Nasal sill cut off after lip lift? (Photo)

Question

The scar is still red and indented and the worse part as you can see my nasal sill looks like its dented too!!or like cut off suture was there! Will it ever look normal again ? Please help !

Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD · Answer

I’m sorry you’re going through this. A lip lift can be emotionally stressful when the scar is still very visible, and it’s completely understandable to focus on the nasal sill asymmetry and indentation you’re seeing in the mirror.

From your photo, I can see persistent redness and a small depressed area near the nasal sill, and I can understand why it looks as though a suture may have “cut through” the tissue.

The most important question is how long it has been since the surgery. Early in the healing process (the first 6–12 weeks), it is very common for a lip-lift scar to appear:

red or pink,
firm,
indented or puckered,
and asymmetric, especially around the nasal sill where the skin is under tension.
Will the nasal sill look normal again?

In many cases, yes — it can improve substantially with time.

What often happens is that the tissues are still undergoing scar remodeling. During this phase:

swelling decreases unevenly,
collagen is being reorganized,
and the skin can temporarily appear tethered or pulled inward, creating the impression that part of the nasal sill has been “cut off.”

A true permanent nasal sill deformity is less common than patients fear in the early healing period.

What makes me more optimistic

The fact that the area is still red suggests that the scar is likely still active and remodeling rather than fully mature. Mature scars are usually paler and softer. Indented scars often become less noticeable over several months as the surrounding tissue relaxes and the scar softens.

When do lip-lift scars usually settle?

A rough timeline is:

0–6 weeks: redness, swelling, puckering, firmness
6 weeks–3 months: gradual softening and flattening
3–6 months: significant improvement in contour
6–12 months: scar maturation continues, with further fading and softening

I generally avoid judging the final cosmetic result of a lip lift before at least 6 months, and sometimes 12 months if there is ongoing redness.

What can help during healing?

Once the incision is fully closed and your surgeon has cleared you, common scar-management measures include:

silicone gel or silicone sheeting,
gentle scar massage (if approved by your surgeon),
strict sun protection to prevent prolonged redness,
and avoiding picking, rubbing, or stretching the area excessively.

If the indentation remains significant after several months, treatments such as fractional laser, microneedling, subcision, or a minor scar revision can sometimes improve a depressed scar very effectively.

My honest impression

Based on the photo alone, I do not think this necessarily looks hopeless or permanently abnormal. The redness and indentation suggest that the scar is likely still in an active healing phase, and there is a reasonable possibility that the nasal sill contour will soften and become less noticeable over time.

The key factor is how many weeks or months post-op you are right now. If you tell me exactly when the lip lift was performed, I can give a much more accurate sense of whether what you’re seeing is within the expected healing range or whether it would be worth considering additional scar-directed treatment later in the recovery process.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars. 
 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Nasal sill cut off after lip lift? (Photo)

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