Full, luscious lips are a sign of youth and beauty. All it takes is a quick glance at a magazine in the grocery store line or a brief scroll through Instagram to see that voluptuous, soft lips are a desirable feature. For those born with naturally thin or thinning lips, dermal fillers containing hyaluronic acid are the most popular solution for adding or restoring volume to the lips.

These days, some celebrities speak openly about the cosmetic procedures they’ve undergone in order to achieve their perfect pout, and many of them appeal to a younger audience. If you’re the parent of a teenager who wants to plump her lips with fillers, you may be wondering how young is too young for lip fillers? Or, if you have questions about the minimum age for fillers because you want to enhance your own lips, we’re here to help.

At San Diego Cosmetic Laser Clinic, we receive many inquiries like these, and we’re happy to answer them. Read on for more information about what age you can get lip fillers, and why we like age limits for cosmetic procedures.

What age can you get lip fillers?

There are no specific laws that prevent teenagers from getting lip fillers or even cosmetic surgery, but lip fillers are only FDA-approved for those over the age of 21. No reputable clinic or provider will perform lip injections or any type of medical cosmetic procedure for a patient under 18 without parental consent. If any practitioner is willing to risk their practice and reputation by overlooking the age of consent, chances are they’re willing to risk your child’s safety in other ways as well. Although it may be hard to convince your teen that they’re still too young for lip fillers, there are several good reasons why we think the age limit is a good idea.

• Safety – Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring molecule responsible for retaining moisture in the skin, eyes, and joints. High quality lip fillers containing hyaluronic acid are studied extensively for safety before they’re approved by the FDA. However, they have not been studied for safety in people younger than 22.

• Cost – Dermal fillers cost money. Not just once, but again and again. Lip filler results are temporary so they require regular upkeep to maintain the desired effect. Teens and younger people tend to have less disposable income than older adults and are therefore more likely to opt for cheaper and lower quality injections that may not be safe. It’s well worth it to wait until you have a steady job and enough money for safe, high quality lip fillers.

• Expectations – The highly curated world of social media makes it difficult for people of all ages to maintain realistic expectations about how a vacation, a car, a new dress, or a cosmetic procedure will change their lives. The same is true tenfold for teens who have built their world view around social media and the lives of celebrities. With age, most of us gain some perspective and get more realistic about our expectations. It may be best to hold off on medical cosmetic procedures until then.

• Perspective and self-love – Cosmetic procedures like lip fillers provide a wonderful way to enhance our features or minimize the signs of aging. But moderation and balance are key to using these procedures as a self-care practice rather than a way to contort ourselves into some ever-changing ideal. There are so many beautiful women in the world who say they used to hate a certain feature that they now love (their nose / mole / gapped teeth / freckles) because it makes them who they are. Setting age limits for our children can help them practice self-love by learning to embrace their imperfections. Later in life, they can choose to change their least favorite features if they can or still want to, but if given a magic wand as a teen, they may never get the chance to see who they can become naturally.

These considerations are not just for teens. Anyone who is considering cosmetic enhancements should take the time to think seriously about their safety, motivation, expectations, expenses, and other factors before committing.

The best lip fillers in San Diego | San Diego Cosmetic Laser Clinic

At San Diego Cosmetic Laser Clinic, we believe you deserve to feel confident and beautiful every step of the way. Your confidence starts with choosing an experienced injector you can trust. Dr. Parvin Mani has been using both Juvederm and Restylane lip injections for years, and she has the skill, knowledge, and experience to create full, soft, luscious lips that work in harmony with your other features to enhance your natural beauty. Dr. Mani is one of the best lip injectors in San Diego. She employs precise and strategic injection techniques that follow the natural contours of your lips to achieve the most beautiful and natural-looking results. If you want maximum drama from your lip injections, Dr. Mani is an expert at that, too. To learn more about Dr. Mani’s popular lip filler treatments or any of our other cosmetic services, call (619) 583-7555 to schedule a consultation today.