Expert Explains: How Long Do Lip Fillers Last?

Updated Dec 4, 2024 | 05:00 AM IST

SummaryWant fuller, plumper lips? Here's everything you need to know about how long lip fillers last and what factors influence their longevity.
How long do lip fillers last for?

Credits: Canva

Have you ever hoped for lip fillers, or smoother lips and wondered how long do they last? We have the answers for you. These minimally invasive procedures are increasingly popular, offering a quick way to enhance lip volume and shape with relatively low recovery time.

To explore the much asked question - "How Long Does It Last?", we delve into this question with insights from Dr. Geeta Grewal, MS, Cosmetic Surgeon and explore factors that influence the longevity of lip fillers.

What Are Lip Fillers and How Do They Work?

Lip fillers are injectable treatments that enhance the size and contour of the lips. The most common kind nowadays is hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers, which are gel-like chemicals that bind to water molecules in the skin, giving it a plumper, more hydrated appearance.

"These fillers replace the collagen and fat lost naturally due to aging, restoring volume and smoothness to the lips," explains Dr. Grewal.

How Long Do Lip Fillers Typically Last?

Dr. Grewal, says that lip fillers usually last 6 to 12 months. However, different factors could yield different results. "Patients who are younger and physically active tend to have a higher metabolism, which can break down fillers more quickly. As a result, they may require more frequent injections compared to others."

In addition to individual metabolism, the type and amount of filler also play a crucial role. For instance:

Restylane and Juvaderm: Lasts for 6 months.

Vollure: A newer product, lasts for 18 months.

Volbella: Provides subtle lip smoothing and lasts for around12 months.

Collagen fillers: Typically last only about 3 months, making HA fillers the longer-lasting and more popular option.

How to make it last longer?

Dr Grewal highlights a few key factors that impact how long lip fillers last:

Lifestyle Choices

"Stress levels, sun exposure, and regular exercise can affect the longevity of your fillers," she says. High-intensity activities, while great for overall health, may accelerate the breakdown of filler substances.

Injection Amount and Frequency

"Regular patients who receive a higher volume of filler tend to see longer-lasting effects," Dr. Grewal notes. Those opting for smaller amounts may notice their fillers dissipate sooner.

What are the types of fillers?

Different fillers have distinct lifespans. For example, versa lip fillers last 6 to 12 months, while some hyaluronic acid fillers can endure up to 18 months.

What Happens After the Procedure?

Swelling and mild bruising are common after the injection process. "You may also notice small red spots at the injection sites or feel slight soreness for a day or two," says Dr. Grewal. These effects are temporary and typically resolve within a week.

Your doctor will likely advise against activities like pursing your lips for 48 hours post-procedure to ensure the fillers settle properly.

Dr. Grewal emphasizes that maintenance is key: "For long-lasting results, follow a healthy lifestyle and schedule touch-up sessions as needed. Regular consultations can help fine-tune the treatment for optimal effects."

Dr Geeta Grewal is a cosmetic surgeon and Founder and CMD of 9 Muses Wellness Clinic, which focuses on botox, anti-aging, and other skin treatment.

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Think Our Brain Works With 5 Senses? New Study Finds That May Work Best With 7

Updated Oct 13, 2025 | 11:29 AM IST

SummaryLearning comes from all our senses. Whether it is judging the situation, or object, we judge it according to our 5 senses. However, all these 5 senses may not be enough to learn. So, how many senses should we have for better learning? A new study has revealed the number 7, but what does it mean?

(Credit-Canva)

When we are learning things, we use our five senses sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. However, even after understanding things with these five senses, one cannot guarantee that they will retain all the information they learn from these senses. Is there a way we can increase our capability of learning? Researchers have found out that if we had 7 senses, they could’ve aided us in better learning.

Researchers at Skoltech created a math formula, a mathematical model, to figure out how our memory works. The results they got are really interesting and could help make robots and artificial intelligence (AI) smarter and also teach us more about the human brain. The study's main idea, published in Scientific Reports, is that there might be a perfect number of senses for storing information, and that our current five senses might not be enough.

How Can We Measure Memories?

To build their model, the team focused on tiny, basic parts of memory called engrams. Think of engrams as the building blocks of memory. An engram is essentially a small, spread-out group of brain cells (neurons) that flash or "fire" together when you think of something. Each engram represents a single concept or idea, like your memory of a banana.

