29 December,2010 06:48 AM IST | | Priyanka Vora
Youngsters, middle-aged women are lining up at cosmetic clinics for lip and cheek enhancement procedures
"A man had given all other bliss,
And all his worldly worth for this,
To waste his whole heart in one kiss
Upon her perfect lips"
Lord Tennyson, 19th century English poet
These lines seem to be the anthem for New Year revellers this year who are frequenting cosmetic clinics to get their lips in perfect shape.
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Not just the young party hoppers but also middle-aged women want to get their lips just right to look their best on New Year's Eve.
Cosmetic surgeons in the city are also seeing at least 5 to 10 women daily who want to get their lips enhanced with medical assistance.
Apart from the usual requests to get lips like Bollywood actresses Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra, many women are even opting for cheek enhancements to get a beautiful face complementing kissable lips.
Seema Upadhyay (50) (name changed on request) met her childhood sweetheart a few days back and decided to throw a New Year's party for him. She visited a doctor to get her lips right to look just like she did around 10 years back.
Experts say that because of the increased availability of doctors and clinics offering single sitting procedures, higher number of people are opting for it. A lot of clinics even offer monthly installment payment options that make these procedures even more popular.
"This is that time of the year when people take resolutions and make plans for the coming year. Many prefer to go in for such look changing procedures," said Dr Rashmi Shetty, cosmetologist, who owns a clinic at Santacruz (East) and has carried out 50 such procedures.
Explaining the mad rush for lip augmentations, Dr Mohan Thomas, senior consultant cosmetic surgeon at Breach Candy Hospital, said, "Unlike other parts of the face, the lips are major attention seekers and with such cosmetic enhancements, the entire face looks attractive.
With the use of dermal fillers the effect is evident in a day and who does not want to grab attention in a party?" Dr Madhuri Agarwal, dermatologist from The Skin Clinic in Mulund, said that many girls visited her at the start of the year to understand the cost of such procedures. "They saved for the procedure and have come to me in December to get their lips enhanced," said Agarwal.
Shetty said that girls who have undergone lip enhancement procedures don't shy away from taking their mothers for similar procedures. "Daughters who are financially independent understand the need of looking good and don't mind spending on such procedure for their mothers," she said.
However, Thomas cautioned that women should only go for US FDA approved fillers, as there are a few fillers in the market that can cause infection and damage the face. "Don't ape your friends or celebrities when you undergo such cosmetic procedures as what suits others might not suit you," said Thomas.
Price of Beauty
The effect of lip enhancing procedures last from anywhere between six months and two years depending on the type of fillers. Once the effect of fillers starts to fade out, another set of injections can help to get the enhanced lips. Cost of these one-time procedures varies between Rs 12,000 and Rs 18,000 depending on the clinic and fillers used, while cheek enhancement procedures cost over Rs 50,000.
