The Beauty Society

1) Nasiolabial fold 2) Oral commisures 3) Vermillion border 4) Philtrum 5) Cupid's bow

Create the lips you’ll love!

In an ideal balanced situation, the width of the lips should approximate the distance between the irises (the dotted lines fig 1) and within the lower face, the lips should be about one third of the way between the base of the nose and the chin for reasons of aesthetic proportion.

Lip protrusion (how far your lips stick forward) depends on the thickness of the soft tissues, the tone of the lip muscles, the position of your teeth and the underlying bone structure.

Lip prominence is measured by observing the distance that each lip projects forwards from a true vertical line, as shown in fig 2. When your lips are relaxed the upper lip should not protrude more than 3mm past the black dotted line and the lower should not exceed 4mm of the blue line, for people of Caucasian origin. Variables exist depending on your race and skin type but these aesthetic rules will follow your overall facial proportions.

It is desirable to have a slight negative lip step which means the upper lip is forward of the lower by 2-3mm as shown in fig 3.

The naso-labial angle shown in fig 4 is the measurement between the base of the nose and the upper lip. This is considered to be harmonious at 99° for most racial groups; however this is not an absolute rule.

When sculpting the lips, volume, balance, symmetry and proportion are important. The right and left sides should mirror each other and the volume of the lower lip should be greater than the upper (see fig 5). Your skin and lips are constantly under attack from environmental factors such as wind, sun, conditioning and pollution. Fillers can achieve ideal balanced lips by supporting and complementing their natural function. In order to make your lips feel healthier, softer and more hydrated, the judicious use of fillers to contour, volumise and sculpt the lips is recommended.

It is unwise to simply inflate the lip and distort the proportions – if you do require lip service and treatments it is best done by an aesthetician who understands the principles of facial and lip balance.
You can improve your lips by:

• Defining the lip lines
• Eliminating wrinkles
• Eradicating horizontal creases in the chin
• Adding volume and enhancing the definition within reason
• Filling oral commissures
• Reviving your cupid's bow
• Reducing smile lines
• Creating happier mouth corners