No Needle Lip Lift

If like many, you’re interested in fuller lips but aren’t keen on the idea of lip filler, there is an interesting new treatment available.

Lip filler is still regarded with suspicion in some circles – thanks to TV shows like Love Island and celebrities we’ve all seen who have that bit too much filler and can end up with the dreaded Trout Pout. When administered subtly lip filler can produce beautiful, undetectable results - particularly among midlife women whose top lip can lose more volume than the bottom lip through age. Of course, women of any age can feel they want their lips to be a little fuller.

Thermage FLX Lip Lift is an exciting treatment for fuller-looking lips because it’s needle-free and offers long-lasting yet subtle ‘lift’ type results. You won’t end up with pillowy-looking lips, just a subtle lift. That’s the thing about any Thermage treatment. It’s so subtle, nobody knows what you’ve had done - you just look like a better version of yourself.  Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan, unsurprisingly.

During treatment, there's nothing injected into the lip. It’s a treatment which uses Radiofrequency to promote your own collagen production so you don’t look ‘done’.

What causes thinning lips?

"Lips seem to lose their stuffing with age" says Alice Hart Davis, journalist and author of The Tweakments Guide. "They just get thinner and drier with age for all the same reasons as with other parts of the face. The collagen that plumps up the lips gets gradually broken down because the delicate skin on the lips suffers the same gradual daily aggressions of daylight. On top of that, drying wind and being licked too much wears away the skin barrier, which makes lips less able to retain the remaining moisture within.’

Pretty, plump lips are one of those eternally appealing things about youthful looks so lots of us are on a quest to find a solution. But some people are just not keen on anything that’s injected which is why treatments like Thermage are so appealing.

What exactly is the Thermage FLX Lip Lift?

Thermage FLX is the gold standard of radio frequency treatments. Radiofrequency energy is a form of electromagnetic energy. During a treatment strong radio waves are used to heat the dermis, the deep layer of the skin that produces new skin cells and collagen. The heating effect induces the dermis to produce more collagen and so plump up the skin.

A typical treatment takes less than 30 minutes and patients can immediately return to their normal activities with no downtime required. There is an initial ‘lift’ visible after the treatment but it takes several weeks after the treatment for enough collagen to be synthesized for visible results to become apparent. 

The cupids bow can become more defined and the overall look of the lips takes on a subtle, more plumped-out appearance. An improvement will continue for several months and then will stabilize.

Is it painful?

The tip of the device used has a clever cooling system so the skin instantly feels cool and it’s a really easy treatment to undergo even for someone with a low pain threshold.

Is more than 1 treatment necessary?

Typically just one treatment is necessary and results can last up to 18 months or longer.

Who is this treatment good for?

It’s a great treatment for anyone who wants a subtle improvement. It’s also great before a big event or if you’re being photographed as it makes a notable difference to the lower face.

It’s good for anyone who has noticed some volume loss in their lips but it's also good for midlife women who may notice the corners of the mouth have started to turn down. This has previously been treated with tiny amounts of strategically placed filler - some doctors will use Botox to relax muscles around the nasal labial folds which can result in a ‘lip lift’ - but this is a good alternative for those who want results without any injections.