Upper Lip Lift

What Is an Upper Lip Lift?

As we age, the skin between the nose and the upper lip has a tendency to lengthen downwards, resulting in a flattening effect wherein the lips may appear thin and flat. This may also flatten our smile because the teeth stay hidden producing an overly “stern” expression.

Upper lip lift surgery removes the excess skin and “lifts” the lip upwards. As the top lip moves upwards, the amount of visible pink lip increases, exposing the teeth more and creating fuller, more youthful-looking lips without the use of any fillers or plumping agents. The overall result is a very natural one.

Depending on your desired outcome, the lifting and volumizing effect of an upper lip lift may also be enhanced with the use of complementary procedures such as dermabrasion, injectable dermal fillers such as Restylane®, muscle relaxers such as Botox® or Dysport®, or a fat transfer where your own body’s fat is used as a filler.

Who is an Ideal Candidate for Lip Lift Surgery?

The ideal candidates for this procedure include relatively healthy adults including women, men, and transgender individuals as part of facial rejuvenation, facial feminization or facial masculinization surgery. In short, anyone who is seeking a more youthful and raised upper lip line, with an open smile with visible teeth.

How is Lip Lifting Surgery Performed?

Your surgeon creates an incision directly beneath the nose, and a small strip of skin and tissue is removed. The incision is at the base of the nose, so there is virtually no visible scarring. The upper lip is then lifted to its new position to expose about 3-5 millimeters (1/8”) of the teeth increasing the visibility of the pink part of the lip. The entire procedure takes approximately 1.5 hours.

Upper lip lift

What can I expect after Lip Lift Surgery? Will there be Scarring?

Immediately after surgery, you will feel mild discomfort and swelling and your mouth may feel tight for the first few days. You will need to eat soft foods only for this time. The swelling decreases dramatically within one week and within a month, most swelling will subside. The incision is at the base of the nose so there is virtually no visible scarring. Read more about lip rejuvenation here.