A surgical lip lift permanently lifts the upper lip and reduces the distance between the upper lip and the nose. It also increases the vertical height of the vermilion (red) part of the upper lip. This can be done to augment the lip for cosmetic reasons, or to restore the appearance of youth, as the distance between the upper lip and the nose increases with age. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.
With the passing of time, the distance between the upper lip and the nose increases, which ages the face.
An upper lip lift can also be indicated in younger patients who wish to enhance their lips without fillers, or in combination with them.
During your consultation, Dr Thibaudeau will explore your concerns and desires with you, and determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Ideal candidates present an increased distance between the nose and the upper lift. Photographs will be taken by a member of our team.
During the procedure, a strip of skin is removed under the nose, in a bullhorn incision. This permanently elevates the upper lip and reduces the distance between the lip and the nose. The incision is closed with sutures, which are removed one week later.
Experience
An upper lip lift is performed as an outpatient procedure.
The intervention is painless as it is performed under local anesthesia.
At the time of intervention, the surgical area is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Dr Thibaudeau draws the planned incisions on your face with a marker, then injects lidocaine to provide local anesthesia. The surgery lasts less than 60 minutes. The wound is closed with sutures, which need to be removed after 7 days.
You may return home after the surgery.
Pain medication, cold compresses, and skin ointment can be used to minimize swelling, bruising, irritation, and sensitivity, which are all normal after the surgery.
Sutures will be removed one week after the surgery.
Safety
Like any surgery, a lip lift presents the universal (but minimal) risks of scarring, bleeding and bruising, infection, and pain (temporary or rarely permanent). Mild oral incompetence (difficulty closing the lips together) can occur for the first few days but is almost always temporary.
The main risk of any aesthetic surgery is to be dissatisfied with the results. This risk is minimized by a thorough analysis of your desires and expectations by Dr Thibaudeau prior to the surgery. Tissues heal differently from one patient to the next, and this cannot, unfortunately, be controlled by the surgeon. There is always a risk that individuals will heal in a way that produces asymmetries or abnormal scarring that may require corrections.
Time
The surgery itself lasts less than one hour.
Recovery can be expected to last approximately one week, with most patients returning to work after seven days.
Strenuous physical activity should be avoided for 4 weeks after the surgery.
Before & After upper lip lift
Results continue to improve over six to twelve weeks.
