How to Get a Defined Lip Bead: Filler vs. Fat vs. Surgery

The lip bead is the visual focal point of the upper lip. A nice lip bead makes lip makeup stand out and adds to the lip shape, and it has become a beauty goal that has set off a trend in lip bead aesthetic treatments. This article tells you which lip shapes suit a defined lip bead, rounds up the three main aesthetic treatments for creating one, and compares their pros and cons. Let's get sexy lips!

What is a lip bead?

The lip bead (upper lip tubercle) sits at the center of the upper lip, a visibly raised piece of tissue that protrudes downward and looks like a bead tucked into the lip. It is considered a sign of sexy lips. Without a lip bead, the front teeth or the gaps between teeth are more likely to show, and the lips lose their natural closed form, which looks less attractive. Most of these lip shape issues come from congenital lip development defects or an inherited lip shape, and a few come from external injury later in life.

- Common lip shape concerns

Read more:

Is it a golden lip shape? Self-check and get sweet Korean-style petal lips now!

Can't apply lipstick well? Learn how to create petal lips in a second

3 lip shapes that suit a lip bead

1. M-shaped lips

The upper lip has an M-shaped curve, also called seagull lips or Cupid's bow lips. The lower edge of the center of the upper lip has a distinct lip bead, and the sides are thinner.

2. Smile lips

Smile lips can correct downturned mouth corners, so that you look like you are smiling even when you are not making a smiling expression. Paired with a lip bead, they add cuteness and make you seem more approachable.

3. Plump, pouty lips

Even at rest, the lips stay slightly pouted, full and moist. Having a lip bead adds dimension and makes the lip peaks and the overall lip shape look fuller.

Lip bead treatment 1: hyaluronic acid filler

Hyaluronic acid lip enhancement is currently the most mainstream and common way to plump the lips. Not only does it give a good feel after the procedure and high safety, hyaluronic acid can also improve fine lines around the mouth and lip lines, so it is a lip enhancement method with very high post-procedure satisfaction. A lip bead takes effect immediately after injection, and downtime is short, but hyaluronic acid is absorbed by the body over time, causing the lip bead to disappear, so regular touch-up injections are needed to maintain the lip shape. In addition, there are many hyaluronic acid brands with different textures, so the result depends on the doctor's technique and sense of aesthetics in designing a suitable lip shape based on face proportions and the harmony of the facial features.

Recommended hyaluronic acid brands: Juvéderm, Restylane, Neuramis, Hya Dermis

Learn more:

How do hyaluronic acid molecule sizes differ? Recommended cc amounts for popular areas!

Hyaluronic acid brands compared! Which one is right for me?

Lip bead treatment 2: fat transfer

Using VASER liposuction to harvest your own fat, the fat is purified in a centrifuge and then injected into the lips to shape the lip bead and lip valley and plump the lips. Liposuction lip enhancement does double duty, because it uses your own fat, so there is no rejection reaction and no obvious scarring, and once the transferred fat survives, it lasts a long time, so you do not need repeated injections.

Learn more:

Small wounds after the procedure! What other advantages does VASER liposuction have? Will you regain weight?

Lip bead treatment 3: lip bead surgery

3D lip bead sculpting surgery uses a flap transfer technique. First, flaps are appropriately separated from the upper lip skin on both sides of the lip bead, and this lip tissue, which carries its own blood supply, is turned over and transferred and sutured toward the center where the lip bead goes. This provides enough tissue to sculpt the shape of the lip bead and also reduces the skin on both sides of the upper lip at the same time, which helps sculpt an M-shaped lip. After the lip bead shape is sculpted, the upper lip wound is sutured in sequence. The size of the lip bead can be customized, no stitch removal is needed after the procedure, and once finished the lip curve is fixed and lasts longer.

Comparison of the 3 lip bead treatments