A Complete Guide: Choosing The Best Lip Injections in 2024

Getting lip injections has become a wildly popular way to get a fuller, more defined pout. You’ve seen the best lip injections everywhere from magazines and social media, to friends and even family members getting the procedure done themselves. While celebrities were among the first to make lip injections fashionable, everyday people everywhere are embracing a plumper pucker.

But with this recent boom in lip enhancement treatments, several questions have come to light: What brands of lip filler work best? What exactly is lip filler, anyway? Is one brand of filler better than another? And perhaps most importantly, how much will it cost me?

Let’s dive in and unpack the latest craze in the cosmetic world: lip injections.

The Different Types Of Lip Fillers

Just as the brands, ingredients, and techniques vary when it comes to best lip injections, so, too, do the results they provide. If you are thinking about augmenting your lips but can’t decide which option to try first, remember: there isn’t a single, “best” filler out there for everyone. To figure out what kind of lip injections would be best for you, start with analyzing what exactly lip filler *is* and the brands, along with ingredients, used today. The most common type of lip filler is created from hyaluronic acid (HA).

What Is Hyaluronic Acid Filler?

Hyaluronic acid is a sugar that naturally occurs in the body and attracts water molecules from within, resulting in smooth, healthy skin and youthful plumpness. As we age though our hyaluronic acid production declines. This decrease can be seen and felt: skin gets thinner, wrinkles develop, and volume dissipates.

This is where fillers containing hyaluronic acid (or HA) come in. When they are carefully and strategically placed underneath the skin’s surface by a skilled provider, HA fillers restore a more youthful appearance by amping up lost volume and smoothing out those little dehydration lines, also known as “barcode lines,” above the lips.

Popular Lip Filler Brands: Juvederm & Restylane

The market for lip fillers, also referred to as dermal fillers, contains many well-known brands: Restylane, Juvederm, and Belotero, to name a few. Although each brand utilizes various consistencies and formulations to address various needs in the face, there are certain types of HA filler ideal for best lip injections because of how well they shape and sculpt the delicate tissues.

According to Restylane’s official website, they were the first filler approved for lip injection by the FDA, a key development for safe lip augmentation. The two most commonly-used lip filler brands, Juvederm and Restylane, contain specific types of HA filler that have become bestsellers because of their proven safety and efficacy in the lip area.

Related: Please see my post on What to Avoid Before Getting Lip Fillers!

Can I Drink Coffee After Lip Fillers?

Types Of Juvederm Lip Filler

Juvederm, a collection of lip filler manufactured by the makers of Botox, Allergan Aesthetics, offers three varieties of fillers that are consistently ranked by experts as some of the best lip injections available today. According to NewBeauty’s official website, Juvederm Volbella won an award in 2020. Whether you are just looking for a tiny bit more volume or something a bit more substantial, there is a type of Juvederm specifically formulated for your needs.

1. Juvederm Ultra XC: This type of Juvederm lip filler works great for achieving that plumped-up look in the lips. The consistency is slightly thicker compared to other varieties because the HA is very intensely and structurally cross-linked to enhance durability and resistance to degradation by the enzymes in your body. Juvederm Ultra also contains lidocaine, a topical anesthetic, so that your treatment is less painful, a major bonus when it comes to best lip injections. Although every patient’s result can vary, it’s expected that one injection will provide full, voluminous lips for up to one year.
2. Juvederm Volbella XC: This variety is often used to contour and shape the delicate tissue and curves of the lip area as it is much softer in consistency compared to Juvederm Ultra, which provides a natural-looking augmentation. The particles in Juvederm Volbella XC are very small in size and spread in a subtle, gentle way so that your lips appear effortlessly smooth and pillowy after just one syringe of filler. In addition, the “XC” indicates the addition of lidocaine, minimizing the treatment’s discomfort and providing more soothing best lip injections.
3. Juvederm Vollure XC: A soft, thinner, gel-like hyaluronic acid filler, Vollure can treat fine lines above the upper lip while subtly adding volume to enhance a more contoured look. This lip enhancement product provides some volume, but not nearly as much as Ultra. It does, however, generally last up to 18 months.

