Lip fillers in London

Lip fillers, planned around your face

Lip fillers use a soft hyaluronic acid filler designed for the lips, to add shape, definition, hydration or a little volume. At our Islington clinic on Essex Road, lips are planned in proportion to your face and teeth, so the result looks like your own lips on a good day, not a trend. As a dentist, Dr Vishal Patel also considers how your lips sit over your teeth and how they move when you speak and smile, which is something a purely surface-led plan can miss.

Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in the skin, where it binds water. The manufactured gel used for lip filler forms a soft, mouldable structure within the lip tissue that holds its shape, draws in moisture and gradually integrates. It is placed in small amounts at chosen points within the body of the lip, along the border where the lip meets the skin, or in the surrounding tissue, depending on what you want to achieve.

Lip fillers are also reversible. If a result is not what you hoped for, or if filler ever sits outside its intended position, an enzyme called hyaluronidase can be injected to dissolve it. This is one of the main reasons hyaluronic acid has replaced older permanent fillers in mainstream practice, and we do not use permanent fillers at all.

What lip fillers can and cannot do

People come to us in Islington and from across north London with quite different goals, and the plan changes with each one.

• Natural enhancement. The most common request at our N1 clinic. A modest amount of filler restores the proportion your lips had a few years ago, or gives them slightly more presence. The result looks like you, a little more rested.
• Definition. Some lips are already full but have lost a crisp outline. A small amount placed along the border restores edge definition without much change in size.
• Hydration. A thin spread of softer filler through the body of the lip can improve dryness and texture. Sometimes the right answer is hydration with almost no volume change.
• Asymmetry. Mild natural asymmetry, where one side is fuller than the other, can often be balanced with careful placement.
• Lines above the lip. Fine vertical lines above the upper lip can be softened with precise, small placements, often alongside good skincare or other skin treatments.
• More pronounced volume. Where a fuller look suits your facial proportions, we build it gradually over more than one appointment. Where it does not, we will tell you so.

Lip filler will not change the underlying shape of your teeth or jaw, and significant asymmetry caused by bone or tooth position may need a different approach. Because we are a dental and skin clinic under one roof, those conversations can happen in the same room.

Should I get 0.5ml or 1ml?

Most people starting out need less than they expect. 0.5ml gives a subtle change in shape and hydration; more can be added later if you want it. Building gradually gives the most natural result and lets you get used to the change before deciding whether to go further.

A full 1ml is more suitable when there is genuine volume to restore, or when you have had filler before and know how your lips respond. Even then, we place it in stages within the appointment and review as we go. Considered, conservative and never rushed is the principle, and it is the main reason our results look like the person rather than the product.

Who lip fillers suit, and who should wait

Lip fillers tend to suit adults with realistic expectations who want a refinement rather than a new face, and who are happy to build a result over time. They are a good fit for people whose lips have thinned or lost definition with age, and for those who have always wanted a little more balance between the upper and lower lip.

We do not treat, or we ask you to wait, if you:

• are pregnant or breastfeeding
• have an active cold sore or any infection around the mouth
• have had a significant reaction to hyaluronic acid filler in the past
• have certain autoimmune conditions, which we discuss individually
• are under 18
• have dental treatment planned in the next two weeks

If you are prone to cold sores, tell us at consultation so we can plan around it.

What to expect

• About 30 minutes, with numbing cream and a filler that contains local anaesthetic
• Swelling for 24 to 72 hours, so lips look fuller at first
• The final result settles in about two weeks
• Results usually last 6 to 12 months

Every treatment starts with a consultation. We talk through what you would like to change, look at your lips in relation to your teeth, smile and the rest of your face, and go through your medical history. We take photographs for your clinical record and agree the volume and placement plan before anything is injected.

On the day, numbing cream is applied for around 15 to 20 minutes. The filler is then placed with a very fine needle or a soft, blunt cannula, in small amounts at the agreed points, working methodically from one area to the next. Gentle moulding refines the shape, and we check the result against the plan before you leave. Most people describe a brief pinprick sensation rather than pain.

Recovery and results, week by week

• Treatment day. Lips look fuller straight away, partly because of swelling.
• Days one to three. Swelling peaks, so lips look larger than the final result. Small bruises are possible.
• Days four to seven. Swelling and bruising fade and the settled shape begins to show.
• Around two weeks. The final result is visible. This is the right time to judge it, and the point at which any small adjustment is made.
• Six to twelve months. The filler is gradually broken down by the body. Many people return when they notice the volume beginning to soften.

