Plump it Up with Lip Plumping Serums

Most cosmetics companies are now offering lip-plumping glosses and lipsticks, promising smooth, full, and luscious lips, with just a quick swipe. But not all lip-plumping serums are created equally. When choosing a lip-plumping serum, there are key ingredients you should look for to make sure that your choice is both effective and safe.

First, lip-plumping serums are solutions that often come in the form of a gloss with an application wand. They are applied topically to the lips and offer a short-term boost to your lip volume (for a long-term option, check out our blog on lip fillers here). The effects of a lip-plumping serum can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on the product.

The main plumping ingredient we recommend you look for in a lip plumper is Hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid applied to the surface of the skin is clinically shown to firm up your lips by drawing the moisture in your body to the surface layers of your skin, increasing its volume, and hydrating it, giving your lips a fuller look. The added moisture also reduces the appearance of fine lines. Some lip-plumping serums use ingredients that cause a “vasodilatory” effect, such as caffeine, niacin, cinnamon, and menthol. Instead of drawing moisture to the surface, your blood vessels are dilated and blood flow increases. Vasodilating ingredients typically cause a stinging sensation and can be irritating to the lips.

A lip-plumping serum that includes a collagen tripeptide is very beneficial to your overall lip health. The collagen tripeptide stimulates healthy collagen and elastin production in the lips, slowing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. As we know, collagen is one of the building blocks of smooth, healthy skin, including the sensitive skin of your lips!

As always, you should protect your lips from sun damage. Make sure your lip plumping serum includes a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect from UVA/UVB and free radical damage, and premature skin aging.

Avoid lip serums that contain oils. Oils can interfere with your cosmetics and often clog pores, causing acne. Also, make sure the lip serum you choose is paraben free as they are known to affect hormone production which can lead to cancer and fertility issues. We recommend that you choose a lip serum that is fragrance-free, which can cause allergic reactions. If you are sensitive or allergic to gluten, be sure to read the ingredients on your cosmetics carefully. Some cosmetics companies add gluten to their products and because they are not governed by the FDA, they are not required to declare if their product has gluten in them.

To make it easy on you, we offer a Plumping and Hydrating Lip Treatment that checks all the boxes. As always don’t hesitate to call our office with any questions.