Types Of Restylane Lip Filler

Restylane, another hyaluronic acid lip filler collection developed by the Galderma pharmaceutical company, contains a range of FDA-approved injectables designed to plump, reshape, and smooth out the lips as well as fine lines in the area.

When you search “lip injections” on Restylane’s official website, a variety of fillers pop up. But there are three types that consistently rank among the top choices for patients who are interested in best lip injections. Here are the details of each variety of filler available in the Restylane lip filler collection.

1. Restylane-L: One of the original hyaluronic acid fillers that came onto the market in the 1990s, Restylane-L can be injected all across the face to plump cheeks and jawline, fill in undereye hollows or tear troughs, contour or shape the nose with what is referred to as a “liquid nose job,” and even re-inflate sagging earlobes with tiny injections. Restylane is also commonly used for plumping the lips with natural-looking results. Like with most other types of hyaluronic lip filler, one Restylane injection typically lasts around six to nine months.
2. Restylane Silk: A popular filler used to give lips a naturally-augmented and supple, pillowy pout, Restylane Silk contains finely-milled particles, so that it distributes very smoothly underneath the skin’s surface for a barely detectable augmentation. This type of filler can also plump and reshape the vermilion border, the tiny border surrounding your lips where the “red” part of the lips (i.e., mucosa) meet your actual skin (i.e., epidermis), and even camouflage lines around the mouth from sun exposure and dehydration, resulting in a soft and smooth pucker. Similar to other types of lip fillers, the hyaluronic acid is designed to slowly break down over time: a Restylane Silk injection generally lasts for around six to 10 months before additional filler injections are needed.
3. Restylane Kysse: Ideal for lip injections on patients seeking that voluminous, plush, plumped-up, but pillowy-soft pucker with more lift and projection, Restylane Kysse can also treat those fine barcode lines surrounding the upper lip and subtly even out the delicate lip edges, leaving you with a lusciously smooth pout. One syringe typically provides results for one year, although every person can respond slightly differently based on several individual factors.

Additional Brands Of Lip Fillers

Juvederm and Restylane, as I’ve mentioned, contain different formulas and crosslinking technologies for long-lasting, safe and smooth lip injections. Some people call HA fillers a type of “acid filler.” While there are other lip fillers available today, HA fillers consistently take the lead and tend to be ranked more frequently by plastic surgeons and their patients as the “longest-lasting lip filler,” making them ideal contenders when searching “best lip injections.” But there are some other brands and injectables that, despite not being made from hyaluronic acid, can help fill out or reshape thin lips as well.

Collagen lip fillers: Once the gold-standard when it came to cosmetic fillers for the lips and other areas in the face, these products fell off of dermatologists’ injection technique menus for good reason. Derived from bovine sources (cow collagen.), this early-edition type of filler had some limitations that, compared to HA filler injections, are pretty risky. In order to determine if you would be a good candidate, collagen required a patch test several weeks before treatment to ensure that you aren’t allergic to it. But as it is a natural, biological ingredient (just like our bodies.), the risk for allergic reactions were high. Plus, you might still have a reaction. These challenges lead doctors, along with their patients, to avoid collagen injections in the lips (as well as other facial features).

PLLA Fillers: Also referred to as “poly-L-lactic acid,” PLLA is a completely biocompatible synthetic ingredient, just like HA fillers, injected into the deep layer of the skin (dermis), unlike the more superficial placement that’s typical of fillers typically used for best lip injections. Although this type of treatment won’t give your lips that big, juicy, plumped-up look, it stimulates fibroblasts, the key cells that generate and produce collagen in your skin, and promotes fuller skin from within. Commonly referred to as “collagen-inducing” and marketed under the brand name Sculptra Aesthetic, PLLA isn’t used very often because a treatment requires two to three appointments, scheduled over six weeks, and you might not see a change until one to two months later.

