Book NowBook NowFull, luscious lips are often associated with youth and sensuality. Over time, lips can lose volume, definition, and hydration due to ageing or genetics. Lip fillers using Hyaluronic Acid (HA) restore volume, definition, and balance while maintaining a natural appearance. At Harley Street MD, we focus on: Achieving proportionate, harmonious lips that suit your facial anatomy Enhancing definition (cupid’s bow, vermillion border) without overfilling Using premium HA fillers (e.g. Juvéderm® Volift) for natural texture and long-lasting results
Full, luscious lips are often associated with youth and sensuality. Over time, lips can lose volume, definition, and hydration due to ageing or genetics. Lip fillers using Hyaluronic Acid (HA) restore volume, definition, and balance while maintaining a natural appearance. At Harley Street MD, we focus on: Achieving proportionate, harmonious lips that suit your facial anatomy Enhancing definition (cupid’s bow, vermillion border) without overfilling Using premium HA fillers (e.g. Juvéderm® Volift) for natural texture and long-lasting results
Expert-Led Care: All treatments performed by GMC-registered doctors
Anatomy-Respecting Techniques: We assess facial balance, symmetry, and proportion before treatment
Signature Methods: Dr Chia Tan uses his Double Layer Technique to enhance both deep and superficial lip tissue layers for optimal shape, lift, and hydration
Safety First: Only premium dissolvable HA fillers are used
Custom Results: Lips are sculpted to suit your features — never overfilled, always natural-looking
Choose hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers for lip enhancement because they are safer. Any other fillers are riskier because only HA fillers can be easily and quickly dissolved by hyaluronidase (e.g. Hyalase). This is an important safety net should we ever need to remove it.
Pharmaceutical companies do not harvest HAs from animals or human beings; they made them synthetically in the laboratories. The products are sterile, vegan-friendly, and safe. HA fillers are not permanent, but they are very long-lasting. Your body’s natural existing hyaluronidase enzymes will slowly disintegrate the HA fillers, turn them into water and absorb the water. No residuals will remain. HA fillers are non-toxic, biodegradable, and safe. Millions of people worldwide have tried them.
In the UK, the authority only approves license for biodegradable dermal fillers for your safety. These fillers are being absorbed gradually over time and are therefore not permanent. The officials have banned permanent dermal fillers in the UK and rightly so because they are dangerous and may cause irreversible damage to your lips. Lip fillers are long-lasting but not permanent, last 9-12 months usually.
It matters who does your filler. Dr Chia Tan, founder and lead doctor of Harley Street MD, is a UK-trained medical doctor (MBChB) who specialises in cosmetic medicine. He qualified in 2003 and has been working as a reputable aesthetic specialist since 2008. He has thousands of happy clients. He has been featured in magazines and appeared on TV – the Health Show – explaining the latest cosmetic procedures to members of the public. He is a Certified Advanced Injector by Allergan© and is also one of the very few experts worldwide who is proficient in an advanced injection technique called MD Codes™.
Dr Chia Tan is a full member of the BCAM (British College of Aesthetic Medicine), a very prestigious and exclusive medical college in the UK that endorses outstanding, safe, and ethical aesthetic medicine. Being a full BCAM member means he has met all the criteria to cross-examine his qualifications, years of training, years of practising aesthetic medicine, and proof of his continuous professional development. BCAM only invites highly trained, well-experienced specialists in this field to become members.
Dr Chia Tan has a wide range of specialist interests, evident by an extensive list of professional post-nominal titles. Besides being a Member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (MBCAM), he is also a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (MRCS(Ed)), a Member of the European College of Aesthetic Medicine & Surgery (ECAMS), a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). He is a General Medical Council (GMC) registered doctor with full Licence to Practise. He is a reputable doctor who never stops learning.
