Am I a good candidate for a lip lift to balance out my face? (Photos)

Question

I been wanting to do lip filler for a long time and I am just now finding more information about the lip lift procedure I feel like this would balance my face, my length between my lip and my nose is pretty long. Is there a way to get scar treatment for under the nose? Is it usually bumpy where the scar is?

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Based on your photos, it does appear a lip lift might be the right treatment for you. This surgical procedure shortens the philtrum while increasing mucosal show of the upper lip. The scar is placed directly under the base of the nose, and is usually too small to leave much residual scarring behind. I work with all my patients to ensure incisions get proper care to further reduce the visibility of any scar. Make sure the surgeon you choose is an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon to ensure an optimal outcome.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Facial sculpting and contouring can be created with well-placed fillers (Voluma, Countour, Radiesse, Bellafill) and Sculptra, which would give improvement in facial balance. Fat or implants are alternatives. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a facial sculpting expert. Best, Dr. Emer

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 13mm 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. 
Postoperatively, after a lip lift, you can anticipate bruising and swelling that will be noticeable to you and others for about 1 week. After the sutures are removed or dissolve, depending on the type used, there will be redness along the incision line for 4-6 weeks but this can be covered with makeup after about 10 days. Sometimes the upper lip lift is overcorrected with the initial procedure and will slowly assume its final position over weeks to months. Please review before/afters and the link below. Poor scarring is possible but rare and has treatment options. I do many revision lip lifts, for people who had them done elsewhere, as well. 
Consult with an experienced lip surgeon for a complete range of options that are appropriate for your situation.
Gary Linkov, MD
Lip Specialist
Manhattan

Gary M. Horndeski, MD · Answer

You appear to be an excellent candidate for a lip lift.  A 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.  You may also want to consider a rhinoplasty to refine the tip of your nose and increase the angle slightly.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Stephen J. Pincus, MD · Answer

I usually base the indications for this procedure on the amount of dental show with the lips just slightly parted as well as measurements involving the lower third of the face. If one can extrapolate from measurements taken off of your photos, you would be a candidate for this procedure. However, an in-person consultation with a surgeon who does many of these is always best. Also, the closure has to be meticulous & performed correctly to avoid bumps or irregularities. But even in the unlikely event that they occur, minor revision or lasering would correct it.

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you fr sharing your question and photographs.  Unfortunately with the limited view it is difficult to know if you are a candidate or not. It initially appears as if you would be.  Hope this helps.

Ricardo L. Rodriguez, MD · Answer

The vast majority of problems with the Lip Lift are related to tension. The most quoted bad long term effects of lip lift are:
 thick scar, or scar that slides down
		lip lengthening over time after surgerydistortion of the nose (tip slides down or nostrils widen)
All these problems are caused by the tension the moving lip places on the nose skin. As the lip movements pull on the nose skin, it can distort the nose, have the scar migrate down, or the body will lay a lot of collagen on the scar to hold the wound together (thick scar). These are all preventable by using deep permanent sutures fixed to a stable base. In this case, in the middle we fix to the septum cartilage of the nose and laterally to the periosteum membrane that wraps the nasal bones. Check out the website below for more articles on Lip Lift. I will be putting out a short film on the issue of tension on the scar in a few days, keep a watch for it.

Gurkan Kayabasoglu, MD · Answer

Hello, the photos you sent are not enough to answer your liplift question very accurately. Because seeing your entire face will provide the most accurate analysis. Because maybe your lower jaw is small, the whole main problem may even be here. But let me answer as far as I can see, if you are a person far from surgical options, filler applications to  your lips will not give a bad look. You don't have a straight lip structure. You will go a certain way with the filling. So the only option you have is not a liplift. But of course, liplift will contribute more than filler to you.Your nose is a nose with thick skin and has more problems with the tip area. If you think of the nose, I would say kill two birds with one stone with a liplift combination.Your goal is achievable in the expert hands, you need to be sure that your surgeon is a professional, exprienced facial plastic surgeon. 
Best Regards,