A perfect pout is always in vogue, but trends regarding lip shape and size shift from time to time. Per aesthetic experts, the industry is currently seeing a rise in the popularity of lip cleavage. Breast cleavage, side boob and even under boob had their day in the sun—now the lips want a piece of the action. People seeking lip cleavage are looking for that Angelina Jolie level of pillowy perforation in their bottom lip.
A lip cleavage procedure involves a filler being “very specifically placed in the lower lip,” explained Wayne, NJ facial plastic surgeon Jeffery B. Wise, MD. To achieve the lip cleavage look, the doctor will press a suture or string vertically down the middle of the patient’s bottom lip to create a line then filler is injected into either side. While the filler settles, the line will become semi-permanent, providing the appearance of lip cleavage.
“The goal is creating a look of two plump pillows with a subtle shadow in-between” for a “subtle, sexy lower lip pout that looks natural,” said Dr. Wise. The procedure itself looks and feels a lot like a regular filler procedure, except the slight variation in the technique used will get you the shape and structure you seek, says the surgeon.
Santa Monica, CA dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, said that with this procedure the emphasis is “on creating an artistic natural effect” that uses a person’s anatomy to its advantage rather than working against it. She described the procedure as “fluffing the pillows individually.” Just as with breasts, the level to which one already has cleavage varies from person to person, so some may need more “fluffing” than others.
The look is also often referred to as a “keyhole pout” because the “filler is placed strategically to create a gap between the top and bottom lip, accentuating the ‘cleavage’ for both the top and bottom, so the gap actually resembles a keyhole,” explained Dr. Wise.
Dr. Wise said lip procedures are currently on the rise because “as we begin to unmask, more and more people want to draw attention to the parts of their face that have been hidden.” In particular, lip cleavage techniques are in popular demand. While the procedure is not new, Dr. Wise thinks social media has helped popularize the results that come with this kind of filler technique.