You may feel some minor discomfort during the treatment. We offer dental block, apply topical numbing cream and the fillers we use also have extra anaesthetic medicine infused within them, to make the treatment as comfortable as possible. The doctor will be very gentle and careful. You can take some paracetamol if you prefer, however, please avoid anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen or aspirin as it can increase your risk of bleeding and bruising.
Dermal fillers commonly take up to 2 weeks to show the result. When any mild swelling from the injection has subsided and hyaluronic acid has fully integrated with the surrounding tissues, it is not unusual if have noticed the need for more fillers to perfect the result.
During your complimentary follow up at 2 weeks, if insufficiency in volume becomes apparent after the resolution of swelling, we might recommend a further top-up to further improve the volume. We charge this at £450 per 1ml syringe.
In the UK, the authority only approves license for biodegradable dermal fillers. These fillers are being absorbed gradually over time and are therefore not permanent. The officials have banned permanent dermal fillers in the UK and rightly so because they are dangerous and may cause irreversible damage to your skin. Chin fillers are long-lasting but not permanent, Juvéderm Voluma lasts 12-18 months, whereas the latest Juvéderm Volux lasts 18-24 months.
Dermal fillers are pharmaceutical-grade, gel-like injectables designed specifically to restore volume, provide lift, smooth out wrinkles, and fill in deep folds. They are very popular due to their effectiveness and versatile nature. We use them to rejuvenate, volumise, plump, and sculpt attractive facial contours. New ways of using dermal fillers are constantly being discovered. Depending on their ingredients, some dermal fillers have added benefits such as stimulating collagen and improving skin hydration. Dermal fillers have become a true contender to plastic surgery over the years, helping people avoid invasive and expensive cosmetic operations.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers are the most popular and safest type of dermal fillers. They consist of stabilised, non-animal-based hyaluronic acid. The HA gel is skin-friendly and integrates well with the tissues, closely resembling the hyaluronic acid that exists naturally in the body. Hyaluronic acid fillers improve skin texture by helping the skin retain hydration, and they are long-lasting yet dissolvable.
How do you know if your lips are too big or too small? When specialists analyse lip size, we do not measure in absolute dimensions. Instead, we determine the optimal size in relative terms by comparing your lips to other facial features. In aesthetic medicine, the eyes serve as the gold-standard baseline and absolute reference point.
Knowing the exact measurement of your lips down to the last nanometre cannot answer this question. However, if your lips are similar in size and proportion to your eyes, you are likely closer to aesthetic balance. Large lips do not suit everybody. People blessed with larger eyes can often carry relatively plumper lips while still maintaining a natural look.
The key is to maintain an ideal balance between your eyes and your lips to achieve a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing result.
Naturally, the bottom lip is fuller than the top lip. When an inexperienced injector who does not understand facial aesthetics reverses this relationship, it can result in the unnatural “duck lip” appearance. In aesthetic medicine, this is why we always advise against choosing just any injector — expertise matters.
If you prefer the trendy, fuller look often seen on Instagram, you may choose to keep the top and bottom lips at a similar fullness. The modern trend is a 1:1 upper-to-lower lip ratio, which pushes the boundary between traditional anatomy and a more contemporary yet still acceptable aesthetic.
However, the upper lip should never be fuller than the lower lip. This proportion appears unnatural and is not considered aesthetically desirable or recommended.
Allow us to introduce you to the PHI (φ) ratio, the golden ratio we apply when defining perfect proportion in all things aesthetic. This is the ratio Renaissance artists used when creating perfectly balanced paintings. This divine ratio is widely used in art, architecture, geometry, and mathematics, and it can also be found throughout nature. Subconsciously, it is what we associate with ideal proportion and beauty. The magic number of this golden ratio is 1.618.
A perfectly proportioned lower lip is approximately 1.618 times fuller than the upper lip. The upper lip should be around one-third the size of the eye, while the lower lip should be two-thirds by proportion. This is the balance we, as aesthetic experts, strive to achieve during treatment.
