Are your lips telling secrets about your age?

• Have you started to notice vertical lines around your mouth?
• Does your lipstick “bleed” beyond the borders of your lips?
• Is one of your lips thinner than the other?

You're not alone. Laurie, age 47, was troubled by her thinning lips and vertical lip lines, sometimes called “smoker’s lines.”

“I come from a family of wrinkly old ladies—I'm doomed,” she laughs. “My lips were getting smaller, and I was starting to get that lipstick bleed line that you see in grandmother types. I thought, ‘I've got to stop this now!’ That's what got me thinking about having my lips enhanced.”

Laurie, who works at the Texas Medical Center, had previously had her lips treated by another physician using Restylane, a hyaluronic acid facial filler. “I first came to Dr. Rappaport because he was so accessible,” she says. “I liked his web site—and he takes CareCredit.”

Juvéderm produces natural results

Dr. Rappaport treated Laurie's lips with Juvéderm, a next-generation hyaluronic acid facial filler from Allergan. “I avoid using semi-permanent fillers like Radiesse in the lips because it's thicker,” he explains. “Often, as in Laurie's case, I also add some Botox to calm down the muscles around the mouth, because muscle activity tends to make any facial filler go away quicker.”

Laurie was very pleased with her Juvéderm results from Dr. Rappaport. “When I had Restylane treatments from my former doctor, I noticed some bumps under my skin,” she recalls. “My Juvéderm treatment looks so natural.”

‘It didn't hurt at all!’

Another reason Laurie is happy with Dr. Rappaport: he makes the treatment much more comfortable. Because the lips are such a sensitive area, Dr. Rappaport administers local anesthesia known as a dental block to numb the area before treating the lips with Juvéderm.

“The dental block is a regional block, so the lip is not distorted by anesthesia, but it gives a profound numbness,” Dr. Rappaport explains.

But all dental blocks are not created equal. “Dr. Rappaport’s dental block was absolutely fabulous compared with my first experience,” Laurie recalls. “When my previous physician gave me a dental block—ow, ow, ow! I could have slugged him!

“Dr. Rappaport is especially good at administering dental blocks because he was originally going to be an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, so he's very talented in that area. His dental block didn't hurt at all!

“He did a fabulous job, and it didn't hurt to get the Juvéderm treatment at all,” says Laurie. “With the other doctor, the dental block never ‘took’ completely, and the Restylane treatment was a painful process.”

How do you want your lips to look?

Before treating your lips, Dr. Rappaport listens carefully to what you are looking for from lip enhancement. “Do you want more definition?” he asks. “Fuller lips?” He takes a conservative treatment approach. “I would rather under-inject than over-inject,” he explains.

“I told Dr. Rappaport I didn't want the Barbara Hershey look,” Laurie laughs. “I just wanted my lips to look like they did when I was in my 20s.”

Satisfied patients are our best source of referrals. Do you know someone who is considering plastic surgery? Call 713.790.4500 and ask us about our Refer a Friend Program.