Lip enhancement at Cannelle Skin Clinic in Oxford treats naturally slim lips and age related deflation differently, because they are different starting points. Dr Mattia Parducci works in small amounts and reviews at two weeks, using lip filler, Profhilo and polynucleotides.
Those are two different starting points and they lead to two different treatments. Knowing which one you are is the difference between restoring something and creating something, and it is the first thing we establish.
Naturally slim lips are simply your anatomy. The vermilion, the coloured part of the lip, is narrower and the surrounding structures are proportioned accordingly. Enhancement here is about creating something new rather than restoring something lost, which means proportion matters enormously: lips that suit one face look wrong on another.
Age related lip thinning is a different process. From roughly the mid thirties the lip loses volume, the philtral columns that run from nose to lip flatten, the cupid’s bow softens and the lip border becomes less defined. At the same time the distance between nose and lip lengthens and the corners of the mouth begin to turn down. Fine vertical lines appear around the border because the skin has thinned and lost collagen. Restoring here is about putting back what has gone rather than adding something new, and it usually needs less product than people expect.
Lips reward restraint more than almost anything else we do. Dr Mattia works in small amounts and reviews at two weeks, which is how a result ends up looking like your own mouth on a good day.
The distinction between lips you have always had and lips that have changed matters more here than anywhere else on the face.
Anatomy, not ageing
Naturally narrow lips that have not changed. Enhancement is about proportion rather than restoration, and the aim is lips that suit your face rather than lips copied from a photograph. Usually a modest amount, built over more than one appointment.
Volume lost
Lips that were fuller and have thinned, with a flattening cupid’s bow and a less defined border. This is restoration rather than enhancement and it usually needs less product than people expect to look right.
A border that has softened
Colour bleeding into fine lines above the lip, and a border that no longer holds a line. Often the issue is definition and skin quality around the mouth rather than volume in the lip itself.
A conservative lip enhancement by Dr Mattia. Results settle over two to four weeks, and what you see immediately after treatment is partly swelling. Individual results vary with starting anatomy.
Lip filler
One of these adds volume and two improve the quality of the lip and the skin around it. Choosing between them depends on whether your lips are thin or simply tired.
| Compare | Lip fillerFor volume and shape | ProfhiloFor texture around the mouth | PolynucleotidesFor fine lip lines |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Best for | Lip filler Slim or deflated lips needing volume and definition | Profhilo Crepey, dehydrated skin around the mouth | Polynucleotides Fine vertical lines and thin skin at the lip border |
| Typical course | Lip filler One appointment, reviewed at two weeks | Profhilo Two sessions, four weeks apart | Polynucleotides Two to three sessions, fortnightly |
| Downtime | Lip filler Swelling for two to three days, possible bruising | Profhilo Small bumps settling within hours | Polynucleotides Small bumps settling within hours |
| Reversible | Lip filler Yes, it can be dissolved | Profhilo No, but it is temporary | Polynucleotides No, but it is temporary |
| Price from | Lip filler £250 | Profhilo £350 | Polynucleotides £350 |
| See lip filler | See Profhilo | See polynucleotides |
All three are performed by Dr Mattia Parducci personally. Where fine lines above the lip are the main complaint rather than the lip itself, our page on lines and wrinkles covers the other options.
Hyaluronic acid, doctor led
A soft hyaluronic acid gel placed to restore volume, rebuild the border and support the cupid’s bow. Placed conservatively and reviewed at two weeks, because lips settle considerably. Dissolvable, which is a genuine safety net in an area this visible.
Bio remodelling
Slow release hyaluronic acid that hydrates and firms the skin around the mouth rather than adding shape to the lip. Where the perioral skin is crepey and dehydrated, this often does more for how lips look than filling them would.
Regenerative
Purified DNA fragments that prompt thin perioral skin to repair and thicken. This is the treatment for fine vertical lines at the lip border, which filler cannot address and often makes more obvious.
Lips are the treatment most often overdone, so the assessment is as much about restraint as about technique.
Dr Mattia Parducci looks at your lips in proportion to the rest of your face rather than in isolation, checks the length between nose and lip, the definition of the border and the condition of the skin around the mouth. He will ask what you are hoping for and, if what you describe would look wrong on your face, he will say so before rather than after. He works in small amounts and reviews at two weeks, and he would rather add a little at a second appointment than take something back.
