POSTED UNDER Lip Lift REVIEWS
Lip Lift Riskier then Advertised - Houston, TX
ORIGINAL POST
Ok, I am typing this spur of the moment on my...
NobleWJuly 20, 2015
$3,000
Ok, I am typing this spur of the moment on my phone as I lay in bed. I was planning an in depth review once the results were final but looking in the mirror just now changed that, hopefully this will suffice for now. I am a 31 year old male who elected to have this procedure because I don't like my smile and I don't like the way I look when I shave. I chose Dr. Horndeski because I liked the results people were getting from him. The entire process is just how you've read it before I wont go over it again. Staff were extremely nice I will add. I am 6 weeks after the procedure and I am worried about how I look. I am actually decent looking to many people when i dont shave, when I do though I look monkey-ish, which I hate! Now I look piggish whether I shave or not because one of my nostrils no longer has the rim along the base. Imagine two circles before where now one circle is shaped like a V along the bottom. This creates a cavernous effect that grossly enlarges my nostril. That nostril was already slightly larger before, now its huge. I read online about this effect which Dr. Rodriguez says in a reply to a patient query-
"it looks like the surgeon did not anchor the lip skin to deeper and stable structures such as periosteum or cartilage. For that reason the normal pull of the lips puts traction on the nostrils and creates the flaring (which widens the nostril) and pull down (that causes the “big cave” effect) that you are seeing"
I feel my nostrils were pulled down slightly as he describes. I shared this concern with Elisa, his nurse, a week or so ago and she thinks i need to wait for swelling to go down. I shared my before and after pics with her to show Dr. Horndeski and he mentioned I had asymmetry of the nostrils before. I know I did but the base is different. Elisa told me to wait for it to heal, I agreed although I wish the Doctor would take a closer look instead of dismissing it because I dont see how this will improve with time and may actually take corrective surgery to fix. My nose seems more bulbous as well. I crave feedback from anyone who has been in a similar situation. I hate to sound negative before final results especially after reading so many reviewers change their opinions with time, but this is where I'm at now. Any and all questions are wanted. Also the healing process and scar has been unusually harsh compared to most reviewers here. Just noticed while uploading pictures my nostril looks worse...
"it looks like the surgeon did not anchor the lip skin to deeper and stable structures such as periosteum or cartilage. For that reason the normal pull of the lips puts traction on the nostrils and creates the flaring (which widens the nostril) and pull down (that causes the “big cave” effect) that you are seeing"
I feel my nostrils were pulled down slightly as he describes. I shared this concern with Elisa, his nurse, a week or so ago and she thinks i need to wait for swelling to go down. I shared my before and after pics with her to show Dr. Horndeski and he mentioned I had asymmetry of the nostrils before. I know I did but the base is different. Elisa told me to wait for it to heal, I agreed although I wish the Doctor would take a closer look instead of dismissing it because I dont see how this will improve with time and may actually take corrective surgery to fix. My nose seems more bulbous as well. I crave feedback from anyone who has been in a similar situation. I hate to sound negative before final results especially after reading so many reviewers change their opinions with time, but this is where I'm at now. Any and all questions are wanted. Also the healing process and scar has been unusually harsh compared to most reviewers here. Just noticed while uploading pictures my nostril looks worse...
UPDATED FROM NobleW
1 month post
Nose shape is vital!
NobleWJuly 23, 2015
Thanks to all the well informed people posting comments. I thought I was informed, well at least as informed as I felt necessary before deciding on this "minor" surgery. There is just so much to know and your judgement can easily be clouded by impatience with your appearance. It seems the angle of your nose, the visibility of your nostrils, whether you have nasal sills or not, will determine the outcome of this procedure. Ideally if your nose angles down it will hide the scar quite well. If you have an upturned or straight forward angle, and nasal sills like mine, it becomes much riskier. Im glad to have gone ahead with this review because it will undoubtedly help someone. Love the feedback and I feel like I am getting realanswers.
Replies (26)
July 25, 2015
I really understand what you are going through. I had the muscle hemming lip lift and not only were my sills completely removed, my nostrils were pulled down and my lip dropped. So the extra anchoring did not work at all. Unfortunately there are no guarantees with any procedure. I hope things resolve for you. I will be praying that they do.

July 25, 2015
thank you for sharing the information about the sills etc because you are the first person who has mentioned that those things could affect your outcome
July 25, 2015
I know, out of all the reviews I read I didnt see anyone mentioning it either. I would have emphasised placing the incision lower if I would have realized the risk.

July 25, 2015
Noble
It's been mentioned before and is a real risk. I had a perfect nose, actually told the doctor I used, that I did not want my sills touched and he removed them anyway. Since it happened to me , I have been in touch with several of his patients who also had their sills removed. One of them had some luck with filler injections to build the area up. You are "lucky" , it looks to me that if it does not resolve you may only need a small correction. In my case the deformity is extreme. Hopefully things will settle for you. Anyway, everyone needs to do their research, be careful what you read on the Internet. Try to go on as many consults as you can and see as many ex patients as you can in person. Today too many people are making rash decisions because of what they are reading on the Internet without really thinking things through.
It's been mentioned before and is a real risk. I had a perfect nose, actually told the doctor I used, that I did not want my sills touched and he removed them anyway. Since it happened to me , I have been in touch with several of his patients who also had their sills removed. One of them had some luck with filler injections to build the area up. You are "lucky" , it looks to me that if it does not resolve you may only need a small correction. In my case the deformity is extreme. Hopefully things will settle for you. Anyway, everyone needs to do their research, be careful what you read on the Internet. Try to go on as many consults as you can and see as many ex patients as you can in person. Today too many people are making rash decisions because of what they are reading on the Internet without really thinking things through.
July 25, 2015
Noble,
Could you please tell me the doctor who did your lip lift? I would like to avoid him or her!
Could you please tell me the doctor who did your lip lift? I would like to avoid him or her!
July 26, 2015
I will have to look into filler injections, havent heard of this application, any more info would be helpful, thanks. I can not believe your surgeon would do such a thing after you specifically asked him not to, I would be livid.
July 25, 2015
From the reviews I have been reading it looks like some are not being told about the recovery process as well as possible side effects of a lip lift. My surgeon wrote a blog article on his website called "The trials, trade-offs and tribulations of upper lip lifts and other plastic surgery". I recommend reading this article before having a lip lift. For myself it was worth it as I am in my mid forties and had a long upper lip and very thin lips. Every surgeon does this surgery differently, some go into the nose some stay out of the nose and some do both types.
August 5, 2015
I read Dr. Hayworth's article and he is spot on. I will try to post his comments on my page.
July 26, 2015
-looks like he did a great job !!
-do you have any pics without the hair on your lip ??
-that would be very helpful !!
thanks !!
-do you have any pics without the hair on your lip ??
-that would be very helpful !!
thanks !!
Replies (67)