That said, as lip fillers have grown in popularity and social acceptance, it is increasingly common for patients to request a 1:1 upper-to-lower lip ratio. This is still considered acceptable and has become a modern norm in many beauty magazines. Whether you prefer a 1:1 ratio or the classic 1:1.618 ratio, the combined vertical height of the lips should never significantly exceed the size of the eyes in order to maintain ideal facial harmony.
If you are naturally blessed with larger eyes, you can accommodate fuller lips while still looking proportional and natural. However, the upper lip should never be larger than the lower lip, and the lips should never appear significantly larger than the eyes.
Choose hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers for facial injection because they are safer. Any other fillers are riskier; the reason is HA fillers can be easily and quickly dissolved by hyaluronidase (e.g. Hyalase). This is an important safety net should we ever need to remove it.
Pharmaceutical companies do not harvest HAs from animals or human beings; they made them synthetically in the laboratories. The products are sterile, vegan-friendly, and safe. HA fillers are not permanent, but they are very long-lasting. Your body’s natural existing hyaluronidase enzymes will slowly disintegrate the HA fillers, turn them into water and absorb the water. No residuals will remain. HA fillers are non-toxic, biodegradable, and safe. Millions of people worldwide have tried them.
There are many fillers on the market. No fillers are designed the same, and different fillers do different things. We recommend hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers for lip enhancement because they are dissolvable and therefore safer. All HA fillers have different elasticity, viscosity, rheological properties, and contain varying amounts of hyaluronic acid. For lip enhancement, we need a filler that is firm enough to provide lifting capacity, yet sufficiently soft to create a supple, natural look.
At Harley Street MD, we prefer Juvéderm© Volift because it has the ideal consistency and viscosity for lip enhancement. This is a premium filler manufactured by the world’s leading pharmaceutical company, Allergan©. It is very long-lasting, with studies showing results can last between 9 and 12 months.
The invention of the cannula technique has completely revolutionised the advanced procedures we can now offer in aesthetic medicine. Unlike a traditional needle, a cannula has a rounded, blunt tip. This design significantly reduces the risk of bruising, trauma, swelling, and intravascular occlusion. The safety profile of a cannula is considerably higher than that of a needle. Cannula use also allows atraumatic deposition of filler linearly along the natural tissue planes. By avoiding vertical bolus injections, results achieved with a cannula are often more natural and less likely to cause uneven lumps or bumps.
At Harley Street MD, Dr Chia Tan has taken this technique even further by developing a signature “Double Layer Technique” for lip enhancement. This technique uses a cannula to deposit a controlled amount of soft filler into two different tissue planes of the lips, producing the most natural-looking results.
By restoring or adding volume in the deep sub-muscular tissue layer, Dr Chia Tan provides structural support to lift the body of the lips. Fillers are laid horizontally along the natural shape of the lips, preventing unwanted or uneven bumps. In the bottom lip, filler is deposited in the deep plane with separation at the midline, creating a soft, pillow-like structure with a gentle central “keyhole” shape. This heart-shaped contour is both natural and highly alluring.
Next, the often-neglected superficial subcutaneous tissue layer is addressed. Through simultaneous micro-dissection and micro-injection, tissue adhesions are gently released while hyaluronic acid is deposited to hydrate the lips. This stage of the signature “Double Layer Technique” is essential for creating soft, supple, and naturally hydrated lips.
Conventional lip injections that rely solely on needles carry a higher risk of tissue trauma, haematoma, and uneven results, as fillers are deposited vertically in boluses. Even when a cannula is used, many inexperienced injectors treat only a single tissue layer and ignore the other. In our professional opinion, enhancing both tissue layers correctly is essential to achieving superior and longer-lasting results.
After completing the Double Layer Technique, the outcome is further refined by injecting micro-doses along the vermilion border to provide support and definition to the lip lines. The Cupid’s bow is sculpted, the philtral columns are enhanced for improved light reflection, and the corners of the mouth are gently lifted by supporting the oral commissures.
