19 BUCKS COUNTY WOMAN
BUCKS COUNTY WOMAN
REAL BEAUTY
“Also, the fillers Restylane and Juvederm are hyaluronic acids, are safe, reversible and last nine to twelve months,” he explains. “With fillers, there is minimal risk, really no down-time and results that last.” As with any aesthetic procedure, skill is important. “It’s easy to inject Botox or fillers,” says Dr. Buinewicz, “but it is hard to do it correctly and maintain an artistic balance to achieve the desired result and avoid the ‘trout lips.’ A good aesthetic procedure should not look like anything was done but have people admiring your beauty.”
We’ll start with the least invasive method: makeup. Susan was set for our talk with plenty of tips, like exfoliating the lips first and keeping them moisturized to minimize lines. She then suggested using a lip liner in a shade close to the natural skin tone to line the lips “just outside the lip line;” then, fill in the lips with a lipstick or gloss.
I asked if lighter lip shades were better than darker ones for creating the full effect. To my surprise, Susan informed me, “Not necessarily.” She explained, “Brighter colors look fuller than nude colors.” Also, she agreed with something I read recently, which is that a highlighting concealer can be applied to the Cupid’s bow—the indented area just above the top lip—to bring light and to create a fuller-looking lip.
Susan also told me to “blot a little shimmer in the middle portion of the bottom lip” to reflect light and make it look larger. All sound advice.
Our conversation eventually led to talk of lip plumpers, which I recently tried for the first time and liked. Susan is a fan, too, and she told me about Jane Iredale’s natural lip plumper, called More Lip. This plumper contains spearmint and peppermint oils, in addition to ginger root extract, to stimulate circulation.
In my investigation, I found that this is precisely what lip plumpers do: they stimulate circulation to the lips with various ingredients. And they tingle, which is something that takes a little while to get used to but quickly becomes addictive.
“Most people love the tingle,” says Wendy, a seasoned makeup artist at Bean’s Beauty in Doylestown. “Some plumpers use cinnamon or licorice as a natural irritant,” she explains, “and the Bare Essentials plumper we carry, which is called Buxom Lips, is natural as well.” According to the product label, 86% of women experience an immediate increase in lip fullness. Nice stats. And it comes in several colors, which, according to Wendy, “easily take the place of lipstick.”
The lip plumper I tried was a clear gloss that stayed on well until I gave an unsuspecting victim a kiss on the cheek. WARNING: As they do with lips, lip plumpers also increase circulation and create a pink effect on other parts of the skin—even if that skin is a man’s face!
So maybe, then, the answer to fuller lips is something more permanent, like an injectable filler. According to Dr. Brian Buinewicz, Medical Director of 3000BC WellMed spas, “I mainly use Botox for lip augmentation to define the Cupid’s bow and roll out the red portion of the lips.” I asked him why he uses Botox and fillers when there are so many other products and techniques available. “I’ve tried injections with the fascia and collagen, but they don’t last.”
“Some plumpers use cinnamon or licorice as a natural irritant…”
For those who decide to embrace injectible fillers, beware of some post- procedure swelling and bruising. “It’s great to use a topical vitamin K-based cream and to take arnica supplements, which will speed the healing,” says Kate Sommerville. “And you probably don’t want to have a special something to do for at least five days.” So don’t plan on having this procedure the day before your wedding.
After all my poking and prodding the experts for advice, none were quick to recommend surgery for
lip
enhancement. “With surgical procedures or implants, there is risk of scarring, firmness or infection,” says Dr. Buinewicz. “I try to avoid doing permanent things to areas that are constantly changing and moving.” Plus, surgery is done under local anesthetic and will leave bruising, swelling and tenderness for much longer than an injectible.
If it’s lines you’re worried about, try laser resurfacing. This procedure can tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of lines. Or, take your own lip plumper challenge. Just be careful where you kiss!
Story by April Reynolds
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