Permanent lip augmentation lifts and plumps thin lips, using materials that resist absorption, providing longer-term results than collagen. Permanent lip augmentation is a growing field, as more people seek a long-lasting form of lip enhancement.

A permanent lip augmentation is usually performed under local anesthetic, in a doctor's office. There are a number of permanent lip augmentation options based upon the material used to increase lip fullness. Most of the materials for permanent lip augmentation are synthetic, decreasing the likelihood of transmitted diseases or rejection, problems often associated with permanent lip augmentation when the materials are taken from animals or other humans. Among synthetic implants used for permanent lip augmentation, SoftForm, a type of Gore-tex, is probably the best known. SoftForm implants designed for permanent lip augmentation are shaped like small tubes, allowing tissue growth to help anchor the implants after permanent lip augmentation surgery. The SoftForm implants are inserted through tiny incisions using a small needle. Synthetic permanent lip augmentation implants can become infected or may be rejected by the body. Adverse reactions to permanent lip augmentation using synthetic materials can be reversed by removing the implants. More "natural"? approaches to permanent lip augmentation include fat transplant, which produces permanent results in nearly half of the patients. Doctors performing permanent lip augmentation surgery using fat transplant remove the fat from the body of the patient receiving permanent lip augmentation and inject it into the lip area. Most often the fat used for permanent lip augmentation is removed from the abdomen, although facial liposuction is sometimes combined with this form of permanent lip augmentation, so that the fat removed from the face is re-used to accentuate the lips.

More permanent lip augmentation information is available; individuals who are investigating this option should talk to a plastic surgeon. Permanent lip augmentation, although considered an ambulatory surgery, involves risks that the consumer should understand.