Horizontal crease - will a lip lift help? (Photos)

have you had your nose done previously? A line here with smiling is usually related to a certain graft that might be in the nose. alternatively, it could be related to one of your mouth muscles being less attached. a lip lift in a skilled surgeon's hands can address this.

A lip lift can help the horizontal crease. I recommend an eccentric lip lift, not a bullhorn lip lift. This 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. This takes 1 hour to perform under local anesthesia and costs $4,000.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

From the photos provided, the crease appears with smiling and is not present at rest. This suggests that the main component is muscle related. If so, then a few microdroplets of Botox properly placed along the region would likely address this problem. Additionally, the use of a superficially and properly injected low viscosity, malleable cohesive HA filler can further buttress the area and diminish the crease formation. Both treatments together, in experienced, hands, should take no more than about ten minutes to performed and typically engender little to no significant post-treatment downtime.
You would be wise to consult with an experienced, board certified cosmetic dermatologist injection expert. Hope this helps and best of luck

Very likely this is a result of lip muscle/skin adherence due to thinning of the lip subcutaneous fat. In your case lip lift would improve appearance but not necessarily erase the crease. A combination of skin undermining and placement of fat grafts in the course of lip lift would be one of the options to consider. Good luck.

A lip lift can help improve the overall appearance of the upper lip, but it does not directly treat every type of crease above the lip. The key is understanding what is causing your horizontal line.

A surgical lip lift works by shortening the distance between the nose and the upper lip (the philtrum), which can enhance lip shape, increase tooth show, and create a more youthful contour. It is particularly effective when the concern is a long or drooping upper lip rather than a skin crease itself.

A horizontal crease above the lip is usually related to skin quality, repetitive muscle movement, or volume loss rather than excess length. In those cases, a lip lift alone may soften the area slightly by improving tension, but it typically will not eliminate the crease completely.

For horizontal lines, better options often include resurfacing treatments (like laser), neuromodulators, or subtle filler to support the area, depending on the anatomy. Many patients benefit from a combination approach rather than a single procedure.

Photos and an in-person evaluation are important, because treatment should be tailored to your specific anatomy and goals. In some cases, combining a lip lift with other treatments can provide the most balanced and natural-looking result.