If you have rather plump lips and are thinking about the possibility of reducing them with a temporary method or cosmetic surgery, there are several factors to consider. There are medical and aesthetic reasons for taking concrete actions aimed at lip reduction, but each procedure carries risks. You should be prepared to try different cosmetic techniques and / or consult a specialist for surgical remedies.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make-up
Step 1. Before buying a product, determine your color requirements
For this process, you need to be pretty thorough right from the start.
- Go to a pharmacy, a perfumery, or another shop that sells beauty items.
- Consult a saleswoman and / or examine the testers to understand the color of the skin around the lips, in order to specifically identify the products you will need.
- As you try to touch up your lips, make sure that the product you choose does not inadvertently counterbalance the color tones of your skin.
Step 2. Use different colored makeup around the lips
Make sure you have a good assortment of shades available or buy other products if necessary.
- Your kit will need to have a makeup applicator, relatively dull or darker colors, and / or a concealer. Most of these products are available in perfumery. If you're having trouble finding them, ask a saleswoman for help.
- You can also consider colors like purple, brown, bronze and others on the same line.
- You can apply these colors to the area above the upper lip or below the lower lip with a brush. It will help you blend them better, so that it doesn't contrast with the skin.
Step 3. Apply a concealer to the lip contour
You will need an applicator to do this. If you don't have a concealer, you can use the colors suggested in the previous step - both methods are quite effective.
- Choose a concealer that matches the color of the skin around the mouth.
- Apply concealer to the top and bottom edges of the lips, roughly a millimeter away from the lip.
- Use a sponge applicator (if you don't have one, you can do it with a cotton swab or your fingers) to blend the concealer onto your skin. Make an up and down motion so that the edges of the lips blend naturally with the rest of the skin.
- If the line you get is uneven, make it more homogeneous. To do this, drag the tip of the sponge across the concealer line, parallel to the edges of your lips.
Step 4. Use dark lipsticks
You can use this method in combination with the previous ones or alone.
- When choosing lipstick, avoid bright colors, otherwise they will make your lips look bigger.
- Look for dark colors that suit your complexion. If in doubt, ask a saleswoman for help.
- This method can be effective if one lip needs more attention than the other. For example, if you want to make only the upper lip thinner, use a darker color in this area, while choosing a slightly more vibrant one to draw attention to the lower lip (or vice versa).
Step 5. Evaluate the results
If the trick hasn't proved effective or you can't use it, then you should consider other solutions.
- If you can't wear makeup to alleviate the problem, you should start considering the surgical approach.
- If the products you have used have not proven effective, you can experiment with colors in shades similar to the ones you have tried to see if you can improve the situation. If you are not successful, think of other methods.
- Before choosing elaborate makeup techniques or surgical procedures, consult a beautician or plastic surgeon.
Method 2 of 3: Caring for Your Lips
Step 1. Treat lip injuries right away
The density of the blood vessels in this area promotes rapid healing for most wounds, but there are other techniques to speed up the process.
- Wash any cuts or wounds on your lips thoroughly with soap and water.
- If you have any bleeding, press a clean cloth to the area.
- To reduce swelling or bruising, use a cold compress or ice.
- Small stings should be treated with antiseptics and / or hydrogen peroxide. These wounds usually heal on their own. Larger ones require medical attention and possibly stitches.
- All serious injuries should be examined immediately by a doctor.
Step 2. Moisturize your lips regularly
To keep them hydrated and healthy, use a conditioner, preferably oil-based. It will prevent the skin in the area from becoming irritated and swollen.
- Balms containing olive oil, shea butter, lemon and other antioxidant-rich ingredients are recommended.
- You can apply it daily and / or when you feel your lips are drying or cracking.
- It is especially important to do this in the colder months.
Step 3. Consider removing unwanted hair
If this is the cause of the lips appearing larger, it is very easy to shave the area.
- Use tweezers or wax. The tweezers allow you to individually detach the hairs from the root.