He also declines this treatment fairly regularly, usually where expectations are set by a photograph of somebody with entirely different anatomy, or where the real problem is perioral skin quality rather than lip volume.
Avoid alcohol and anti-inflammatory painkillers for two days to reduce bruising. Tell us about any history of cold sores, since treatment can trigger an outbreak and we may prescribe preventative medication. Do not book within two weeks of an event.
Numbing cream goes on for around twenty minutes. The treatment itself takes fifteen to twenty minutes and the product contains local anaesthetic. Dr Mattia will show you a mirror during the appointment rather than only at the end.
Expect noticeable swelling for two to three days, and possible bruising that makeup covers within a week. Lips look their best at two to four weeks. We review then, and add a little more only if it is genuinely needed.
Lip skin has no oil glands and a very thin barrier, so it dries out faster than anywhere else on the face and shows neglect quickly.
What helps: a proper occlusive balm rather than a flavoured stick that encourages licking, applied at night as well as during the day. Sun protection on the lips, which almost nobody does despite lip skin being highly vulnerable to ultraviolet damage. Gentle exfoliation once a week for flaking, and a hyaluronic acid serum applied around the border. A retinoid used carefully on the skin above the lip, though not on the lip itself, softens fine lines over months.
What will not work: lip plumping glosses, which irritate the skin to create temporary swelling and do nothing lasting. Suction devices, which can bruise and stretch tissue. And no topical product adds volume to a lip, because volume is a structural matter rather than a surface one.
If your concern is really the lines above the lip rather than the lip itself, see lines and wrinkles. If your whole face has deflated, see facial volume loss.
Lip filler starts at £250, with 1ml at £345. Profhilo and polynucleotides start at £350. Most people need less product than they expect, particularly where the aim is restoration rather than enhancement.
Not if the amount is right. Overfilled lips are a dosing and technique choice, not an inevitable result. Dr Mattia works conservatively and reviews at two weeks, and would rather add later than take back.
Typically six to twelve months. Lips move constantly and are well supplied with blood, so filler breaks down faster there than almost anywhere else on the face.
Numbing cream is applied first and the product contains local anaesthetic. Most people describe pressure rather than pain. Lips are sensitive, so we take our time rather than rushing.
Noticeably, for two to three days, and more than you expect on the first day. This is normal and settles. Do not judge your result until two weeks, and do not book before an event.
Yes. Hyaluronic acid filler is dissolvable with an enzyme injection, usually within a day or two. That reversibility is one of the main reasons we use it here.
Usually yes, but tell us beforehand. Injecting can trigger an outbreak, so we may ask you to take preventative antiviral medication starting the day before.
Not directly, and filling the lip can make them more obvious by pushing skin upward. Fine vertical lines respond better to polynucleotides or Profhilo, which rebuild the thin skin they sit in.
Bring it and we will talk it through. Lips that suit one face often look wrong on another, because the proportions of the rest of the face differ. Dr Mattia will say if what you are asking for would not suit you.
Eighteen, and we assess maturity of expectation as well as age. We decline this treatment where the motivation looks like it is coming from social media rather than from the person in front of us.
Small firm areas can occur while filler settles and usually resolve within two weeks with gentle massage. Persistent lumps are a placement issue, which is one reason to have this done by a doctor rather than at the lowest price available.
Yes. Lips are visible, they are the treatment most often regretted, and the consultation is where we establish whether what you want is achievable and would actually suit you.
Verified Google reviews of our Summertown clinic.
I visited Cannelle for a consultation with Dr Mattia about excessive sweating. He was incredibly thorough, took his time to understand exactly what I was looking for and explained everything clearly. The clinic is spotlessly clean and the whole team made me feel at ease. Really impressed and will definitely be returning.
Fantastic. Very welcoming, explained the process and kept me updated throughout. I can already see an improvement in my skin texture and tone. Would highly recommend and cannot wait to return.
What a lovely experience. Maria was brilliant and so professional. She made my appointment comfortable and did a fantastic job. I will definitely be back.
Our clinic is located in Summertown, Oxford, just north of the city centre in one of Oxford’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Discreet and easy to reach, we offer a premium setting for bespoke skin, aesthetic and wellness care.
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