loses definition with age. Once that edge softens, the cupid’s bow flattens out and lipstick starts traveling into the skin above it.
03
Vertical Lip Lines
Lip lines, or lip wrinkles, are fine vertical creases that form above the top lip as collagen thins. Sun and smoking bring these smoker’s lines on earlier. Filler does little for them, since they sit in the skin, where NOUVAderm laser and Vivace RF microneedling work.
04
Asymmetry and Flatness
One side may sit a little higher than the other, or the curve of the lip may have flattened out so the mouth looks straight across. Genetics set the base shape. Volume loss makes whatever imbalance was always there easier to see.
Treatment Options
Subtle Protocols for Bronxville and Bridgehampton
Catherine Curtin, MSN, FNP-C, has nearly 20 years in aesthetic injectables. Every lip treatment starts with an assessment of your lip anatomy and your facial proportions, and that assessment decides the product, the amount, and where it goes.
Lip Filler
Hyaluronic acid gel placed inside the body of the lip, rebuilding the volume that has gone so the border reads defined again from the support underneath it.
The Botox Lip Flip
A few units of Botox are placed just above the vermilion border, easing the muscle that pulls the lip inward so more of your lip shows when you talk and smile.
Caring for Treated Lips After Treatment
The final shape shows at about two weeks, and what you do in that window affects both the result and how long the filler lasts. The habits below keep treated lips comfortable while they heal.
Cleanse Gently
Hydrate the Tissue
Treat With Care
Soothe Swelling
Protect From Sun
The Beauty Bank
What Membership Is For
Members pay less per unit.
Neuromodulators are $15.50 per unit. Catherine goes through the options at a complimentary consultation. There is no deposit. Members pay less per unit; the figures are on the Beauty Bank page.
One fee each month, with no deposit
Use it at either office, Bronxville or Bridgehampton
Your complimentary consultation is with Catherine Curtin, MSN, FNP-C
A full-face assessment comes before any single treatment.
Complimentary consultation. No deposit. A card holds the time.
FAQ
Common Questions About
Lip Volume Treatment
The amount is decided at your consultation. Catherine assesses your lip anatomy, how the upper and lower lip sit relative to each other, and the thickness of the tissue, then recommends a volume that keeps the mouth in proportion with the rest of your face.
It can, if too much goes in or it sits too close to the border. Small amounts are placed inside the lip, keeping off the border itself, which is where migration tends to start. If it ever happened, dissolving is done at its own appointment and the area is given time to heal before re-treating.
Lip filler is temporary. Most people enjoy the result for several months before they notice it softening, though your metabolism and how expressive your mouth is will move that timing either way. Catherine tells you what to expect at your visit.
The first round is deliberately conservative. Small measured amounts go inside the lip, the upper and lower lip keep close to the ratio they already had, and treatment stops while the mouth is in proportion with your face. At a follow-up about two weeks later the result is reviewed and more added only if needed.
Swelling peaks in the first 24 to 48 hours and mild bruising is possible. Most people return to their usual day straight away and hold off on anything social for a little while. The final shape shows over the following week or two.
Yes. Hyaluronic acid can be dissolved with an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which takes you back close to your starting point if you are unhappy with the look. Catherine walks you through that at your consultation, so you know the flexibility is there.
Filler is hyaluronic acid gel placed in the lip itself. It adds volume and gives the border its line back. A lip flip is a few units of Botox above the lip, easing the muscle so the lip rolls outward. Filler changes the size of the lip, while a flip changes how much of it shows when you talk and smile. Some people do well with both, and that is decided at your consultation.
The fillers used carry labeled age floors: Restylane products are labeled for 21 and over, and the RHA family for 22 and over. Above those ages the decision is made at your consultation. Catherine asks what you want changed, then looks at how your lip sits against your nose and chin.
Dermal filler is $750 to $900 per syringe at the Bronxville and Bridgehampton offices, depending on the product and the amount placed. A lip flip is billed per unit, at $15.50, or $13.95 for Beauty Bank members. For lip lines, NOUVAderm laser is $950 per session, and Vivace RF microneedling is $900 per session or three for $2,500. The consultation is complimentary and there is no deposit.
Keep the lips bare for the first 24 hours while the early swelling comes down. After that, light lipstick and normal kissing are fine once your lips feel comfortable. Wait until around two weeks before you judge the final shape.
Lip filler is a smooth hyaluronic acid gel, made from a substance your skin already produces, that Catherine places in and around the lip to add volume and sharpen the border. It holds water and gives the tissue gentle structure. You see a change straight away, and the final shape shows over about two weeks.
Lips are not treated during pregnancy or while you are breastfeeding. The safety research on dermal fillers in those stages is thin, so waiting is the sound choice. Catherine is glad to plan the approach in a consultation now and schedule the treatment once you have finished nursing.