Adverse reactions after cosmetic lip augmentation with permanent biologically inert implant materials

Augmentation of lips is a common aesthetic procedure that is mostly performed with alloplastic materials or autologous tissue. Various alloplastic injectable implants have been developed for soft tissue augmentation without surgery. Most biologic materials are resorbed within a few months, fluid silicone may migrate, and autologous fat is not ideal for fine contouring of the lips. The search for a biocompatible, permanent, nontoxic, and biologically inert filler material led to the development of some new materials for subdermal or intradermal implantation. Recently Bioplastique, Artecoll, and Gore-Tex have been well established and recommended by many authors. Although these materials meet most of the characteristics that constitute an ideal injectable prosthetic material, we describe 3 examples of adverse reactions after their implantation into lips.