Lip Fillers Gone Wrong? How to Avoid and Fix Duck Lips

Last Updated On:

Lip augmentation is a popular cosmetic procedure that enhances lip volume, corrects lip contour, and makes thin, dry lips look juicy and desirable. This procedure is safe and effective, and the results are visible straight after the session. However, some complications can be expected if it’s performed incorrectly or poorly, and ‘duck lips’ is one of them.

Below, we’re going to discuss this topic in more detail, give an explanation for this problem, provide helpful information on how to avoid and deal with it and ensure you have a positive experience in the doctor’s office. Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Definition of Duck Lips

The term ‘duck lips’ is typically used to describe the issue when the lips are extremely overfilled and protrude after the treatment. Typically, it’s caused by using too much filler during the procedure, causing the abnormal shape and size of one’s lips.

How do you recognize ‘duck lips’? They lack a natural contour and are pushed out. The upper lip is significantly further than the lower one, the horizontal width of the lips is increased, and filler material is visible above and around the lips.

The appearance of ‘duck lips’ is far from the natural beauty standards and is often considered unattractive and unnatural. This look is not pursued intentionally; it’s typically caused by a specialist’s lack of knowledge, poor injection technique, or a significant miscalculation in the appropriate number of filler units for the injection.

Before choosing a medical professional, we highly recommend reading reviews about their work and visiting their office for a pre-treatment consultation. Ask essential questions to understand whether they are trustworthy. Safety is a key to success in the cosmetic beauty sphere, so be careful.

How Can Fillers Cause Duck Lips?

A medical professional holding a syringe, injecting lip filler

When using dermal fillers, administration techniques matter immensely. Besides, there are some other helpful recommendations that may be useful when it comes to avoiding such problems as duck lips. Here they are:

  • Personal lip anatomy: The anatomy of the lips usually defines how much product can be administered into the target area. Naturally thin lips have a little less tissue to work with, so there’s less tissue to expand compared to patients with fuller lips;
  • Overfilling the lips: This is the most obvious reason for lips overfilling. If people demand too many filler units straight from the beginning, they may later develop duck lips. We recommend increasing the dose gradually, adding a little bit at a time to find a comfortable look for once without risking experiencing such issues;
  • Administration technique: If inexperienced injectors place the product incorrectly, it may spread over the lip line and basically erase the contour of the lips. As a result, it causes a prominent outer roll of the edges, giving people an unnatural appearance. The product must always be placed into safe spots a little at a time to achieve an even, natural-looking effect.

How to Avoid Duck Lips with Fillers?

A  woman consulting with a professional cosmetic injector in a clinic

‘Duck lips’ is never an intentional outcome after lip filler treatments. The main goal of the procedure is always to provide a natural-looking effect without giving patients an overfilled look. And thankfully, there are a few helpful tips and tricks that can be effective in avoiding ‘duck lips’ after the injection session:

  • Pick an experienced specialist to perform lip enhancement: Do your brown research to find out more about the doctor’s background, check their training, and read reviews from other customers. It would be perfect if there were before and after photos of their work to understand their level of skill. And don’t trust extremely low prices. Don’t sacrifice your safety for the chance to save up a few dollars;
  • Consult with a specialist: Schedule a pre-treatment consultation with a doctor to discuss your goals and desired results, as well as create a proper plan for the session. It is important to evaluate your individual lip anatomy, see the state of the lip tissue and understand whether this treatment can fulfill your goals. It would be helpful to show some pictures as examples to ensure dermal fillers can provide you a natural-looking lip enhancement;
  • Clearly discuss desired results: Based on that, a specialist chooses the right proportions, as well as the product for the procedure. It is important to buy Juvederm filler at a wholesale discount from a reliable supplier, so this step is among the vital ones. Plus, it’ll help to avoid overfilled lips.

Always ensure a specialist uses high-quality products during the procedure. They must be purchased from a reliable supplier, have a safe expiration date, and be clear and smooth when it comes to texture. The quality of the filler matters immensely when it comes to safety, so don’t ignore this when considering dermal fillers for lip enhancement.

How to Fix Duck Lips

How to Fix Duck Lips

If something goes wrong, and you end up with dreaded ‘duck lips’ due to poor administration or lip filler migration, there is a way to fix this problem and return to the initial appearance.

Medical professionals mainly use hyaluronic acid-based dermal filler for subtle enhancement. This naturally occurring substance settles well under the skin and rarely causes adverse reactions. Hyaluronidase can dissolve it.

This enzyme deconstructs the gel within 48 hours after administration. Misshapen areas get dissipated, reversing the effect to address the ducky appearance of the lips. Sometimes, when too much filler material is used during the treatment, a few sessions may be required to dissolve the filler completely.

Once the procedure is done, patients may experience minor adverse reactions, such as lip tenderness, swelling, bruising, and some other natural symptoms. However, a few days are typically enough for all the unwanted side effects to fade away and for a person to heal properly.

The Bottom Line

‘Duck lips’ is a problem that may be considered common because of the nature of the procedure. The filler is administered into the upper and lower lips, and it may have bad consequences in inexperienced hands. In order to have a good experience in the doctor’s office, it is vital to choose the services of a well-educated medical professional, discuss all the goals to understand whether a specialist is trustworthy and start slowly to not overfill lips.

However, if the issue occurs, there is a way to deal with this. The best option is to have a hyaluronidase injection. This solution is meant to dissolve hyaluronic acid fillers, which is why it works perfectly to deal with ‘duck lips’.

Some time may be needed to dissolve the gel completely, but in the end, it is possible to return to one’s initial appearance. Hopefully, this article answers your questions about the phenomena. Stay safe!

Read Next: The Connection Between Skincare and Self-Care for Active Women

Leave a Comment