Would a lip lift and cheek filler help me achieve more facia harmony? (photos)

Question

35yo woman. Ive been told I have a long midface and have lost some fullness in my cheeks that I had in my 20s. Would I benefit from a subtle (?2mm) lip lift and cheek filler to harmonize my face to look more beautiful? Note: I have had rhinoplasty in the past. I wonder if the smaller nose made the philtrum look longer...

Jacob Tower, MD · Answer

Hello, hope you are well. Thank you for submitting your question and photos! Based on what can be seen in the images, you would be an excellent candidate for a conservative lip lift. This would improve the proportionality of the lower 2/3rds of your face. Cheek volumization could be done at the same time or staged at a later date. NB: there are many ways to volumize the cheeks including dermal fillers, fat grafting, and implants--discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each with your surgeon on consultation.
Cheers,Dr. Tower

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Hello! My name is Jessica, I am a physician assistant, and one of the providers at Shah Facial Plastics. This is a great question. I highly recommend scheduling an in-person consultation in order to better assess your areas of concern and discuss an appropriate treatment plan to help achieve your aesthetic goals. Our office phone number is: (312) 944-0117. I hope this helps and best of luck!

Gary M. Horndeski, MD · Answer

A lip lift would definitely help you. 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. In terms of your cheeks, cheek implants can be placed or fat transfers can be performed.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

Please understand that every surgery has unanticipated side effects. Visible scarring is real and many lip lift patients end up with a subtle distortion of the upper lip. Don’t let yourself get disfigured. Do your homework for a particular surgeon. You also look like you have filler in your cheeks. Older services can drift down the face making the face look older. Removing these old filler would immediately help the facial shape. Less is more.

Ruslan Zhuravsky, DO · Answer

Hello, You are beautiful as it is, but if you wanted some nice subtle enhancements I believe those two things would be a nice touch... if done properly.Cheek filler would help make the face appear more heart shaped and less long. However, make sure the filler is not only layered along the zygoma as I see done very often.... this produces a skeletonized look. In your case that would just lead to a high over accentuated cheek and long sub cheek. Placing some filler at the classic zygomatic (cheek bone) apex is nice, but you also have to blend it into the face below to create a softer cheek. It's case dependent but I usually use a slightly softer, more flexible filler for the blending transition .... and stay away from filler toward the middle of the face, as it will make the nasolabial folds heavy. Choose an injector that you trust has a good eye for aesthetics and customizes the approach for each patient. A lip lift would also help with the balance but 2mm is not really doable, and would not do much. For this, I cannot stress how important it is to go go to someone that does very good high quality lip lifts. The exact amount taken out is something to determine in person, when the surgeon can feel and manipulate the lip in real time. The amount also varies along the lip in order to compensate for the different vectors / directions of lift. When I evaluate patients virtually, I give an expectations for the results, and an approximate amount of lift that I think achieve those results. When they fly in for surgery, that is when we measure and mark off the exact amount. It shouldn't be on the patient to determine the amount in millimeters, its on the surgeon to determine how to get the patient the results they want and will look good. You don't tell the hair stylist how much to cut in inches or cm, they determine it by the style you choose. A good lip lift is based on the incision design and measurements, freeing of the skin, and adequate deep anchoring of the lip. Don't settle, go to a few consultations if necessary, corrections can be very difficult. I hope that helps. Good luck!

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

The use of a volumizing HA filler for a nonsurgical cheek augmentation can create a more feninine, oval heart-shaped face. And the use of a low viscosity, malleable, cohesive HA filler for defining the upper vermilion border would add accentuation and slight lift to the upper lip unit at the same time diminishing the elongated philtrum In experienced hands, both procedures can be done in about twenty minutes with immediate results. You would be wise to consult with a board certified cosmetic dermatologist filler expert and best of luck.