Lip lift

A lip lift is a surgical procedure that involves removing a small amount of skin from the upper lip, just below the nose here, lifting the lip to shorten the distance between the nose and the lip. This provides a permanent, more youthful appearance and adds fullness to the upper lip. A lip flip, on the other hand, is a non-surgical treatment performed with Botox injections to relax the muscles around the upper lip, causing it to slightly curl upward, making the lips appear fuller. This effect is temporary, lasting 3-4 months. One of the key differences between a lip lift and a lip flip is that in a lip lift, you increase the amount of tooth show when you speak or smile, whilst a lip flip usually reduces this amount of tooth show.

Lip lift surgery and lip filler work in different ways, fixing different problems. And so the best option really depends on what your problems are. The lip lift is best for patients who have a long upper lip with excess skin between the nose and the lip and not enough tooth share when they speak or smile. The biggest benefit of the lip lift is that it offers a long-lasting result. The surgery does result in scars, but they’re usually very well hidden in the crease just below the nose here. Lip filler, on the other hand, is best for people who have a good lip shape and positioning already, but would benefit from some volume. Fillers are temporary, although modern hyaluronic acid products often last for years. If you want a permanent result or have significant skin excess above your upper lip, a lip lift may be the better choice for you.

The best candidates for a lip lift are people with excessive distance between the nose and the upper lip. It’s ideal for people who have a long upper lip or a noticeable distance between their nose and the upper lip, especially if you have too little tooth show when you’re speaking or smiling. Good candidates are also in good overall health with no underlying conditions that could impair wound healing. It’s also only suitable for patients who want permanent results. Patients should avoid having a lip lift if you have a gummy smile already, you should also avoid having this type of surgery or indeed any type of cosmetic surgery if you smoke or vape, since this may result in poor wound healing, which can lead to poor scarring.

A lip lift will change your smile by enhancing the shape and position of your upper lip. It will also increase the amount of tooth show you see when you smile. If you have a long upper lip, increasing the amount of tooth show when you speak or smile can be a profoundly positive aesthetic change. You will typically also have increased lip visibility, which is typically associated with a more youthful smile. Likewise, improving the proportions between the upper and the lower lip can really balance the whole of the face for the right patient. The changes are subtle, but designed to enhance your natural smile rather than drastically alter it. The outcome should be a smile that is both more youthful and more attractive.

A well-performed lip lift will not usually affect your nose. When lip lifts were first becoming popular in recent years, it was common to secure the lip lift to the tissues inside the nose. With this technique, however, as the scarring matures, this could pull down on the tip of the nose, causing changes in the nasal appearance. As we’ve understood more about the anatomy of the lip and the nose, the deep-plane lip lift technique has been developed to avoid this problem. This deep-plane lip lift technique involves doing a little more dissection to release the deeper tissues of the lip, which avoids placing tension on the nose and therefore avoids changing the appearance.

A lip lift is usually a safe and straightforward procedure that produces predictable results. However, like all procedures, there are some risks. The main risk we worry about is scarring. A small scar is inevitable with any surgical procedure. For a lip lift, the scar is placed in the natural fold just under the nose, which helps to blend it in and keep it looking discreet. We minimise this visibility of scarring by carefully planning the incision to ensure that it’s as unnoticeable as possible and using really very fine sutures to reduce its appearance. Asymmetry is another risk. To prevent this, we perform precise measurements and symmetry checks throughout the procedure to ensure it’s all well-balanced. If any unevenness occurs, it can usually be corrected with a minor touch-up. With proper aftercare and a skilled surgeon, the risks of a lip lift are low, and the results are generally safe and very effective.

A lip lift focuses on the upper lip and the area above it, so it doesn’t affect the bottom. If you feel your bottom lip sags too low and you can see too much of your lower teeth when you speak, this can be reduced by some injections of Botox into the muscles just below the lower lip. Likewise, if you feel your lower lip would benefit from some extra volume, then this can be provided by some filler injections. There are some surgical options to elevate the lower lip, like some V2Y advancement flaps and such, although the results of these are usually quite poor, and most surgeons recommend non-surgical treatments instead.