Thin Lips

Thin lips can affect your overall facial balance and how you feel about your appearance. At our medical spa in Calgary, Arlo Medical Injections, we treat thin and small lips every week, and the most common question is not whether filler works but how much is realistic. This page covers why lips are thin, why they thin with age, and what lip filler can and cannot do.

What Are Thin Lips?

Thin lips have less visible red lip (the vermilion) and less projection, so they look smaller or less defined. For some people this is simply how their lips have always been. For others it develops over time with age. Both are normal, and neither is a health concern.

It helps to separate two things that often get grouped together. Thin lips show little vermilion from the front. Small lips may be narrow from corner to corner, or short in height, or both. The difference matters, because filler is good at adding height, projection, and definition, and much less able to make a mouth wider.

Why Do Lips Get Thinner With Age?

Lip thinning is one of the earliest and most common signs of facial ageing, and it happens gradually enough that most people only notice it when comparing old photos.

Several changes happen at once. Collagen and elastin production slows, so the lips lose some of their plumpness and firmness. The vermilion tends to show less over time, and the upper lip can appear to lengthen, which makes the lips look smaller even when volume loss is modest. The lip border also becomes less defined, and fine vertical lines can form above the upper lip.

What Causes Lip Thinning?

• Genetics: many people are naturally born with thin lips. If your parents have thin lips, you are more likely to have them as well.
• Ageing: less collagen and elastin means a gradual loss of volume and definition.
• Sun exposure: UV damage breaks down collagen in and around the lips. A lip balm with SPF is one of the simplest preventive habits.
• Smoking: repeated pursing and reduced blood flow speed up thinning and the lines above the lip.
• Dental changes: tooth loss or changes in bite can reduce support behind the lips, which makes them look thinner.

Lip Filler for Thin or Small Lips: What to Expect

Lip filler uses hyaluronic acid to add volume, shape, and definition. For thin lips in particular, a few things are worth knowing before you book.

• Start small. Thin lips have less tissue to hold filler, so most first treatments use half a syringe. Building gradually over two or three appointments gives a more natural result than placing a lot at once, and it lowers the risk of the filler spreading beyond the lip border.
• Definition often matters more than volume. Placing a small amount along the lip border and the cupid's bow can make thin lips look fuller without making them look bigger.
• Keep the natural ratio. In most faces the lower lip is slightly fuller than the upper. A thin upper lip can be brought into better balance, but overfilling it is what creates the obvious "done" look.
• Expect swelling first. Lips swell more than any other area for two or three days. The settled result shows at around two weeks.
• It is temporary and adjustable. Results typically last six to twelve months in the lips, and hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved if needed.

Our lip filler guide covers the appointment in detail, and our guides to preparing for filler and aftercare cover the two weeks either side.

How Much Does Lip Filler Cost for Thin Lips?

At Arlo Medical, lip filler is $325 for a half syringe and $650 for a full syringe. Most people with thin lips start with half a syringe, and some add a second half at a follow-up appointment once the first has settled. The amount is confirmed at your complimentary consultation before anything is agreed.

What Lip Filler Cannot Do

• It cannot make a narrow mouth meaningfully wider.
• It cannot fully correct a very long upper lip. Filler can improve how it looks, but a surgical lip lift is the comparison for significant length.
• It does not stop the ageing process underneath. Maintenance is needed to keep the result.

Other Options Around the Lips

• Plexr Plus: plasma treatment that tightens the skin around the mouth, softening the fine vertical lines above the upper lip and sharpening the lip border. Upper lip treatment is $800.

Further Reading

• Lip filler in Calgary: cost, results and what to expect
• Filler migration: how to tell, and what fixes it
• How long do dermal fillers last?

Other Concerns We Help With

• Sagging Skin Around the Eyes
• Fine Lines and Wrinkles Around the Eyes
• Loss of Facial Volume
• Facial Asymmetry
• Double Chin
• Fine Lines and Wrinkles
• Skin Laxity
• Active Acne
• Acne Scars
• Pimple Concerns

Contact Arlo Medical Injections About Thin Lips

If you would like fuller or more defined lips, our injectors will assess your lip shape and proportions and tell you honestly what is realistic. Call us at (825) 736-2756 or book a complimentary consultation online. Results vary from person to person. Suitability, expected outcomes, and risks are reviewed at your consultation.