Am I a candidate for lip lift? (photos)

Question

I would really like a lip lift but have some tooth show and somewhat gummy smile. I included pictures of my smile and my gummy smile that appears when I laugh or am super happy (basically the muscles want to pull my lip up farther and my eyes get crinkly). Measurement to top of Cupid’s bow is 12mm, bottom of Cupid’s bow is 15-17mm(not sure if I’m measuring correctly so I included a pic with a clear ruler). My nose is very crooked, would this need to be corrected before lip lift?

Miguel Mascaro, MD · Answer

Thank you for your detailed post and question! To be honest, it depends on what your end goals are for the lip lift.  As you noted, you do have some anatomic limitations to your lip lift secondary to skeletal changes - meaning even though the skin is long, the skeleton behind it is long as well (hence the tooth show already, etc).  Realistically understanding what you are alooking to achieve with a lip lift procedure alone would help me guide you a little more as to whether or not the answer lies in a lip lift or something else. I hope some of this helps!

Michael P. Morrissette, DDS, FACS · Answer

Thank you for the photos including the photo with the measurements. In general, the lip lift procedure is performed on patients with 18 mm or greater (the distance between the lip and nose). Your current measurement shows only 15 mm so therefore I would not recommend the lip lift procedure. You might want to consider HA fillers to increase the fullness to your upper lip. Good luck

Gary Linkov, MD · Answer

There are surgical and non-surgical approaches to lip augmentation. Non-surgical approaches include botox (slight lift, reducing gum show) and filler (volume restoration). Surgically, you can have two separate incisions under the nose (italian), one incision under the nose (bull horn), one incision at the red/white upper lip junction (gull wing) or two separate incision at the corners, or a combination, depending on your desired look and anatomy. My preferred surgical technique is called the Elelyft, which is a version of the bullhorn approach.
The ideal candidate for the Elelyft, or upper lip lift, is someone with a philtral length of 15mm or longer, no upper dental show, and/or a thin upper lip. The nasal base to mouth width ratio needs to be taken into consideration to avoid leaving the lip corners down. 
Based on your measurements you appear to be a potential candidate. The nose can be addressed at the same time if you like, but does not need to be corrected. Hope that helps.
Gary Linkov, MD
Lip and Rhinoplasty Specialist
Manhattan

Gary M. Horndeski, MD · Answer

You are not a candidate for the traditional lip lift but I recommend an extended lip lift.  From your photos, the right corner of your mouth is lower than the left and you already have a bunny deformity.  The traditional lip lift only lifts the center and this would result in a worse deformity.  The extended lip lift does 4 things: shortens the distance between your nose and upper lip, increases the mucosa of the upper lip, increases the incisor show and pulls up the corners.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Piotr Osuch, MD · Answer

Based on photos you attached & your measurements I don 't recommend bullhorn lip lift. That's because of the following: 
- LL should not be performed on patients with philtrum shorter than 15-16 mm. 
- you've got good teeth show & light gummy smile. After LL your gummy will be even more visible which will not look good.

Pls note that LL has its limitations & cannot be performed on everyone wishing to enjoy bigger lips. Be careful as results produced by this technique are irreversible.

best regards, 
Piotr Osuch, MD, PhD

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