Gull wing or bull horn, scarring query (Photo)

Question

I’m planning to have a lip lift, my surgeon recommends a gull wing lip lift for me because it will lift the whole top lip rather than just the central portion with the bull horn technique. I cannot find many photos of gull wing lip lift scars and unfortunately my surgeon does not have marketing consent on any they’ve done to show me. I’m concerned that the scar may not be worth the result. But I do think it’ll benefit and my facial proportions will improve.

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

Cutting into the nasal still can be a disaster even though it is motivated by goodwill towards the patients. By cutting into the nose, it breaks the circular stability of the nostril itself thus allowing it to “unfurl” and migrate inferiorly.

Only the OOS lip lift (which I invented) can achieve the “O”. The scar is mostly imperceptible, sometimes invisible to the naked eye , that is because there is no tension across the surface incision and resulting scar. The tension is transferred deep to the skin onto the superficial muscle which is attached in the OOS lip lift to the lining (periosteum) of the subjacent bone. 
The lift not only has to resist gravity but also the hundreds of thousands of daily movements of the lips as they eat, talk , express, yawn and kiss (hopefully). A old fashioned skin-only lip lift, whether “modified“ or not relies totally on the skin to do the lift which can result in more scarring, nasal distortion, less longevity and less beauty.

I hope this helps, good luck !

Steven Curti, MD · Answer

Gull-wing lip lifts place the incision (and scar) right at the vermillion border which is the junction of the red and white lip. The bullhorn technique places the incision (and scar) in the junction between the nose and face, just at the base of the nose in the natural shadows. It is true that the traditional bull horn lip lift preferentially lifts the center of the lip more than the corners so people who have thinning of the lips toward the corners can sometimes get an exaggerated central look. However, the bullhorn incision can be tailored to each individuals lip shape with careful measurements and patient goals as a guide. Even designing the incision to take more laterally, I will still sometimes combine the subnasal lip lift with a corner lip lift. This avoids a scar all the way across the vermillion border and still achieves a natural appearance to the upper lip shape. Each surgeon is different and they tend to use the techniques they know best and are most comfortable with. Without examining you in person it is hard to offer an opinion on your specific situation. I hope this helps, Steven Curti, MD

Andrey Shakhov, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

It's nice to meet you. I understand your situation about your lips, Dr. Shakhov, board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico., may suggest that you go to a professional to specially evaluate your case and be able to answer your questions about these techniques
Respectfully;
Board certified plastic surgeon

Gull wing or bull horn, scarring query (Photo)

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Everything you need to know about Lip Lift

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Gull wing or bull horn, scarring query (Photo)

Answers (3)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Lip Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.