I'm a plastic surgery expert - here's how you can AVOID ducky and over-the-top lip filler

A physician's assistant has revealed her top three tips for making sure you avoid that unfortunate duck-lip look when going in for treatment.

Maggie Hartz is a lead physician assistant at a plastic surgeon's office on New York City's Upper East Side, who specializes in both facial balancing and injectables, often sharing her expertise on both TikTok and Instagram. 

In a TikTok video shared last month, Hartz laid out the three things you should ask for during your lip filler appointment to prevent the injections from looking fake and 'pillow-y,' with one of the most important things being to keep the natural integrity of your lip shape.

'Ask for an enhancement of your natural shape,' Hartz said simply.

'You don't want to ask for anything that's going to go against your natural anatomy, because it's going to look fake,' she continued.

Lip fillers are cosmetic injections that are made up of synthetic hyaluronic acid, according to The Cleveland Clinic, and there are many brands to choose from, such as Juvederm or Restylane.

In addition to adding some size to your lips, the fillers can also work to smooth out wrinkles or aid in fixing an asymmetrical-sized pout. 

It's a popular procedure, too with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reporting in 2017 that soft tissue fillers had increased 312 per cent from the year 2000.  

'I'd like to build my lips up slowly and I'm okay with doing this over multiple sessions, you really can't go wrong by starting small and working your way up,' she explained.

But when getting the injections, it's important to make sure to tell doctors that you want to build them up slowly and not all at once, the PA explained in her second tip. 

According to New York City-based dermatologist Dr. Lesley Rabach, slow is definitely the way to go, something she explained in a 2021 story by Cosmopolitan.

Dr. Rabach told the outlet that the most natural-looking pout comes with gradual injections, echoing Hartz's sentiment.

According to recent data by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were 1,378,631 lip augmentations with injectable materials performed in 2022.

Lip augmentations also ranked number five for this year's top cosmetic minimally invasive procedures, along with neuromodulator injections, soft tissue fillers/HA fillers, skin resurfacing and skin treatments like Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments. 

Last but not least, Hartz's final tip was to make sure you have photos to show the injector of lips that you both like and don't like.

'Number three is the most important,' Hartz said.

She suggested that you ask the person doing your filler: 'Can I show you photos of lips that I really like and lips that I do not like, and can you show me some before and after's that you have done that look similar to what you can expect my results to be?'

'This is how you'll be able to make sure that you and your provider are on the same page before getting the injection,' she explained.

Lip fillers usually last for around one year to 18 months, per Cleveland Clinic. 

At the end of the clip, Hartz assured that all of these tips can help to assist you in achieving the lip filler look that you're going for.

'The most important thing is researching your provider and choosing a provider that matches your aesthetic,' the PA concluded.