Permanent lip augmentation employing polytetrafluoroethylene grafts

There is a paucity of literature regarding aesthetic enhancement of the lips. This is due to the lack of reliable techniques employing autogenous tissue and the reluctance on the part of surgeons to use an alloplastic implant in this anatomic region, which is superficial, subject to trauma, and must conform to innumerable geometric shapes. The ideal lip augmentation procedure should provide for a predictable, permanent enlargement without visible scars or donor-site deformity, can be customized to the particular patient's anatomy, and can be reversed if so desired. A series of 21 alloplastic lip implants employing polytetrafluoroethylene with a mean follow-up of 14.33 months is presented. The overall complication rate was 9.52 percent. Permanent lip augmentation can be achieved with alloplastic sheet grafts of polytetrafluoroethylene in a safe and predictable fashion. Stiffness of the lips develops with progressive thickness of the grafts. Grafts exceeding 3 mm in thickness should be avoided.