Fat Injections: Also called “autologous fat transfer,” these lip augmentation injections use your *own* fat. Harvested by liposuction from one of your fatty areas—hips, flanks, or abdomen, are commonly selected as source sites—the collected fat is spun in a centrifuge, cleansed of any debris or lingering anesthesia solution from the harvesting process, and then strategically and carefully injected into the lips. Since this type of treatment is more surgically invasive, it may take six to 12 months for any swelling to dissipate and the full, long-lasting, sculpted look to show. It also requires anesthesia. Plus, fat reabsorbs into the body unpredictably and sometimes irregularly so the ultimate result can be inconsistent and require more follow-up injections. Most people prefer the comfort and minimally-invasive, temporary nature of hyaluronic lip filler injections, deeming them among the best lip injections available.

FAQS about best lip injections

Which Type of Lip Filler Is Best?

I often find this question asked by many first-timers who want to try lip injections but are feeling overwhelmed with the wide array of choices on the market, even among HA filler. And while it may sound counter-intuitive, choosing the best type of lip filler doesn’t just involve analyzing different brands of filler. It involves evaluating several components such as age and desired outcome—what you ultimately want to achieve with your lip injections.

As with other injectables in my experience, like wrinkle fillers or Botox, most injectors I know don’t recommend getting more than 1 milliliter of lip filler done during your first treatment (a syringe typically contains that amount of filler, whether it’s hyaluronic acid or something different), although sometimes that depends on individual needs as well as personal preference (everyone’s natural lips respond slightly differently to filler.)

Younger patients typically prefer a juicier-looking result—meaning a bigger increase in their lips’ natural fullness. They tend to select products like Juvederm Ultra XC, or Restylane-L (these can make the lips look much, much bigger in one go—I’ve seen them make some of my friends go up a couple sizes.

So proceed with caution if you prefer subtle lip enhancement results) whereas someone who is interested in a softer, less-volumized, “unnoticeable lip filler” result, especially someone in the 40 to 60 age group, might opt for injectables that subtly accentuate or refine their natural lips instead of plumping them up with one injection.

Restylane Silk can treat delicate lines on the lips with pinpoint precision and subtly smooth out those pesky, aging “barcode lines,” also called smokers’ lines. Juvederm Volbella can provide a similar enhancement but tends to have more hydration and less density.

However, it isn’t really a hard rule when choosing which brand or formula to use for your lip injections, so you need to ask yourself a few key questions: Am I new to getting injections? What type of lip look do I like the best? Am I more interested in making a noticeable increase in my natural fullness, or something much more delicate?

A lot of injectors recommend Juvederm Vollure as it doesn’t typically attract a lot of moisture and generally holds up well on someone who is new to getting injectables—the results, both in duration (one injection lasts 18 months) and appearance, are very, very subtle.

Which Lip Fillers Last the Longest?

It’s completely understandable that you’d want lip fillers that are a better investment and produce results that are visible, but last as long as possible before you’ll have to book another appointment and get additional injections to maintain your newly sculpted pout. In this case, HA-based fillers are generally favored over others, and there are some in the mix—Juvederm Voluma XC is one example.—that really do live up to their claims and offer exceptional and enduring, sculpted, smooth, plump lips.

But choosing your lip injections solely based on how long one shot (the “shot” being a syringe.) of HA lasts can sometimes lead to unnatural-looking lips, and that’s why most skilled injectors will take time to review and analyze your individual needs—along with preferences. I, however, am of the opinion that 18 months is far, far too long.

A good example of this challenge is how popular lip dissolving injections, and by association videos with hashtags like #lipdissolving, #lipfillerdissolved and even #lipfillerdissolving (they have millions of combined views on TikTok.), have become. Lip dissolving uses the product, Hylenex (also referred to by the generic name, “hyaluronidase”) that specifically breaks down hyaluronic acid.

