Kylie Jenner
Television personalities (left to right) Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner attend Opening Ceremony and Calvin Klein Jeans' celebration launch of the #mycalvins Denim Series with special guest Kendall Jenner at Chateau Marmont on April 23, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Calvin Klein)
(Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Calvin Klein)
Body image has always been an issue for teenage girls, and even boys.
Now, in addition to eating disorders and excessive cosmetic surgery, a new fad has emerged that is causing injuries including permanent disfiguration to those who are trying it.
What's being called the "Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge" across the internet, is inspiring some young people to place a round, glass container such as a jar or shot glass over their lips and suck all the air out, creating a suction.
This suction causes the lips to plump up, supposedly resembling those of the young "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star.
"I don't think they understand that it's something that can go terribly wrong," said Dr. Steven L. Davis, board certified plastic surgeon of Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Cherry Hill. "I've been hearing about it and thinking about it from a parent's perspective, as well as a doctor's."
Davis said the first danger comes from placing an inflexible, glass object on the face.
"It could break, or already be chipped, which could be a disaster before you even start sucking the air out," he said. "If you get cut and have to have stitches, you will have a permanent scar around your mouth."
The other, more probable, outcome is permanent bruising or discoloring of the face.
A ring, which Davis described as a hematoma, can appear around the mouth.
"There's a potential risk that it can create a blood clotting situation which can create beads or knots of blood around the lips," he said.
Depending on a person's natural pigmentation, that blood can "stain" the skin and create a permanently discolored ring around the mouth.
"Now, for the rest of their life, they will have a ring around their lips where the shot glass was," Davis said. "And (your lips) aren't going to have the look someone wants. They will look distorted."
Dr. Jeffrey Aronowitz, assistant professor of psychiatry at Rowan University who is fellowship trained in childhood psychology, said he feels the "Lip Challenge" is more of a fad than a preoccupation with a body part, but is dangerous for those participating.
"What worries me is, when kids do this, it can cause permanent damage and scarring which can cause anxiety and depression itself," Aronowitz said. "Kids are so impressionable in their teenage years. It's part of being in high school. You want to fit in and feel accepted by others."
He compared these kinds of actions to substance abuse.
"They want to fit in," he said. "That's what I fear - that it will get to the point where people put themselves in dangerous situations."
Because some girls will insist on having lips like Kylie's, Davis said there are many steps they can take to get plumper lips that are safe and temporary.
"You can do it with lip liner and makeup," he said. "Or you can use cinnamon oils that actually cause purposeful irritation to the delicate tissues of the lips."
Davis said there are lip plumping cosmetics that are available at any drugstore which cause the lips to swell.
"If you put it on like lip gloss, it causes the lips to get a surge of blood flow to the tissues and causes the lips to swell up," he said.
However, this swelling is more natural in appearance.
"And it's not dangerous, it's not permanent, and it's safe," he said.
There are also procedures that can be performed by a plastic surgeon that last longer.
Restylane, Restylane Silk, and Juvederm are all substances that can be injected by a professional to help a patient obtain the exact look they desire.
"We can be creative and create that pouty lower lip like Kylie has, but it's done in a specific way so you get a natural look," he said. "If you really want to get your lips to look like Kylie's lips, go to someone who is professionally trained in doing injectables."
Davis said the bottom line is that placing a glass container on your lips and sucking in order to obtain a certain look is dangerous.
"People really don't realize how delicate the tissues of the lips are," he said. "These are sensitive tissues you're dealing with."
He said to start with lip plumping cosmetics.
"And if you love the look, try a more permanent procedure with injectables," Davis said. "Then your lips will look pretty and not permanently disfigured or strange."
Kelly Roncace may be reached at kroncace@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @kellylin89. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
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