At Harley Street MD, we respect tissue anatomy. Every element of our signature techniques has a purpose, and every drop of filler is placed with precision. You do not need to understand anatomy at this level—that is our responsibility. Our role is to practise the most advanced injection techniques and deliver them safely, expertly, and consistently.
Full, juicy lips with a sexy tiny gap in the centre that looks like a keyhole are very trendy now and in high demand. Celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Angelina Jolie, and Gigi Hadid all have this look. The keyhole effect has become a popular hashtag and has taken lip enhancement to the next level on Instagram. Luscious lips with a subtle keyhole translate into sensual, kissable lips.
At Harley Street MD, we have perfected a signature “keyhole technique” for those who would like to achieve this effect. During the injection, we temporarily secure a dental floss at the centre and gently pull it down against the lower lip. This method creates a beautiful, subtle keyhole in the middle of the lips and further accentuates the sensuous lower lip pillows.
The keyhole technique can be incorporated into your treatment on request, especially if you would like to add an extra touch of sexiness and playfulness to your overall look.
Trout pout happens when an unnecessary amount of filler is injected carelessly into the lateral corners of the lips. It looks fake and is a clear giveaway of unsophisticated filler treatment. Trout pout occurs because the injector lacks in-depth knowledge of lip anatomy and has disregarded fundamental facial aesthetics. Full, voluptuous lips can look natural and undetectable. As trendy as juicy lips can be, we believe trout pout pushes the limits too far, looks unnatural, and should be avoided.
Choosing the right filler is essential. A filler should be soft yet capable of lifting, and hyaluronic acid fillers are preferred because they can be dissolved if necessary. It is also important to avoid going all out in a single appointment. In most cases, it is better to build towards the desired look over a series of treatments. For many patients, a single 1 ml syringe is sufficient for one treatment session.
Selecting the right injector is just as important as choosing the right filler. An expert injector understands the golden lip ratio and ensures the lips remain balanced and proportionate. The outer corners of the lips should be gently tapered to follow the natural curvature and avoid an overdone appearance. Excessive volume in these delicate areas is a common cause of trout pout. Always choose a qualified, experienced specialist in lip enhancement to achieve a refined, natural-looking result.
Yes, you can. British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) consensus confirms that non-surgical aesthetic procedures such as dermal fillers can be offered immediately after the consultation. As this is a non-permanent procedure, a long cooling-off period like that required for plastic surgery is not necessary.
We often allocate a one-hour slot for new patients who have never had the treatment before. This allows sufficient time to talk you through the procedure, explain potential side effects, and assess your suitability for treatment. The consultation is complimentary and carries no obligation.
If you are happy to proceed, we will guide you through the consent process and the treatment can be performed on the same day. If you are unsure and prefer a cooling-off period, we are more than happy to provide all the information you need and await your decision.
We will apply lidocaine anaesthetic cream to the treatment area for your comfort. We routinely offer a dental block to all our clients as additional, effective anaesthesia at no extra cost. We assess your lip shape, proportion, and symmetry before carefully marking important reference points on the treatment area. Every lip filler procedure is bespoke, and marking allows precision in our work and replication of excellent outcomes.
We then disinfect the treatment area with 0.5% chlorhexidine w/v in 70% alcohol antiseptic, or a non-alcoholic version where appropriate. Dermal filler procedures are carried out only in an aseptic environment. A needle is used to create a small entry point before introducing the cannula at the corner of the lip. The fillers also contain lidocaine, which further improves comfort during injection. At the end of the procedure, we gently massage the area to achieve the smooth, luscious, and subtle enhancement we aim for.
The entire process takes typically 30-45 minutes, including consultation, facial symmetry analysis, application of numbing cream, preparation, and procedural treatment. We can complete the consultation and treatment within the one appointment slot.
The results from lip fillers typically last around 9-12 months. Longevity of the fillers vary between individuals. We all have different metabolism, genetic, skin elasticity and lifestyle, though majority of people are likely to need to repeat the procedure within a year.
