Before booking lip filler, most people read reviews and try to pick the product themselves — by brand name, by price, by what a friend had done. The impulse makes sense, but it leads to disappointment more often than to a good result. A filler is not a skincare product you can choose from reviews: it is matched to specific lips, a specific goal and a specific anatomy.
What a filler is made of
Practically every modern lip filler is hyaluronic acid. It is not a foreign substance: your skin, joints and connective tissue already contain it, and its job is to help tissue hold water. With age you make less of it — lips thin out, lose their crisp border and deflate.
In a filler, hyaluronic acid is stabilised; otherwise the body would break it down within days. How tightly that molecular network is cross-linked determines how the gel behaves in tissue: its firmness, its mobility, and how long it stays.
Density: why lips do not get the firmest gel
The logic of “firmer means longer and more visible” sounds sensible and fails precisely here. Lips are the most mobile part of the face: they work with every word, smile and sip. Filler in this area has to move with the tissue rather than resist it.
- A firm product in a mobile area feels like a foreign body and can be palpable
- It spreads less evenly and outlines the border more sharply — that is the “done” look people notice
- A soft, pliable gel behaves like your own tissue: the lip looks filled, not stuffed
So lips get soft to medium-density products, while firm gels are reserved for areas that need support and structure — the cheekbones, for instance. This is not the doctor being cautious or thrifty. It is the physics of the material.
Needle or cannula
The second question after the product is what to deliver it with. A needle pierces tissue and works point by point: it is well suited to drawing a border and to precision in small details. A cannula is a thin tube with a blunt tip — it enters through a single puncture and parts the tissue instead of cutting it.
Choosing the instrument is not a matter of “pricier is better”. Within one session a doctor may use both: a cannula for volume, a needle for the border.
With lidocaine and without
Almost all lip fillers already contain lidocaine, a local anaesthetic that starts working as the gel goes in and makes the session markedly more comfortable. A topical anaesthetic is applied beforehand as well.
The one situation where lidocaine becomes a problem is an allergy to it. Products without an anaesthetic exist for exactly those cases. Tell your doctor before the procedure begins, not partway through.
How long it lasts, and why everyone differs
For lips, expect 6–12 months. A twofold range unsettles patients, but it is the honest one: longevity depends less on the product than on how fast your body breaks hyaluronic acid down. Metabolism, expressiveness, smoking, sport, even a habit of drinking through a straw all play a part.
The practical conclusion is simple: judging a product's staying power from one round and from other people's reviews is pointless. Your doctor will see how your tissue behaves and adjust both product and volume at the second session.
It is reversible — and that changes everything
Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with an enzyme. If a result does not suit you, it can be removed: at RE/FACE, filler removal starts from ₽7,500. That reframes the first session entirely — nothing has to be decided for life. Start with a modest volume, live with it, add later if you want more.
Common questions
Which lip filler is the best?
There is no such thing. There is a product that fits your particular goal: one person needs the border redefined, another wants volume, a third needs hydration in a lip thinned by age. Each calls for a different density and a different injection technique. The doctor chooses at the consultation, after examining you — never sight unseen.
What does filler density actually change?
Density determines how firmly a gel holds its shape and how freely it moves within the tissue. Firm products create support where structure is needed. Lips move constantly — with every word and every smile — so pliability matters more here: the filler should behave like your own tissue rather than an insert. That is exactly why “pick the firmest so it lasts longer” is poor reasoning.
Needle or cannula — which is better?
They are different tools for different jobs, not a good option and a bad one. A needle is more precise along the lip border. A cannula is a blunt-tipped tube: it parts the tissue instead of piercing it, so it is less likely to catch a vessel and tends to leave fewer bruises. At RE/FACE, working with a cannula is a separate line on the price list, from ₽1,000. Which to use is the doctor's call, based on the area and the amount of work.
Are fillers with lidocaine worse?
No. Lidocaine in the gel is a local anaesthetic that makes the procedure more comfortable, and it is present in almost every modern lip filler. It has no bearing on quality or longevity. For patients allergic to lidocaine there are products without it — tell your doctor about the allergy before the procedure, not during it.
How long does lip filler last?
Usually 6–12 months. The range is wide because longevity depends less on the product than on how quickly your body breaks hyaluronic acid down: metabolism, how expressive you are, smoking, lifestyle. Lips are among the most mobile areas of the face, so filler resorbs faster here than in, say, the cheekbones. Your doctor will know more once they see how your tissue behaves after the first session.