POSTED UNDER Lip Lift REVIEWS
Restored the proportions of my face... - San Diego, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I've been researching lip lifts for about a year....
neelyo'haraDecember 7, 2013
WORTH IT$2,500
I've been researching lip lifts for about a year. Age and a rhinoplasty had elongated the distance between my nose and mouth, which prior to surgery measured about 17mm. I was really impressed with Dr. HIlinski's before and after photos; some of his patients had narrow noses with lips that extend a bit beyond the nasal base (like mine) and he was able to give them a natural (but noticeable) result without hiking the center part of the lips up, rendering the sides too "slopey."
Dr. Hilinski measured my face and decided to excise 5mm in the center and 6 going out toward the sides, at the longest point, leaving me with a distance of about 12mm. He only cuts skin, not muscle, and I've had no problems with movement or function of my mouth. After one day of pain I was fine. No bruising at all. My stitches were neat and tidy and my scar (after an initial bit of redness) is healing nicely. I had to fly out for the surgery, and the doctor is always quick to respond to follow-up emails and address any concerns.
I was hoping to have a bit of tooth show when all was said and done; I do have more when I smile, but not when my mouth is relaxed. That's the fault of my jaw anatomy, though, and not the doctor's--if he had removed any more I think I would have looked unnatural and "hiked up." I'm especially pleased with the increased vermillion show; he was able to "roll it out" and give me back a cupid's bow.
Here's one before and after; I'll post more later.
Dr. Hilinski measured my face and decided to excise 5mm in the center and 6 going out toward the sides, at the longest point, leaving me with a distance of about 12mm. He only cuts skin, not muscle, and I've had no problems with movement or function of my mouth. After one day of pain I was fine. No bruising at all. My stitches were neat and tidy and my scar (after an initial bit of redness) is healing nicely. I had to fly out for the surgery, and the doctor is always quick to respond to follow-up emails and address any concerns.
I was hoping to have a bit of tooth show when all was said and done; I do have more when I smile, but not when my mouth is relaxed. That's the fault of my jaw anatomy, though, and not the doctor's--if he had removed any more I think I would have looked unnatural and "hiked up." I'm especially pleased with the increased vermillion show; he was able to "roll it out" and give me back a cupid's bow.
Here's one before and after; I'll post more later.
neelyo'hara's provider
UPDATED FROM neelyo'hara
25 days post
Two more photos...
neelyo'haraDecember 9, 2013
Shortened length and improved angle from the side.
Replies (9)
December 9, 2013
As everyone else has said, you have great results! Lovely, lovely, lovely! Thank you so much for being brave and sharing on RealSelf. I believe your story and photos will help others looking into lip lifts.
December 9, 2013
Thanks, Angie! I hope so. The boards were very helpful to me when I was researching...
December 10, 2013
I do not see any photographs with your posts. Were they removed? I, too, am interested in getting a lip lift and am currently researching the procedure and doctors who perform it. I would really like to see your results as it sounds like you are happy with your procedure and your surgeon.
December 11, 2013
Hi Brigid, I did chicken out and remove them (although I might reconsider). In the meantime, feel free to PM me your email address and I'll send you some photos...
December 12, 2013
I do hope you re-post the pics. You are among friends!
December 23, 2013
Thank YOU! Gorgeous result. I think Dr. H. judged it perfectly. I deferred to my doctor ( I was hung up on tooth show; after going without for my whole life, I was determined to get my money's worth! ;-)) and got a perfectly natural look . . . but not the fantasy teeth show I'd had in my dreams. What the heck am I trying to say? That you're right-on about the facts of your anatomy and I do hope you come to appreciate the beauty of this excellent, micro-millimeter-perfect result your experienced doctor choose for you. I wake up every morning glad that my doctor took the balanced approach. I'd much rather have a pretty, flawlessly natural result as you've had than feel as though I was just ever-so-slightly "hiked." That would create much more self consciousness, at least for this gal! Congrats on a terrific LL!!!
December 23, 2013
Thanks, Catherine! I really appreciate that... I do love the result--just have to get over the tooth show obsession. I'm getting there!
UPDATED FROM neelyo'hara
1 month post
Reposting pictures...
neelyo'haraDecember 22, 2013
Thanks for your support and encouragement, everyone--I'm reposting pictures. I'm about five weeks post-op now and am really pleased. The reduced distance is a HUGE improvement on my face, my upper lip is fuller from the vermillion "roll out," and my scar is fading nicely. But I am contemplating going back to have 2 more mm removed. I'm not sure this would finally result in tooth show, but I'm so close right now that it's possible. Dr. Hilinski has very kindly offered to excise more skin at no extra charge should I decide that's what I want. But he is concerned with maintaining a natural result (as I am) so I'm going to wait a few months and see how things settle. But I'd love any of your opinions...
I was also wondering if anyone out there had a strip of mucosal edge removed--one doctor on the Q&A section said that this procedure is sometimes necessary to achieve tooth show. If you don't already have an abnormally large lip, this seems a bit drastic to me, but I'd love to hear about any first-hand experiences.
I was also wondering if anyone out there had a strip of mucosal edge removed--one doctor on the Q&A section said that this procedure is sometimes necessary to achieve tooth show. If you don't already have an abnormally large lip, this seems a bit drastic to me, but I'd love to hear about any first-hand experiences.
Replies (73)
December 22, 2013
When I look at your pictures, your liplift looks perfectly proportioned to your features. To my eye, everything looks 100% balanced. THE transition from the side looks perfect. You don't have that look from the side when it looks like the lip was cut in half and just sutured to the bottom of the nose with a very unnatural transition. You still have that natural sensual curve below the nose that gets cut off when the lip is made too short. Regarding the reduction, I agree, you don't have a lot to remove, so if you had it done, it would need to be done by someone who was very very meticulous regarding where they remove that mucosal strip,but you do run the risk of making the lip too thin. Removing 2mm more with a secondary liplift may give you that rabbit look. It's a tough call though, since you want that tooth show. I would reevaluate after 6 months. But you do look beautiful!!
December 22, 2013
Sarah, thank you! We'll see. I really don't want it to look unnatural, and I really don't know if tooth show is worth hacking off a slice of my upper lip. Probably not.
December 22, 2013
Truly stunning result on an already stunning woman! I too am interested in hearing if anyone out there had the strip along the mucosal edge removed, to gain tooth show...
December 23, 2013
You look like Ava Gardner now.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Thekillers2.jpg
December 27, 2013
Those are truly incredible results, you look wonderful! That stunning work was really only $2,500? wow, congrats on a success!
January 2, 2014
Victoria, thank you! I did have to stay out in San Diego for five days, but was able to find a cute sublet for only $400.
Replies (6)