Seven Reasons Why You'll Never Have Angelina Jolie's Lips
Fine, fleshy... The appearance of lips depends on so many things that it would be impossible to count on those of a celebrity. Here, some facts that prove it
Of all the facial aesthetic treatments, one of the most requested and at the same time one of the most controversial is lip augmentation or modification (around 500 euros if it is only a filler and between 1,500 and 4,000 when it involves surgery). We have all said at some point about someone that "they have put on lips". Because there are cases that, unfortunately, leave no room for doubt. Others, on the contrary, are so well made that, with suspicion or without it, they are authentic copies of the natural one. This difference between the fudge and the work of art is vital. Before undergoing a procedure of this type, we must know perfectly what we want and also what is feasible and what is not. Because, as Dr. Virtudes Ruiz, president of the Murcian Association of Aesthetic Medicine, warns: "What you haven't had at 20, don't pretend to have at 40 or 50 and make it look natural. Because that's impossible." These are some keys to not fall into disappointment.
1. Your lips have their own shape
Big mouths, small, thick or thin lips. It is what nature has given you and, although they can be improved aesthetically, what separates a lot from our own oral architecture will undoubtedly be noticed. So, first advice: be realistic in your expectations. As Dr. Ruiz says: "We can never have another person's mouth, because we always have to work in that area with what we have as a base."
2. The skeleton rules
It is not only about the constitution of the lips. The shape of our mouth is also given by its depths. Our bone structure is a fundamental factor. There are many characteristics of our bones (difficult to change) that determine what shape our lips are, such as a prominent maxilla, cleft, etc. In addition, Dr. Ruiz explains that age or diseases such as osteoporosis can also affect the shape of our maxilla and, therefore, that of our lips.
3. Key: the relationship with the whole
A glass of champagne is perfectly natural at a wedding toast, but it's a little out of place at a Metallica concert. Something similar happens with the lips. We may want the fantastic mouth of that beautiful actress, but how well it fits us will depend on the angle formed by our upper lip with the nose, the lower lip with the chin or the alignment of its corners with our eyes. As a guide, explains Dr. Xavier Busquier Marco, from the Aesthetic Clinical Institute of Barcelona, the length of the closed and relaxed mouth should be equal to the internal distance between the irises.
4. Teeth have a lot to say
Another very important factor that determines the shape of the outside of our mouth is what is inside it, the teeth. The teeth are what the lips rest on and their shape or absence will largely determine the appearance of those. We can do little to modify them, so we will have to act accordingly, although perhaps the most stubborn can consider spending a few years with braces.
5. The relationship between both lips must be adequate
As Dr. Busquier explains, for reference "the lower lip should be twice as large as the upper lip." If, for example, one were unlucky enough to have to enlarge the lower lip four times its size to comply with this rule, the intervention would end up with poor aesthetic results, that's for sure. Therefore, care must be taken when choosing both the enlargement treatment and the doctor.
6. Current fillers have their limitations
As Dr. Antonio de la Fuente, head of the Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery Service at Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Madrid and director of Clínica de la Fuente warns: "No silicone or polymers derived from it. They will only cause short or medium term granulomas (bulky tumors more or less large in the skin), stiffness and swelling, which will give the face an appearance far from the natural look sought". These types of substances are usually prohibited, but there are those who still dare to use them, with disastrous consequences for both health and aesthetics. One option that we do have at our disposal, with proven efficacy and safety, is hyaluronic acid, which is used to contour, not to fill. For the latter, a technique called lipofilling can be used, which is a transfer of fat from the patient himself to the lips from another area of his body. The effect is more natural, although the body reabsorbs fat over time.
7. From where there is not, it cannot be taken
Finally, we are faced with technical limitations, things that cannot be done today and among which the enlargement of the mouth stands out (because it is among the most requested). As Dr. Ruiz explains, "the commissures are difficult to change and only their height can be changed. In no case can their angle or size be changed."
