Whether they want to or not, young celebrities tend set the fashion trends in the United States. And young, impressionable teenage girls eat these trends up, regardless of how small, ridiculous or crazy they might be. The latest trend definitely falls into the “ridiculous and crazy” category.

This movement dubbed the Kylie Jenner challenge has gone viral on photo sharing social networks. Kylie Jenner, a member of the infamous Kardashian family is known for her pouty, plump lips that teenage girls want to imitate. But to do so, they are placing a shot glass, jar or other container with a small opening around the mouth, and then sucking in, which creates a vacuum. If done hard enough, the result is plumper lips.

Why is it so dangerous?

However, that’s not all one might be getting. According to many plastic surgeons, girls are at risk of causing permanent damage to their lips and the area around their mouth. Often, bruising and other discoloration appears around the lips. If blood vessels break, the lips might also become disfigured. All of these potential permanent consequences of the “Kylie Jenner Challenge” can cause psychological problems and might require extensive care under a licensed cosmetic surgeon to fix the disfigurement.

Safe alternatives

So what are a girl’s alternatives to a dangerous stunt in the quest for full, pouty lips? According to many doctors, giving your lips a fuller appearance can be as easy as visiting the cosmetic aisle at your local drugstore. For example, cinnamon oils are known to irritate the delicate lip skin, thus plumping them up. There are also different types of makeup, like lip liner and nude colored lipsticks that can achieve the same effect. All of these alternatives are temporary, safe and won’t cause permanent damage to the lips and mouth area.

If applying makeup every day for plump lips seems like an inconvenience, then there are safe medical procedures that can achieve the same effect and last a lot longer. The easiest procedure is having a board certified cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist use lip injectables. When done correctly, the procedure results in beautiful, full lips that won’t become disfigured or bruised.

A more extreme, yet still safer than sucking on a shot glass, procedure is lip augmentation. This is where fat from one part of the body where it’s not needed is taken and injected into the lips. This procedure usually requires general anesthesia and there will be swelling and bruising for about a week afterward.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve one’s looks. But it must be done safely, and under the supervision of a qualified professional. The do-it-yourself options floating around the Internet are often dangerous and are not guaranteed to get the results you want.

If you want your lips to be fuller, do it in a safe environment. Call us for a free consultation and we can go over your options to help you achieve the look you want. All our procedures are performed by board certified plastic surgeons or dermatologists, giving you peace of mind that your safety comes first.