The cause of less full lips

The influence of your yeeth and chin on the shape of your lips

With the rise of Instagram and trends like inclusive beauty – which celebrates all skin tones and body types – a new beauty ideal has emerged. Think of the ‘Kim Kardashian style’: a light-skinned woman with pronounced curves, from full lips to wide hips.

Young women in particular feel drawn to this image. Women of non-Western descent often naturally have more pronounced body contours than women of Caucasian or Asian backgrounds. From a biological perspective, full lips are also linked to fertility – they tend to swell slightly during ovulation as a sign of reproductive readiness.

Social media, and Instagram in particular, is now filled with faces featuring perfectly plumped lips. This reinforces the insecurities of women who have thinner or smaller lips. As a result, lip augmentation with injectables has surged in popularity.

But how justified is it to simply satisfy a young woman with "too thin" lips by injecting more volume? What if the lip itself isn’t the actual problem?

It’s not always the lip but what’s around it

Cosmetic doctor Dr. Frodo Gaymans believes we need to look more often at the underlying causes of thin lips. Not only to achieve better results, but also to prevent disrupting natural beauty.

The role of teeth and chin

“When a lip is filled, it can mask an underlying imbalance,” explains Dr. Frodo. “For instance, a relatively small chin, small teeth, or teeth that are positioned too far back. In that case, a filled lip can end up looking unnatural.”

So what’s the solution?

“It all starts with understanding: why does your face look the way it does? What are the honest solutions? Perhaps getting braces to bring the teeth forward, or enhancing the chin. Or maybe simply accepting that nothing needs to be done.”

The complete picture: Structure, contour, refinement

At Dr. Frodo’s clinic, the entire facial structure is assessed. All possible causes and solutions are considered – from orthodontics and fillers to plastic surgery. The client receives a complete and honest treatment plan.

“It’s not sad if someone doesn’t have full lips or can’t wear lipstick. What’s sad is when a doctor promises to fix it and can’t deliver – resulting in an unnatural appearance.”

The clinic follows a three-phase approach:

1. Structure building – e.g., enhancing the chin or jawline
2. Contour definition – adding definition around the mouth
3. Refinement – fine-tuning the lips themselves

This phased approach leads to a sustainable and natural-looking result.

The downside of over-treatment

Fillers can remain in the skin for years. Women who repeatedly add milliliters to their lips may develop a distorted mouth area over time.

“The upper lip becomes thicker, and the area between the lips and nose also swells. The result: not necessarily fuller lips, but a puffy mouth region.”

What if you regret overfilled lips?

The good news is that hyaluronic acid – the main ingredient in fillers – can be dissolved using the enzyme hyaluronidase (Hyason). This enzyme helps loosen and break down the filler, making it easier for the body to remove. In some cases, it may also affect your natural hyaluronic acid, but this regenerates naturally within a few weeks.

“Many people are shocked when they see their natural face again after dissolving fillers. They’ve become so accustomed to the filled version of themselves that it takes time to adjust.”

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Starting fresh

For the treatment team, it’s often best to start with a clean slate. Once the face has returned to its natural proportions, it’s easier to create a refreshed, balanced appearance.

“It’s like makeup,” says Dr. Frodo. “You don’t go to bed with your evening makeup on and just layer more on the next day. You cleanse your skin and reapply. That’s exactly how we work with fillers. Removing incorrectly placed filler gives us the right foundation to build a fresh, natural look.”

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