This will depend on your desired look. If you are looking for a subtle, natural enhancement, 1 ml may be sufficient. However, if you have more significant volume loss in the lips and are looking for a plumper pout, more than one syringe may be required.
Most people will only need one syringe in a single sitting. It is rare for an additional syringe to be required for lip enhancement on the same day. Every lip is different, therefore the total number of syringes needed varies between individuals to achieve the optimal result.
If an additional syringe is desired, we usually recommend waiting for two weeks after the initial procedure. It can take up to two weeks for the filler to settle, for any potential swelling to subside, and for hydration to reach balance.
Lip fillers are contraindicated in patients who:
You should tell your doctor before receiving lip filler treatment if you:
Dermal filler is not licensed in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. That does not automatically suggest it is unsafe; it means the manufacturers have not performed clinical trials in this group. It is unlikely for the licensing to change soon, as there is minimal financial benefit for the manufacturers to run these trials, and even with approved licensing use, most women would not have the treatment during pregnancy. If you are trying for a baby, it is therefore advisable to delay any cosmetic procedure.
If you find out you are pregnant after the procedure, do not worry and you do not need to dissolve the fillers. Your body will gradually break down the products and turn them into water. Hyaluronic acid in fillers resembles natural hyaluronic acid and has not been reported to be dangerous to developing babies. Observational studies that followed women who discovered they were pregnant after treatment did not identify any harm to their babies.
You may fly shortly after dermal filler injection during an emergency; there is no perceived life-threatening danger in doing so. If flying is not essential, there are certain facts you need to recognise. According to the literature on the safety of flying, there is professional consensus to delay travelling by air for one week after dermal filler treatment.
Reduced atmospheric pressure on an aeroplane may worsen swelling and bruising associated with the treatment. People are also more prone to water retention when flying. This is particularly relevant for long-haul flights, and we therefore recommend waiting at least one week before travelling whenever possible.
At Harley Street MD, we recommend a follow-up appointment for assessment and any potential further treatment. We therefore prefer our clients to remain nearby for up to two weeks after the procedure, in case you wish to have a top-up, correction, or need to address any complications.
If a top-up is needed (after swelling has subsided), additional filler is charged at £450 per syringe, since new product is required. The follow-up appointment itself remains free of charge.
Serious side effects of lip filler are uncommon. Nonetheless, non-surgical procedures are not without any risks or potential complications. You may notice:
You will notice the result immediately. There is minimal downtime for lip filler. After the injections, you may notice redness and swelling on the injection sites, these will subside quickly. Bruising is rare, but if it happens can take 3 to 5 days to resolve. You can consider taking Arnica or Bromelain supplement to speed up any bruising recovery. You can go back to work and go about your usual activities immediately after the treatment, most people need not take any time off work for this procedure. It takes 2 weeks for filler to integrate with the tissues and to see the full effect of treatment.
Lip fillers using hyaluronic acid are entirely reversible. Unlike plastic surgery, this is one of the many reasons non-surgical procedures are becoming increasingly popular. Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved easily, which is exactly why we advocate using only HA fillers for lip enhancement.
Hyaluronidase (e.g. Hyalase) is an enzyme that breaks down and degrades hyaluronic acid fillers. It may work instantly within seconds, but its dissolving effect can continue for up to 3 days. The result of dissolving is often only apparent around days 5–7, once the body has absorbed all the fluid associated with the process. In most cases, a single dissolving session is sufficient. This means that if you ever change your mind, it is quick and straightforward to remove the fillers. This provides a significant safety net, especially for those having the treatment for the first time.
Requests to remove all injected fillers are rare. In most scenarios, only a minor tweak is required. In these cases, a small amount of hyaluronidase is used to smooth the area of concern. If we have performed your lip filler treatment, we will also dissolve it for you if needed. This service is free when requested within 3 months of treatment; after this period, a charge of £250 per session applies.