How do we know what a banana is? We use our senses! Its yellow appearance, its sweet smell, its unique taste. The model treats these sensory details as features or dimensions. Since humans have five main senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing, a banana, in your mind's memory space, it is a five-dimensional object.

These memory blocks, the engrams, don't stay the same. They change over time, becoming clearer or fuzzier depending on how often you interact with the real-world object. This process of changing engrams is how we learn and forget.

How Many Senses Do We Need For Memory?

First, they showed that memories tend to settle down into a stable, lasting pattern over time. They called this a "steady state." This means that after a learning period, a fixed, or "mature," way of organizing memories is set up.

Next, the team tried to figure out the maximum number of distinct ideas or concepts (the memory capacity) that could be held in this stable system. They discovered that memory is at its absolute best (it stores the most distinct concepts) when each idea is described by seven features or dimensions.

The experts working on the research explained that they found out that when we understand the concept with all seven senses, there is a bigger probability of retaining things. This means that if our brains had seven senses instead of five, we might be able to process and remember a much larger number of distinct concepts, leading to the "seven senses claim."

Can We Train AI To Have 7 Senses?

This number, seven, suggests that if you want a system to have the deepest understanding of the world, having seven inputs is the way to go. Researchers found that the number seven showed up consistently as the best number, no matter how they slightly changed the other parts of their memory model. It seems to be a solid rule for how memory blocks (engrams) work.

While the idea of evolving new human senses is just a fun thought, the seven-sense finding is very practical for technology. If you design an AI or robot to have seven different ways of "sensing" the world, its memory and ability to understand new concepts might be greatly improved. One small detail is that the model considers memories that are very similar, even if they have slightly different sizes to represent just one concept when counting the total capacity.

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This Overlooked Heart Symptom Could Catch You Off Guard, According To Doctor

Updated Oct 13, 2025 | 01:00 PM IST

SummaryA heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked, often causing subtle warning signs long before severe symptoms appear. Delhi-based Dr. Obaidur Rahman highlights orthopnea, difficulty breathing while lying flat, as a key early indicator. Caused by heart strain or fluid buildup, recognizing it early can be life-saving.
This Overlooked Heart Symptom Could Catch You Off Guard, According To Doctor

Credits: Canva

A heart attack happens when the blood supply to the heart is blocked. It deprives the heart of oxygen and thus causes severe damage. While many people believe that a heart attack comes all of a sudden, and one of the most common and heard of symptom is a dramatic chest pain, doctors emphasize that warning signs may be subtle and have been there from a long time.

Many times, the warning signs exist, but we ignore it, because we do not know that it could be related to heart diseases. Awareness of these early indicators could be life-saving.

A Delhi-based physician Dr Obaidur Rahman, helps us identify one such symptom of heart attack that you would otherwise miss.

Orthopnoea: A Subtle Sign

Dr Rahman is a physician at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, and says that the signs of heart attack could arrive days in advance, including orthopnoea.

It is a condition where a person experiences difficulty breathing while lying flat. “The problem is that 92 per cent of people ignore them,” he says. Dr. Rahman’s Instagram post on the topic has gained widespread attention, emphasizing the importance of recognizing this subtle, potentially life-saving symptom.

What is Orthopnea?

Orthopnea is breathlessness that occurs when lying on your back, but improves when sitting or standing up. It can appear randomly or worsen gradually over time. Experts stress that orthopnea is often a sign of a more serious underlying condition, making it essential to consult a healthcare provider if you experience breathing difficulties.

According to Dr. Rahman, orthopnea typically happens because the heart is struggling. “When the heart weakens, blood backs up into the lungs,” he explains. “The moment you lie flat, gravity no longer helps, and you wake up feeling suffocated, restless, and drenched in sweat.” People experiencing orthopnea may need to sleep with multiple pillows or even sit upright on a couch or chair to breathe comfortably.

What Causes Orthopnea?

Doctors have seen cases of orthopnea is people who already have an underlying medical condition. Such a condition could lead to fluid accumulation around the lungs or make it difficult for the lungs to expand. When lying flat, blood usually naturally redistributed from legs to the lungs, which increases pressure. If you have a healthy heart, it can pump this extra blood efficiently, however, a weak heart cannot, and thus it makes breathing difficult.

