Say you were born with thin lips, or just want your lips to look fuller and pinker for that holiday party. What do you do, go for lip plumpers or fillers? For a temporary change, the obvious answer is to use a commercial lip plumper and see how it goes. More and more cosmetics companies are bringing out lip plumpers, some already tinted, some not. Lip plumpers can be surprisingly effective; in a few cases, users not only get strikingly fuller lips, but the results last up to eight hours as well. To be honest, though, the effects of most lip plumpers rarely last more than an hour, especially if users eat or drink. Most lip plumpers use an irritant, such as cinnamon, wintergreen or ginger that causes enough of a reaction to make the lips swell and look temporarily fuller. And when I say irritant, I mean just that, because some of them, especially those with higher concentrations of cinnamon and wintergreen, can really make the lips burn, sometimes quite painfully. And that burning sensation applies not only to the woman who used a plumper on her lips but to anybody she kisses as well. If your significant other is allergic, I’d stay away from these plumpers; obviously, people with sensitive skin should also avoid them, because they may get a whole lot more than they bargained for. Never use lip plumpers on cracked lips or on cold sores, because the pain can be excruciating. Less irritating plumpers are those with retinol or oligopeptides, both of which stimulate collagen production. The advantage to these plumpers is that with repeated use, lips will not only look fuller, but smoother and less wrinkled. A warning: retinol increases sun sensitivity. I recommend that lip plumpers with retinol be used only at night. For a longer-lasting look, you’d have to go with fillers, usually hyaluronic acid fillers; my two favorites are Prevelle Silk and Juvederm. In my experience Prevelle Silk gives a more subtle look, while Juvederm lasts longer. It’s not the best idea in the world, because there’s always the chance of a reaction, but people can actually get their lips done with Prevelle Silk and go straight to a party, whereas Juvederm can cause swelling and bruising. The nice thing about hyaluronic acid fillers is that if you don’t like your new pout, it takes about five minutes to dissolve with an injection. These lip fillers cost $750- $1000 and last three to four months. Some people just want to define their lips, so they get a tiny amount of filler injected all around the lip border; their lips stand out more, but without added volume. This technique is especially popular with women over forty, because the lip border becomes less distinct with age. I would never, ever recommend more permanent procedures, such as silicone injections or lip implants. With silicone injections, problems such as lumps and irregular or asymmetrical lips are actually pretty common, and lip implants frequently look artificial. And I won’t even mention the Hollywood actresses who got permanent lip jobs and deeply regretted it, because the tabloids have already given them enough exposure. Think before you get lip fillers. If you want to see how you would look with fuller lips, then try lip plumpers first and see if you like the way you look. Whatever you do, don’t go overboard. Not everybody looks pretty with huge, bee-stung pouts.