In general though, there are specific types of HA-based fillers that have a well-known history for producing longer-lasting results with one treatment. Juvederm and Restylane, both containing products made from a specific recipe that utilizes very tightly and effectively crosslinked HA particles and is combined with lidocaine, usually stay around in lips—while looking sculpted—for longer stretches before being metabolized by enzymes within your body, resulting in less appointments and greater “bang for your buck.”

But every single person’s skin—even lips.—is so different. Factors such as lifestyle and genetics will directly and uniquely influence how those best lip injections, both in outcome and how long the hyaluronic acid filler stays visible before disappearing, respond.

What Lip Fillers Do Kardashians Use?

Because celebrities tend to set the tone when it comes to aesthetic and cosmetic trends like best lip injections, this question tends to be on many lip injection beginners’ lips—what types of fillers are celebrities, and even their cosmetic providers, using to enhance their own lip features? But there’s a real-world side effect: celebrity cosmetic services are, rightfully so, very private affairs.

For that reason, we never know for sure what product or procedure a star selects. I’d never want to speculate. The stars who choose to reveal exactly what their injector (that’s an experienced provider specializing in cosmetic injections) puts into their skin, do so when ready. In the case of celebrities like the Kardashians, no specific information about what injectables, if any, have been used.

We don’t know for sure exactly which hyaluronic acid fillers—because remember, PLLA isn’t usually chosen for best lip injections —or lip injection technique a celebrity like Kylie, or Kendall, used when it came to their own lips.

What Injectable Is Best for Lip Lines?

Lip filler injections are an increasingly popular way to smooth wrinkles. I’ve seen tons of my friends get these treatments done and their results are awesome. The tiny barcode lines just above your lips, known clinically as “perioral rhytids,” are most commonly addressed. These wrinkles develop over time, both from lifestyle choices that degrade the quality of your skin (I think of habits like smoking, dehydration, and consistent sun exposure) and a phenomenon none of us can control: our genes. The ingredients in filler help camouflage and even erase lines—sometimes, in just one visit—but they do more than that, and can plump, too.

This unique challenge necessitates the very delicate, strategic and artistic use of thin HA fillers like Juvederm Volbella XC—Restylane Silk is another excellent option here — and can also be treated using PLLA. They soften and re-inflate lips. Because PLLA takes several treatments and you likely won’t see much, if any, change immediately, people seeking immediate results often prefer hyaluronic acid fillers. There are additional lip line-targeting injections.

“Lip flips,” where a low concentration of neuromodulator—think: baby Botox. — is injected into the delicate border of your top lip (aka your “Cupid’s bow”) subtly change your top lip’s movement and projection. These effects are incredibly refined, and it isn’t going to give your lips that “Russian doll” or pouty appearance, as HA filler would do. But a well-executed, minimally-invasive “lip flip” creates that softly lifted shape. There is little downtime: your injector will often recommend skipping exercise or physical exertion for just 24 hours.

Conclusion

Lip fillers are, undeniably, a really cool, fun way to experiment. You can try something trendy and transform a pout, in even one lunchtime visit with a skilled cosmetic surgeon—if you can tolerate the injection site’s side effects.

You need to consider several elements before taking the leap though, especially to ensure a good result from best lip injections, whether that’s researching an expert injector or simply planning your look.

I find the cost for treatments across the US very unpredictable. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ site, dermal fillers generally average at $682 per injection, although this wildly varies.

To choose the type of HA filler you want injected, think through your lip features, lifestyle preferences (do you like a bolder appearance, or something that blends effortlessly?), and the length of your lip filler injection’s expected duration (Restylane, for instance, may need more frequent injections than a type of Juvederm).

For more natural results, consider only trying HA lip filler products. A lot of us will choose our next injectables by first analyzing the most flattering features, like how full or defined the shape ultimately appears.

Thank you for reading my post about the best lip injections!