Neck Muscle Graft Can Pump Up Lips

March 16, 2010 -- Want pouty lips? A new study shows that a lip implant with
skin and neck muscle grafts may bring good results.
The surgery can be done at the same time as a facelift, making lips appear
fuller and less stretched. Results last at least two years, say Anurag Agarwal,
MD, and colleagues at the Aesthetic Surgery Center in Naples, Fla.
Their study is published in the March/April issue of Archives of Facial
Plastic Surgery.
"Since ancient times, women have used plant dyes and colored clays to
enhance their lips," but the quest for permanent lip augmentation "has been
fraught with challenges," they note.
As people age, the lips flatten and lengthen, decreasing the amount of pink
tissue that shows.
These changes often lead patients to seek lip-augmentation procedures. But
lip procedures can lead to asymmetry, the formation of cysts, and an unnatural
feel or appearance.
Plumping Lips With Muscle
Agarwal and colleagues say in a news release that they achieved good results
in 25 lip-augmentation patients by using parts of the women's own muscles that
run along the side of their necks, as well as the connective tissue, called
fascia, that overlies it.
The women had follow-up at one year or later to check for changes. After an
average of two years, the amount of visible pink tissue increased 20%-24% for
the upper and lower lips, the researchers say.
Also, the average projection of the lips increased about four one-hundredths
of an inch. Patients in general were pleased with the results, the researchers
say. However, one patient wanted additional augmentation with an injectable
gel.
The surgeons say the tissue used in the implants can be removed during a
face-lift with few complications, leaving no deformities in the contour of the
neck, limitations in head movement, neck pain, or nerve injuries.
"This postoperative recovery [from the surgical technique] is
straightforward," the researchers write. "After the first month of lip
swelling, the patient should expect that the lips will be slightly
swollen."
The researchers conclude that "with careful patient selection and surgical
technique," the new method may be "a valuable tool when treating the aging
lip."
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