- If you want to wax because it is difficult for you to remove the hair with tweezers, you need to apply some wax on the affected area, to which a depilatory strip will be adhered to be torn. Waxing is more effective, but it may be dirty and slightly painful.
- Electrolysis is another solution. The intervention of an expert is required, who will insert a small needle into each hair to destroy it at the root by means of the electric current.
- Pulsed light. As happens with electrolysis, even in this case it is necessary to consult an expert: powerful pulses of light will be used to permanently destroy every single hair follicle.
- Avoid razors or creams. Razors cut hair, while creams can slow growth, but will not permanently remove the hair.
Step 4. Determine if there are other causes
It is possible that your lips have this shape for reasons beyond your control. In this case, you shouldn't look for a method to reduce its size without first defining the problem or talking to a doctor.
- If you are wearing braces or another device, you should wait until it is removed before deciding if your lips need reductive surgery.
- If the area is affected by a more serious ailment, such as cleft lip or cleft palate, anything you try to do on your own will have complications, so you should get a doctor's guidance.
Step 5. Find out if you need cosmetic surgery
If no proven technique has allowed you to reduce the size of the labia, then you should consider a surgical approach.
- Consider if you have tried all the conventional cosmetic and hygienic techniques to decrease the size of the lips.
- Identify other possible causes that are making them bigger.
Method 3 of 3: Consider Aesthetic Surgery
Step 1. Know the risks
All cosmetic surgeries can have complications, so you should weigh the risks of the procedure and compare them to the benefits of permanent lip reduction.
- Most surgeries can have complications from anesthesia, so ask your surgeon or anesthetist for clarification.
- It is possible for the affected area and the surrounding area to become infected. Among other things, the lips and mouth are areas that already present a high risk.
- Excessive bleeding or internal damage may occur that will require other operations.
- Nerve damage, temporary or permanent, may occur, requiring other operations, leaving the area numb or sore.
- The affected area may have scars, so other operations will be needed to get rid of the damaged skin.
Step 2. Learn about the lip reduction procedure
It should be performed by an experienced plastic surgeon, who will first evaluate your situation to understand if it is convenient for you to undergo the surgery.
- The surgeon will review your medical record, make a precise assessment of your lips, answer your questions and explain the surgery to you in detail.
- If he recommends the procedure, he will explain the details, costs, risks and actions to be taken during the healing period.
- Before the procedure, which lasts an hour, the anesthetist will give you a local anesthetic or give you more complete oral sedation. The surgeon will make a horizontal incision on the inside of the lip, remove some tissue and close the cut with sutures.
- The cost of surgery to reduce the size of the lips varies depending on your specific case. Since it is considered for cosmetic purposes only, it is usually not covered by any insurance.
Step 3. Learn about the healing procedure
After the operation, it is normal to feel aches, stiffness and pain. Your surgeon will instruct you on healing and prescribe pain relievers to relieve the discomfort.
- Avoid vigorous exercise.
- Sleep with your head elevated, perhaps with a couple of pillows underneath.
- Avoid foods with a high level of acidity. Eat soft, mashed foods during the healing period.
- To prevent infection at the incision site, rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash.
- The stitches should be removed within seven to ten days of the procedure if all goes well. By that time, much of the irritation or swelling should have subsided.
- If you notice symptoms such as excessive pain, bleeding, or unexpected side effects, report it to your surgeon or doctor immediately.
Step 4. Finished
Advice
- Keep a makeup remover handy - you may need to try more than one color before you find the right one for your lips.
- Make sure you fully understand the procedure for reducing the size of the lips and determine the final result you want. Talk to your surgeon.
- Avoid applying brightly colored makeup around your lips, otherwise they will make them look plumper.
Warnings
- If you use various brands of makeup, be sure to choose the shades well. Don't be fooled by the names - always try the product before you buy it.
- If you are considering surgery or need medical assistance, always consult a specialist.
- Lip reduction surgery can be expensive and is usually not covered by any insurance.
