Lip enhancements booming, thanks to new technology

NEW YORK, N.Y. (WPVI) -- If you're noticing a lot of people with fuller lips lately, there's a reason.

A record number of people had lip enhancement procedures last year. That's according to the Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The group says there were a record 27-thousand lip implants - that's about one implant every 20 minutes, and a 50% increase from 2000.

And there were millions of injections of lip-fillers.

Doctors attribute the boom to new softer, more flexible implants that come in a wider range of sizes.

Lip enhancement is often a first step to other cosmetic procedures.

"A woman may not be ready to take the dive on doing something with her eyelids or a face lift, but those little things of easing a few wrinkles and puffing up the lips a little bit, that sometimes is an entry point for women to cosmetic procedures," says Dr. Robert Houser, of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The trend isn't limited to women. Procedures among men have quadrupled in the past 15 years.

The organization also commissioned a survey by Harris Interactive on Hollywood's most admired lips.

Jennifer Lawrence came in first, followed by Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Garner and Angelina Jolie.