After my Lip Lift, Will my Upper Lip Still Continue to Rise or is This It? I'm at Day 11. (photo)

Lip Lifts are great procedures...but only for the right individuals.  These tend to be women with thin lips and long distances between the bottom of the nose and the lip itself.  When executed correctly on the right patient, the upper lip will appear fuller, with greater volume, and slightly rolled out with a bit of a pout.  Plus the shortening of the nose/lip distance has a distinct rejuvenating effect, and patients look younger afterwards.  If someone's upper teeth are always hidden, a lip lift will reveal them.  All this WITHOUT the "duck" of an injectable lip augmentation in the office!  But the Lip Lift has its own price.... namely, the scar, and the healing time.  The red incision ultimately fades relatively quickly, but despite a careful closure the scar is still frequently noticeable by patients (not others, but patients themselves).  Even with postop dermabrasion, there can still be a subtle irregularity that can be visible.  Thankfully, it does gradually disappear with time.  The other shortcoming is the learning curve to do these procedures.  Surgeons often need to take more skin than one might initially be comfortable taking in order to achieve a lasting WOW outcome. But patients need to understand that the more skin is taken, the more likelihood of scarring.  Patients also need to understand that once the swelling disappears (3 months), they might miss the volume they had when they were swollen and will probably want to undergo Juvederm or Restylane injections to keep the volume where they want it.  So just like anything you do, keeping those lips ready for action will likely require a bit of maintence along the way...