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Trend spotlight: Butterfly lips
What is the latest lip trend taking social media by storm... and why is it problematic?
Butterfly lips are the latest lip trend to become popular on social media, but, as with a lot of aesthetic trends that emerge online, the treatment should be approached with caution.
The trend involves lifting the lips with steri-strips and then using dermal filler to over-emphasise the Cupid’s bow, for a significantly plumped effect. The resulting ‘butterfly lips’ show a volumised, slight separation of the top lip, mirroring the appearance of a butterfly’s wing.
Butterfly lips have been trending on both Instagram and TikTok, with reality television personalities Lauren Goodger and Katie Price both posting pictures on social media having had the uber-plumping procedure.
As such, it’s predicted to be a popular aesthetic treatment request in the coming months, especially for individuals who look to television stars for their beauty inspiration.
However, there are significant concerns that the procedure could be unsafe. In particular, the use of steri-strips and overplumping of the top lip has caused concerns.
“Butterfly lips are the latest lip filler trend being shared all over social media as an effective method for plumping up the top lip,” said registered nurse Emma Wedgewood in an interview with OK.co.uk. “This is usually done by taping the lips and injecting dermal fillers and neurotoxins (such as botulinum toxin) to give a more prominent Cupid’s bow.”
“I wouldn’t recommend this treatment to my patients as it is very unsafe and can carry a high risk of infection from the tape itself. It’s also important to note that taping your lips will not change their natural anatomy. Other side effects include prolonged downtime and lip filler migration caused by too many injections being administered too close together.”
The trend is also getting increasingly mixed reviews online. Some users on TikTok questioned how good butterfly lips would look in real life, not just on camera, expressing concerns about lip evenness and swelling from the procedure.
For that reason, if someone does come into your clinic requesting the trending treatment, it’s best to discuss these complications and suggest alternative options for providing safe and realistic lip-plumping results.