How long results last depends on the product, the amount placed, your metabolism and lifestyle. Regular heavy exercise, smoking and a lot of sun exposure tend to shorten it slightly. Results vary from person to person.

Aftercare

For the first 24 hours, avoid pressing or massaging your lips, lipstick and lip products for at least 12 hours, alcohol, strenuous exercise, saunas and hot yoga. A cold compress wrapped in cloth can ease swelling. For the first week, avoid facial treatments on the area, very cold conditions and direct sun. We also ask you to wait two weeks before routine dental work, because stretching the lips during treatment can disturb filler that has not yet settled.

Lip filler or lip flip?

A lip flip uses anti-wrinkle treatment to roll the upper lip slightly outward, showing more lip without adding volume. Some people combine the two.

The two are often confused, but they are different treatments. Lip filler adds hyaluronic acid to the lip itself, giving volume, hydration or definition for six to twelve months, and it can be dissolved. A lip flip relaxes the muscle around the upper lip so a little more of the pink shows; it adds no volume, causes no real swelling and wears off naturally within a couple of months. A lip flip tends to suit a thin upper lip that disappears when you smile. Lip filler suits a lip that has genuinely lost volume or shape. At consultation we explain which one, or which combination, fits what you want, and sometimes the honest answer is neither.

Lip filler is one part of our wider dermal filler work, and the same proportion-led approach applies to every area of the face. If you are weighing hydration against volume, our comparison of Profhilo vs dermal fillers sets out the difference.

Safety

Lip fillers are reversible with hyaluronidase. We avoid treatment if you have an active cold sore, and we ask you to wait two weeks before routine dental work. Prescribed and administered by Dr Vishal Patel, BDS, MSc Aesthetic & Restorative Dentistry, GDC 103127, the clinic’s sole aesthetic prescriber.

Swelling, tenderness and some bruising are expected and settle within days. Less commonly, a small asymmetry needs correcting at the two-week review. Rare complications include filler moving outside the intended area, infection and allergic reaction. The most serious, and very rare, risk is filler entering a blood vessel. The arteries that supply the lips run in predictable but variable positions, and knowing that anatomy in three dimensions is the main safety margin in lip work. We use sterile technique, inject slowly in small amounts, choose a cannula where appropriate and keep hyaluronidase on hand at every appointment. We discuss all of this at consultation, before treatment rather than after.

Lip filler prices in Islington

• Lip filler, 0.5ml: £200
• Lip filler, 1ml: £380
• Dissolving filler with hyaluronidase, if needed: £180
• Skin and aesthetic consultation: £65, redeemable in full against treatment

Each appointment is planned and priced individually, and you will know the cost before treatment begins. Finance is available at 0% APR over 12 months.

Why have lip fillers with us

All lip filler at Dental & Wellness London is planned and carried out by Dr Vishal Patel. He qualified in dentistry at Liverpool, holds an MSc in Aesthetic & Restorative Dentistry from Manchester, is an AACD member and has around 20 years in dentistry, including 10 years in facial aesthetics. His aesthetic training includes the International Fellowship in Advanced Aesthetic Science, a facial anatomy and cadaver course with Dr Ali Pirayesh at the University of Amsterdam, and Harley Academy.

A dentist spends a working life around the lips, the muscles that move them and the blood vessels and nerves that supply them. That familiarity shapes how much filler we use, where we place it and, just as often, when we advise against more. The smile should fit the face, and the lips are part of the smile. Since 2009 the clinic has been rated 4.7 stars from more than 300 Google reviews.

The clinic is at 222 Essex Road, Islington, London N1 3AP, two minutes from Essex Road station and a short ride from Angel, Highbury, Canonbury, Hackney and Stoke Newington. Buses 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 stop on Essex Road. Many patients cycle or use a Lime or Forest e-bike; Dalston is around ten minutes by bike. We see patients Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm, by appointment.

Clinically reviewed by Dr Vishal Patel · BDS · MSc Aesthetic & Restorative Dentistry · GDC 103127. Last reviewed 1 October 2026.

This page is part of our wider guide to dermal fillers, which sets out every option we offer side by side.

Further reading

• How long do lip fillers last? An honest UK clinician's guide
• Lip filler migration — causes, signs, and prevention
• Lip Flip vs Lip Fillers — Which One Suits Your Concern?
• Lip Flip Botox: Your Ultimate Guide to Getting That Perfect Pout in 2025