Getting Those Sensuous Lips :: Plastic Surgery Beauty Essays

Getting Those Sensuous Lips Plastic surgery has become a leading business in America and is venturing in to all parts of the body. First there was the liposuction of the thighs and butt then the face-lifts, the beast implants and now the injections of the lips. The volume of the lips can be thick and prominent, as in certain races, or else thin and retracted as in other races. A full, fresh prominent mouth, which invites a kiss, is the latest object of cosmetic surgery. There have been many types of materials that have been injected and several techniques that have been used. Materials such as collagen, silicone, Gore-Tex, fat or dermis has been used for the injections. The surgeon should choose his technique carefully and according to the patient’s wants. The procedure is very simple. Lip procedures are usually carried out under local anesthesia with intravenous conscious sedation. The surgeon and patient decide which material to use for the injections. Some of the other materials that are used are Collagen: A molecule that makes up the body’s connective tissue; usually taken from cow skin. Three percent of patients have hypersensitivity problems, and some develop allergic reactions as long as three to four years later. Alloderm: A collagen created with tissue taken from human cadavers. The results last four to six months, then must be repeated. Can carry the risk of becoming infected and may feel slightly hard and unnatural. Gore-Tex: A hollow, tube-shaped implant made from synthetic material. Procedure requires a fine incision made along the edge of the lips; the tubing is inserted and the area stitched up. New tissue grows into and around the tube. Results are permanent, but may feel slightly less natural. Autologen: Skin ta ken from a patient is sent to a lab that makes collagen from it, so the chances of allergic reaction are eliminated. Results are permanent. The marking of the lips is done intraorally creating a set of W’s on the interior of the lips. The incision is made along the marking and extends deep to the submucosa and dissection is carried above the muscle to the vermilion (Samiian162). A suture stitch is transfixed to the center of the lip; pressing over rubber patches until the tissue at the center are slightly pinched. Some cases a catheter is used and a needle threaded with a steel wire is passed through the center of the lip and then perforated by the catheter.