Loving lip fillers? Your lip SHAPE could be the key to the perfect pout
One glance at social media proves that perfect lips are in, and lip fillers have never been so popular.
If you're considering augmenting your pout with a little bit of help from a cosmetic doctor, then paying attention to your lip shape could help you know what look to aim for.
In a recent survey, Taylor Swift was found to have the most desirable lips, mostly down to her distinctly defined cupids bow.
Celebrities like Rosie Huntington Whitely, Rihanna and Megan Fox also came out on top for their plump pouts.
Dr Julian De Silva from the Centre of Advanced Facial Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery has identified the nine most common shapes of lips, and how they could be altered if you're thinking of going for the jab.
1. Defined Cupid's Bow
Taylor Swift and Rihanna – the cupid's bow is a facial feature where the double curve of a human upper lip is said to resemble the bow of Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love.
The peaks of the bow reach up to the philtral columns – the natural groove in everyone's face just beneath the nose.
Heavily defined Cupid's Bows are considered the most desirable lips in the world.
"Cupi
2. Heavy Upper lip – the natural trout pout
If you have lips a la Liv Tyler, then your lips are naturally a little uneven with a heavier upper lip.
A larger upper lip relative to the lower lip can create a more duck like appearance which is generally less desirable, according to the Centre For Advanced Facial Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery.
"Often patients may look to have upper lip reduction to improve the relative balance of the lips."
"Although there is considerable variation in lip proportions, attractive lips tend to favour proportions of a larger lower lip to upper lip ration," said Dr De Silva.
3. Flat upper lip
If you're like Julia Roberts, one of the most beautiful women in the world, then you have a completely flat upper lip with no cupids bow.
A more defined cupids bow can be achieved by a "modest and controlled amount of filler" to "augment the upper lip while still looking natural and refreshed."
"Upper lip volumisation with a hyaluronic acid filler is a common request for patients. A more permanent solution can be the use of a silicone implant that will last long-term."
4. Thin lips
Kate Middleton is an absolute beauty, and her thin lips complement her delicate features.
Genetics play a key part here – some people are just born with naturally thin lips, having inherited them from their parents.
If you're like the duchess but are feeling a change, Dr De Silva advises a small amount of hyaluronic acid filler.
"For people with naturally smaller lips, augmentation with a gel filler can enhance the volume of your lips, while feeling and looking completely natural, and the amount of volume can be adjusted to your personal preference."
"Most patients who see me are looking for a natural rejuvenation, where friends and family cannot tell they have undergone treatment.
5. Full lips
Angelina Jolie is often said to have the most perfect lips in the world because of their natural fullness, volume and definition.
Achieving Angelina-esque lips is what most woman want when they opt for a lip procedure, and Dr De Silva warns against going over board.
"Some patients look better with slightly fuller lips. The use of filler can be adjusted to your personal preference – adding more filler to the lips can create a more voluptuous appearance."
"A fine line is required to avoid over-treating and an unnatural appearance. I use the cannula technique for fillers to avoid bruising and enhance recovery."
6. Downward turning lips
Lips like Natalie Portman's can be considered less desirable because people with down turned lips are often unfairly thought to look unhappy.
"Generally speaking downward turning lips are less desirable as they can create more of an unhappy appearance. The use of filler immediately below the corner of the lips can be used to elevate the lips," said Dr De Silva.
7. Goldilocks lips
Lips like Kiera's have been dubbed "goldilocks lips", they aren't thick or thin but medium sized, and the cupid's bow does not have super-defined peaks, nor does it lack definition.
Goldilocks lips never need much intervention, but if you're feeling the filler Dr De Silva advises: "The use of a conservative amount of filler, given by a cannula (painless) technique, results in a natural rejuvenation. This result is most desirable in patients that come to see me, and it is not possible to tell if patients have had this level of augmentation."
8. Heavy lower lip
Twilight star Kristen Steward has been blessed with defined lips, but her bottom lip carries most of the fullness.
"The distance between your nose and upper lip can lengthen with facial ageing, creating facial imbalance.
A lip lift is a procedure that elevates the position of the lip to give a more youthful and relaxed smile. The lip lift procedure has become more popular as it creates a more attractive upper lip shape and gives improved facial balance" for those bottom heavy pouts.
9. Round lips
Round lips like those owned by Drew Barrymore are highly covetable, and this lip shape can be achieved with ease.
"They can be shaped with the use of filler in specific parts of the body of the lip. The filler can be used to enhance the central body of the lip giving a rounder more volumised look."
"There is a cultural fashion to have larger lips in many celebrities and younger patients in their 20s and 30s. This current trend defies the natural boundaries for lip enlargement by favouring larger lips that lie outside natural volumisation of lips," said the doctor.
