Botox, Dysport, Juvederm: Is It Really Worth It?

Read my lips. Botox is not a fad. With every season, comes a new ‘most sexy’ body part. From the hips of Shakira and breasts of Scarlett Johansson to the thighs of Beyonce and the butt of Kim Kardashian. Sometimes it is so fleeting that it’s even hard to keep track. Not sure what the hottest trend is right now? Just visit your local gym or Bikram yoga studio and see what everyone is concentrating on.

But for all those fads, there’s one body part that can’t quite be worked out; one that, up until relatively recently, you either natural have or you don’t. Pucker up ladies, because we’re talking about your moist, juicy, always seductive lips.

Lips have always been on everyone’s radar, men and women alike favor them more than any other body part. To understand today’s world of Botox, Juvederm, Dysport, Restylane and other injectables, we first need a history lesson.

The Fascination of Lips

For centuries woman have enhanced their lips with cosmetic products as to create the illusion of a fuller, plumper pout. Ancient Mesopotamian women have often been recognized as the first to slap lipstick on, employing crushed gemstones to embellish their lips. Then there were the Ancient Roman upper class, followed by the Egyptians – most famously, Cleopatra VII (she would squash ants and cochineal to color her lips).

But that was mostly what we call ‘classic red’ – we’re talking the Taylor Swift, Gwen Stephanie and Marilyn Monroe type. With time, came new colors of lipsticks – nude shades and pastels. Additionally, goth and punk mania brought in purple and black tones.

Lips of Today & Botox

Okay, you get it, lips are timeless. But what about right now? The University of Manchester recently conducted a study and concluded that the average man spends 5.4 / 10 seconds starring at the mouth of a women he has met for the first time. When women emphasized their pout, with pink lipstick or liner, that number jumped to 6.7 seconds – 7.3 seconds with red lipstick. There’s an evolutional theory here, see above.

It’s also worth noting that when women that wore no makeup, gentlemen tended to focus more evenly among all the facial features – starting with eyes, followed by her nose, than her lips. So, if makeup increases that attraction further, and you want them mesmerized by that perfect pout, imagine what plumping those luscious kissables could do?

For decades, lip augmentation and injectables have been the number one cosmetic procedure, globally. One doctor, Dr Tijion Esho has even devised the perfect lip ratio. His findings follow the theory of a recent study by the University of California which claimed that lips with a ratio 1:2 ratio of upper to lower lip (a smaller top lip and a bigger bottom lip) are the most attractive. Think of your favorite stars’ lips, Angelia Jolie or Priyanka Chopra.

Still not convinced? Injectables, specifically Botox, has a remarkably safe history and consider that there have been tens of millions of patients treated with Botox – not even counting the other injectables on the market now. So, what are you waiting for? Mwah!