The most common type of lip surgery is lip augmentation—sometimes referred to as lip enhancement surgery. But there are other types of lip procedures as well: lip reduction surgery, lip lift surgery, cleft lip surgery, and lip reconstruction surgery. Here’s a short primer on each of these procedures.
Lip augmentation surgery is a bit of a misnomer because it may not involve any incisions. Many doctors today use hyaluronic acid–based injectable fillers, such as Restylane or Juvéderm, rather than permanent lip implants inserted via a surgical incision, to enhance the size and shape of a patient’s lips. A patient often opts for fillers over implants because the procedure, compared to implants, is simpler and less expensive, and the results are easier to tweak—or, if necessary, reverse.
Permanent lip augmentation options include lip implants, such as Permalip, and fat grafts. An implant like Permalip is usually inserted during an in-office procedure. In most cases, the skin is sterilized and the lips numbed, and the doctor makes an incision at either corner of the mouth. Then, they use a tool to create a tunnel in the lip, corner to corner, into which the implant is inserted. The corners are then stitched closed. The cost will vary greatly, depending on whether you opt for fillers or a permanent implant.
Lip reduction surgery is a lip correction technique for larger lips or lips deformed by fillers such as permanent silicone injections.  A lip reduction is a surgical procedure that reduces the size of one or both lips by removing skin and tissue via an incision inside the mouth. Candidates for this procedure are patients who wish to make their natural lips smaller, those who want to diminish or reverse a previous lip augmentation done with permanent filler (such as silicone, fat, or a polyacrylamide gel, like Bellafill), or, less commonly, those who have a deformity caused by cleft lip or an accident. In addition to reducing the volume of a lip, this procedure can also help improve asymmetry.
Lip lift surgery can make your lips look fuller, without filler or implants, by removing a small strip of skin under your nose (for an upper lip lift) or below your mouth (for a lower lip lift) to close the gap between the nose/top lip or the chin/lower lip. This will cause the lip to roll out slightly, exposing more of the pink inside—and making the lip appear fuller. A lip lift can also adjust the corners of your lips, reduce frowning, or simply shorten the distance between the upper lip and nose. It is usually an outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia, it takes about an hour, and it may leave a small incision that typically heals within a few months.
Cleft lip surgery addresses a facial deformity that can include the upper lip, nose, palate, and the maxilla (the jaw). Cleft lip and palate repair, the most common combination, is a surgical procedure that corrects a gap in the upper lip that’s formed during fetal development. This surgery restores both the appearance and the function of the upper lip and palate. Insurance typically covers cleft lip surgery, because it’s a congenital deformity.
Lip reconstructive surgery addresses the repair of the lip after trauma or accident—or, in some cases, after other types of lip surgery have gone wrong. Reconstruction of the lips must take into account both appearance and functionality. Surgery goals may include removing or minimizing scars; adjusting the balance of the lip to the white roll (the prominent ridge just above where the lip skin meets the facial skin), aka the red-to-white balance; smoothing out the lips; and improving symmetry. Because there’s such a wide range of potential procedures, there’s no average cost.
