In-Office Procedures

If your: LIPS ARE THINNING OUT

Try hyaluronic acid injections, like Juvéderm, which typically cost between $500 and $1,000 for both top and bottom lips (one treatment should last from six to 12 months). Collagen injections are also popular; these injectables, which go by the names CosmoDerm or CosmoPlast, are fillers made from purified human collagen and cost between $400 and $800 per treatment (each one lasts up to four months). Both types of injections take only about 10 minutes, but they are painful. Many patients opt for a nerve block (similar to the Novocaine shot you get at a dentist's office) in addition to a topical anesthetic to make the procedure tolerable. Your lips will be swollen for about 24 hours and may look bruised for up to a week.

Lip injections are slowly making the V-Y lip augmentation, or lip lift, obsolete. This surgical procedure (which costs about $1,600) is designed to permanently increase the size of your lips. It involves making V-shaped cuts inside the lips, then stitching the cuts closed to create a more puckered-up shape. There is a six to eight-week recovery period, and risks include infection and possible permanent loss of feeling in parts of your lips.