Is There a Way to Shorten the Area Between the Nose Base and Upper Lip?

A lip shortening procedure is performed by removing a sliver of skin below the nose, hiding the scar in the shadow at the junction of the nose and upper lip. While this removes some of the skin of the upper lip and does actually shorten it, you will want your plastic surgeon to evaluate the position and form of your upper teeth and gums- together considered your upper jaw.
What you don't want is to raise your lip so much that too much of your teeth show with smiling or at rest- this would certainly be something that you would not be happy with. The vast majority of patients with your concern are candidates for simple lip shortening, but you want to make sure you get a good, comprehensive exam with a qualified plastic surgeon!

From your description it sounds that you will benefit from a Lip Lift.A Lip lift is the right procedure to reduce the distance between the columella (base of the nose) and the upper lip mucosa (red line). This distance increases with age, although it can be congenitally long even in young people.A lip lift is a powerful procedure that can result in rejuvenating the whole face, as well as eliminating the need for regular fillers. The procedure involves removing a stip of upper lip skin by curving an incision into the natural creases, at the junction between the nasal and upper lip skin, and can extend to the alar base crease. As a rule of thumb, the height of the philtral columns can be reduced by one third, although there may be variations based on individual facial characteristics.If properly planned, the scar is well concealed and in the long term will become inconspicuous. A lip lift is routinely performed under a local anaesthetic as an outpatient, and the procedure lasts 45-60 mins.

Hi @MonaMonaAn upper lip lift is an excellent procedure to give naturally beautiful, youthful and poutier lips. It's one of my favorite procedures because it is quick (90 minutes), does not require general anesthesia, and it makes a big difference that is long-lasting.Patients of all ages can benefit from an upper lip lift, the idea candidates have an upper lip length greater than 1.5cm. The surgery is designed so the incision is concealed along the groove under your nose and heals with an inconspicuous scar. Patients with a long upper lip who elect to get lip filler instead of a lip lift are at increased risk for developing "Duck Lips" because the filler has no more vertical room to push the lips, and so they end up going out like a duck bill. So fillers are a great option for lip augmentation but cannot deliver a lip lift like an actual lip lift procedure. Regarding the scars in your question above - the scar typically heals extremely well and can be further effaced with laser if it's a concern.To optimize your chances of an excellent scar we recommend no smoking 4 weeks prior to the surgery and limit sun exposure after the surgery.Dr. Karan Chopra
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