May 27th, 2022 - BY Rafael
Lip Fillers
Non-Surgical
Russian Lips. The technique that’s travelled across the trans-Siberian all the way to the faces of Hollywood and the big screen. A technique that dazzles all onlookers, with its beautifully shaped, plump, voluminous curves. A technique that, pun very much intended, appears to be on everyone’s lips (and minds). It’s definitely something that’s taken the world by storm, and whether you’re looking to get some more information about this particular style, or perhaps even start on your own journey of Russian lip fullness, we’re here to help.
Luckily, as the Sydney-based authority on everything face and lip filler related, Face Doctors Clinic is here to give you a rundown of exactly what the technique entails, what benefits it brings, and how we might be able to start you on your own journey of Russian Lip discovery. In this article, we’ll give you a brief overview of the Russian Lip look, answering some common questions, and talking about the pros and cons of this lovely look.
Russian lips refer to a technique that is supposed to have originated in Russia, and from the traditional babushka dolls that form a heart shape in their center, together with an elevated appearance. They create an absolutely dramatic lip shape transformation, and create a prominent heart-shape that has dramatic height without too much projection. Typically this means that the filler – we use a scientifically proven and safe fluid known as Hyaluronic acid; a natural substance found in other parts of the body – is concentrated in the central component of the lip with the majority of filler injected into the upper lip. Normally this means that the upper lip height is equal to or larger than the height of the lower lip.
The key difference between regular lip fillers and Russian lip fillers is that, compared to regular lip fillers, Russian lips place more emphasis on the upper lip and enhance the prominence of the cupid’s bow – one of the most desired parts of the face. The aim of Russian lips is also to create heightened lips that do not stick out much and are therefore not too, as people in the business deem it, “ducky” (aka, protruding upwards like a duck’s bill). The injection pattern is typically more vertical with the aim of creating columns of dermal filler, then support the upper lip in the upward rather than forward direction, where the lips stick out unnaturally or falsely.
While there are certain techniques that emphasise height over projection (e.g. more vertical instead of horizontal filling technique – something that is definitely possible with other, alternative approaches) dermal fillers are made of hyaluronic acid gel which is still a gel at the end of the day. Again, this substance is naturally occurring in the body, and is totally safe. In fact, the body metabolises it just like it would with any other substance!
These columns, while providing support, will inevitably have some degree of projection in every direction even if height is emphasised over pout. Russian lips from the side should avoid the overprojected look. This requires careful evaluation before injecting and careful placement of filler; things that we of course factor in when approaching new clients, after lengthy dialogue to establish exactly what you’re after!
At Face Doctors, part of our role is to make sure we’re as informed as we possibly can around strategies, developments, and approaches in our world. We find that there is a lot of deceptive advertising around authentic, real Russian lips. Techniques, for example, that emphasise height over projection have existed for a while, and have simply been rebranded to be called Russian lips.While it is realistic to emphasise height over pout of the lips in other different settings or using different techniques, we find that many people are posting results that are immediately after the injection.
Instagram is full of examples of the practice of serial puncturing, which involves injecting many columns above the vermillion border (the part of the lip outline that slopes back down after the peak near the cupid’s bow) which create a lot of swelling; far more than normal lip techniques like the ones we use at our clinic. This creates dramatic before and after shots that look great immediately after the process is complete, but do not last once the swelling goes down.
We want to make sure that everything we do is correct, safe, and effective, hence why we take a lot of care in consultation and in the procedure itself. In terms of the timing of the actual injection, we normally take around 15-30 minutes to create a perfect set of Russian lips. However, we like to numb the lip for at least 10 minutes beforehand to prepare the face for the process.
Russian lips tend to be dramatic in nature and therefore less natural looking. However, by request we can place less filler in the lip to produce a more natural looking result. The more that is placed at a single time, the less precision there is over the end product. Lips that have been overfilled are more prone to filler migration, which is where the filler moves outside of the intended area to other parts of the face. This is not harmful, but can look a bit strange from time to time.
We also want to make it known that Russian lips are not suitable for everyone. In some people with overturned upper lips, more emphasis needs to be placed on the lower aspect of the upper lip to prevent an unnecessary pout. This will prevent how much height can be gained. In people with very thin lips, getting a large amount of height increase without filler spreading and migrating out of the lip becomes difficult. Like an overfilled balloon, at some point the lips can only take so much. Common reasons outside of the natural ones we’ve just listed include: too much filler being injected, not paying attention to the individual lip shape, using the wrong filler, and using the wrong injection technique. These are, of course, all things that we pay special attention to, to avoid making this a horror story instead of a successful one.
Avoiding the ducky look means giving respect to the existing structure of the lip. For this reason not everybody is suitable for Russian lips. Often people come to us with filler migration and a ducky lip which has been poorly injected elsewhere. It is hard to take lips that look like this and create a perfect set of Russian lips. At some point, the need to dissolve and start with a fresh canvas needs to be considered.
At Face Doctors we have a modified, cutting-edge Russian lip technique that strikes the perfect balance between natural appearance, dramatic results and lower downtime. As we said, we’re the experts of our field! Although injecting the vermillion border can lead to some very defined lips in the immediate period, we find that this technique is much more prone to filler migration and so we avoid it at Face Doctors Clinic.
Lip fillers at Face Doctors Clinic are priced at $500, and this covers all necessary injections, preparation materials, and clinic time. As mentioned above, we use a hyaluronic acid gel to achieve the results you’re after, however we occasionally use a firmer filler to offer more support in creating a defined look. We prefer to avoid the firmer fillers in general, as these tend to result in lips which do not feel soft. Instead, very firm fillers can result in lumpy feeling lips. Typically, we’ll inject a maximum of 1ml at a time. Depending on desired results we can inject more at a later scheduled date, however it’s when we go above this 1ml standard that filler migrations and poor results are common.
We hope this article has given you a good insight into what Russian lips are, how they work, and what they might be able to do for you and your gorgeous face. If you’ve read this and are now keen to have the procedure done, please call (02) 9055 6222 or fill out our contact us form at: https://wp.asterieclinic.com.au/contact/. We’ll get in touch and begin your journey of stunning Russian lips as soon as we can!
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