Flipping the Myo Narrative on Lip Enhancements
Published: April, 2023
Published: April, 2023
Not all are “born with it” but many want it - luscious “Instagram” lips. Since the early 2000s “lip enhancement or augmentation” procedures have become increasingly popular and are now commonplace. Everyday people under 30 are currently the main population seeking lip fillers. Some adults seek lip enhancement to normalize atypical structures: for asymmetries in their lips to be more even, to cover their gummy smile, to summon a seemingly non-existent top lip. Our course attendees ask us, “Can you do myo with someone who has had lip filler or lip botox?”. An educated guess would be “probably not”, but having a “hunch” does not answer this topical conundrum. We could go and ask the general public. However, they don’t necessarily have the fine-tuned insights into oral function that orofacial myologists have. What if we were to flip the narrative onto orofacial myologists themselves and ask - “Can orofacial myologists who have had lip filler or lip botox do myo?”
A scarcity of information regarding myofunctional treatment compliance or competence due to lip enhancement procedures led me to investigate this myself. It’s not what you think… I did not get lip filler for this article! Instead I contacted a couple of orofacial myologists who had had first-hand experience. The first one, in her early 40s, had a “lip flip”, which is botox in or above the upper portion of the orbicularis oris. This relaxes the muscle and “flips” the top lip up. Following her lip flip, she had experienced two months of difficulty drinking with a straw or from a cup. She laughed nervously as she continued to report other dysfunctions. She recalled spillage of liquid and unsightly compensations of her tongue when she tried to brush her teeth. As expected, this impaired oral function was a hard “pill to swallow” for an orofacial myologist! To make matters worse, this cosmetic mishap affected her work as an orofacial myologist; she couldn’t demonstrate lip resistance and lip shaping exercises, or even drinking exercises. She didn’t realize that the lip flip would affect her functionally like it did. She did not return for another round of botox.
Another orofacial myologist shared her tale of lip enhancement, this time with lip filler. This is known to add volume to the lips with the injection of hyaluronic acid. Following this quick procedure, she had difficulty drinking from straws. Like the other orofacial myologist with the lip flip, she could not demonstrate lip exercises or drinking exercises properly to her myo clients. Her sister also opted for lip filler and “could not drink normally” for one month. This orofacial myologist, too, stopped getting lip enhancements following her experience. Now she ensures that adult clients report any current lip enhancement treatments.
While researching this topic, I heard and read that sometimes there are strict orders to follow after receiving lip filler to prevent a “lumpy” result and to prevent filler migrating away from the lips. That seems unbelievable, doesn’t it? These caveats involve avoiding numerous actions for a few days to a few weeks, including: drinking from a straw or water bottle, kissing, oral sex, sleeping on your face, or physical exercise (as you can see, the first example is practiced in myo treatment). It’s also important to note that the swelling post-injection can impact lip and oral function for numerous days too.
The quandary is not limited to the inability for these clients and orofacial myologists to do myo exercises, as is often the butt of botox jokes (“But I AM smiling!”). The problem also extends to the limitation of what they should do post-injection. Both conditions can potentially limit myo competence and compliance. So before advancing into treatment, orofacial myologists should ask clients if they receive lip fillers or lip botox, and how often. As for orofacial myologists considering lip fillers or lip Botox, they should devise a backup plan using an arsenal of creative myo resources for their clients, should their lips suffer from style over function.
This article was adapted from the April 2023 Orofacial Myology News.