What medical conditions could trigger orthopnea?

  • Congestive heart failure
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Obesity
  • Pulmonary edema
  • Severe pneumonia
  • Diaphragm paralysis

Why early recognition matters?

Recognizing orthopnea early can be crucial in preventing a full-blown heart attack. While it may seem minor compared to chest pain or extreme fatigue, this symptom signals that the heart is under stress and may need urgent attention.

Dr. Rahman also emphasizes that individuals should not ignore recurring breathlessness when lying flat, as early medical intervention can make a significant difference in outcomes.

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Not Just Respiratory Diseases, Air Pollution Can Also Trigger Rheumatoid Arthritis, According To Doctors

Updated Oct 12, 2025 | 02:01 PM IST

SummaryRising air pollution in Delhi is now linked to increased rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cases, even in young adults with no family history. Experts cite PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, and ozone as triggers. A 2025 European study confirms pollutants can disrupt the immune system, making RA a growing public health concern. Read on.
Not Just Respiratory Diseases, Air Pollution Can Also Trigger Rheumatoid Arthritis, According To Doctors

Credits: Canva

Air pollution levels in Delhi rises after the festive celebrations in October, and due to the cold weather, the polluted air looms around us. While all of us are aware of the respiratory illnesses caused by air pollution, a new study has now shown that it could also trigger rheumatoid arthritis.

At the 40th annual conference of the Indian Rheumatology Association (IRACON 2025), which was held at the Yashobhoomi in Dwarka, with leading rheumatologists present there, revealed that there is plenty evidence that shows how toxic air and PM2.5 pollution could fuel a surge in cases of rheumatoid arthritis across Delhi-NCR.

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

It is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and warmth in the joints and affects mostly small joints of hands and feet in a symmetrical pattern. It occurs when the immune system attacks the body's own tissue, particularly the lining of the joints and leads to inflammation or even damage to cartilage and bones.

What Are The Experts Saying?

The experts have pointed out that autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis was traditionally linked to genetics and immune system dysfunction. However, now it is increasingly being associated with environmental factors too. One of the biggest trigger is air pollution. As per the current estimates, the condition affects 1% of India's adult, and pollution adds fuel to the fire. The experts suggested with pollution being on the rise, the cases are expected to increase too.

"When pollution levels are high, the patients who do well otherwise, their condition also worsen… We are observing a rise in RA cases in patients living in polluted areas with no family history or genetic predisposition to autoimmune disease,” said Dr Uma Kumar, Head of Rheumatology at AIIMS Delhi. She also pointed out that most of these patients are between the age 20 to 50. “This is a public health emergency we can no longer ignore,” she said.

Dr Pulin Gupta, who is a professor and rheumatologist at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital said, “What we are witnessing is not just a increase in cases of RA but these cases are also more severe… Reduced green spaces in urban areas are worsening the problem, depriving residents of protective environmental buffers.”

He also said that studies have now shown a strong association between exposure to PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, and ozone with increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis cases. "Living near busy roads, which means constant traffic-related pollution, has also been linked to higher RA risk,” he said.

What Is The Study Experts Are Basing Their Opinions At?

Dr Gupta pointed out the study that was the base of this claim of the relationship between pollution and rheumatoid arthritis. The 'landmark study' is published in the European Medical Journal, 2025, which has provided strong genetic evidence that connect air pollution to autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.

The study has used two-sample Mendelian randomisation approach and identified significant causal links between common pollutants and immune system dysfunction. It has also highlighted environmental damage as a crucial driver in the rise of these diseases.

Dr Gupta pointed out that Delhi is one of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world and has thus emerged as a hotbed of concern.

“Pollution is rewriting that narrative… turning healthy individuals into patients. The fact that young people with no family history are developing RA should set alarm bells ringing," said Dr Neeraj Jain, Scientific Chairman and Vice Chairman, Department of Rheumatology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

“European cohorts similarly reported that people living in highly polluted cities had significantly higher morbidity related to autoimmune disorders. These findings mirror what doctors are now observing… with Delhi residents facing a double blow of respiratory distress and autoimmune flare-ups,” he said.

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