Am I a good candidate for a lip lift and will the scar be visible?

Question

I have a pretty long philtrum, 18mm, and I really want my face to look more balanced. Some pictures I’ve seen of people who have gotten lip lifts have shown no scarring whatsoever, but I’m a little bit concerned that because of the shape of my nose, the scar will be visible. Are there certain things I could do/apply to a scar to get rid of it? Thanks.

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for sharing your excellent question.  It would be useful to see pictures of you smiling to give the best advice but as you appear young, and your overall lip proportions are appropriate I would counsel against any current surgery and consider nonsurgical options like dermal fillers.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Lip lift scars can be white and visible. Hidef protocols can help with visible lip lift scars on the face. I see a lot of these in my office in Beverly Hills. Surgery is often not needed if lasers and HIDEF scar revision techniques are introduced. 
In our office, we combine treatments starting with topical pre-conditioning of the scars with Plato's Scar Serum for hypertrophy and Melarase PM for pigmentation. Fractional RF, laser, and micro fractional RF can help limit scar growth. Kenalog IIT can also help reduce scar thickness. For lip lift scars specifically, I use selective Hyfrecation to reduce scarring. 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and photo. From the image, it appears you would be a good candidate for a lip lift. This procedure would shorten the distance between the upper lip and base of the nose. At the same time, it would increase the mucosa of the upper lip, which would likely be a nice look for you. The only incision for a lip lift is located at the base of the nose and usually results in minimal visible scarring. Make sure you work with a board-certified plastic surgeon who can customize this treatment to your precise needs to ensure an optimal outcome.

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 14mm 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. Scar gel can help improve the appearance of the final scar. In your situation, I think you are a candidate for a lip lift. The scar can be minimized with appropriate surgical technique and post-op care, but there is a portion of the healing that just depends on how well your body heals. 
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 are an excellent candidate for lip lift.  A lip lift does 4 things: shortens the distance between your nose and upper lip, increase the mucosa of the upper lip, increases the incisor show and pulls up the corners.  The scar is hidden at the nose-lip junction and inside the nostril.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Based on this photo you may be a borderline candidate for a lip lift. I would suggest first doing subtle lip augmentation with filler before committing yourself to surgery. Good luck.

Sean R. Weiss, MD, FACS · Answer

Lip lift surgery can be performed in a way that the scar is very well hidden and nearly imperceptible.  The degree to which a scar is seen after lip lift surgery depends on several variables.  These include the quality of the skin, the placement of the incisions, the way your body heals, the tension on the incision closure, among other things.  After lip lift surgery, the healing scar can be treated with topical "scar gel" which is designed to decrease redness and reduce the tendency for thickened appearance of the scar.  For a brief period of time when redness is present, makeup works well to hide the scar until it fades.  Best Regards, Dr. Weiss

Piotr Osuch, MD · Answer

From the photo you attached, you seem to be a good candidate for a lip lift as your philtrum seems to be long enough. Re: the scar - of course post-op scar can be minimized by an appropriate surgical technique & post -op case such as applying silicone-based product, but - based on my experience - I always discourage patients from having lip lift done if they feel they might find it difficult to cope with existence of the scar on their face. In your case I'd say the same - it'd be better to consider lip augmentation methods other than a LL (lip implant/ lip fillers, etc.). 
best of luck
Piotr Osuch, MD, PhD

Richard Galitz, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

This is a difficult situation. The space between the upper lip and the nose is noticeably long. Yet the lip itself is not particularly thin. If you make a cut at the superior margin of the lip to do a lip lift and it heals excellent you may be satisfied with the result, however the healing of these incisions is a bit hit and miss even among good surgeons. I often prefer a sub-nasal lip-lift procedure for this reason, with the incision along the lower rim of the nose and nostrils. The problem with this is, that while the incision is usually less noticeable, it is still not totally invisible. Filler to the upper lip may help but it will begin to look artificial if you do too much to try to solve the problem....and it is also temporary. I do dermal-fat grafts to give lips a permanent fuller look but it will not shorten the space noticeably. My suggestion is this....... if you heal good to do a sub-nasal lip lift and some moderate filler to your upper lip margin and you'll look better and hopefully have a minimally visible scar. I do all this easily with local anesthesia in my office operating room in about 20 minutes.

Am I a good candidate for a lip lift and will the scar be visible?

Answers (9)

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