Lip filler: what to expect, from consultation to recovery

Lip filler adds volume or shape to the lips with an injectable gel, usually hyaluronic acid. It is one of the most common treatments at med spas, and one of the most varied in how it is described and priced. This guide covers what the appointment involves, what recovery usually looks like and how lip filler is priced.

Products

Several hyaluronic acid fillers are FDA-approved for lip augmentation in adults, including Juvederm Ultra XC, Juvederm Volbella XC and Restylane Kysse. They differ in firmness. Softer gels give a subtler result. Firmer gels give more definition and shape. A clinic should name the product it plans to use.

Lip filler or lip flip

A neurotoxin “lip flip” is a different treatment. A few units placed above the upper lip relax the muscle so the lip turns slightly outward. It adds no volume, wears off sooner than filler and is priced as a single treatment.

The appointment

• A consultation about the result you want, your medical history and any medicines that increase bruising.
• Numbing cream. Many lip fillers, such as the Juvederm “XC” products, also contain the local anesthetic lidocaine.
• Injections with a fine needle or a blunt-tipped cannula, usually taking well under an hour.

Recovery

Downtime is usually short, but swelling, tenderness and bruising are common and take time to settle, and lips often look larger at first than they will afterwards. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons suggests allowing several weeks before a big event.

Contact your provider promptly about severe or worsening pain, skin that turns pale, dusky or blotchy, or any change in vision. These can be signs of filler blocking a blood vessel, which the FDA lists as the most serious risk of filler and which needs urgent treatment.

How long it lasts

Hyaluronic acid filler breaks down slowly. Lip products typically last months rather than years, and the lips are a mobile area. If you dislike the result, hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase.

How it is priced

Lip filler is usually priced per syringe, and many lip treatments use a single syringe. Some lip products come in a syringe smaller than 1 mL, and some clinics sell a “half syringe”, so check the volume when comparing. Our guide on how filler is priced explains what to ask. We do not yet split lip filler from other filler areas. This is the median per-syringe price for filler where the clinic did not name a brand, lips and other areas together: