These days, so much attention is put on the lips. In the past, the only way to enhance one’s lips was to put on lipstick, but today, lip aesthetics has received all kinds of attention. Everywhere you look, lips are appearing plumper than ever before. Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s lip fillers or a lip lift. If it’s not Mother Nature, she (or he) probably had a little help from a pro.
By now, you’ve probably heard all about lip fillers. Sure, they are a great way to add semi-permanent volume to one’s lips, but they’re not the only solution to thin or aging lips. A surgical lip lift or just “lip lift” offers the similar types of benefits as hyaluronic acid lip injections; however, the results are permanent and the treatment won’t make your lips look overfilled. You don’t need to return to your plastic surgeon’s office for refills every few months like you do with lip fillers.
Are Lip Lifts Better Than Injections?
Lip lifts aren’t necessarily better than lip fillers; they’re just a lesser-known procedure and for some patients, it’s exactly what they’re looking for. “What is a lip lift exactly?” you might ask. It’s a permanent surgical procedure that increases the pink lip that is visible. The lift helps one’s lips look full and youthful.
Sometimes the aging process can shrink the soft tissue support and gravity can stretch the skin causing the upper lip to look longer and cover the front teeth when speaking and smiling. This is a subtle change that makes the person look older. Lifting the lip and shortening the distance between the nose and the lip, can create a more youthful, pouty appearance that also shows more of the pink (vermillion) of the lip. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and is performed under local anesthesia in the office. The scar is hidden right beneath the nose and is hidden in the shadows located under the nose.
Should You Consider a Lip Lift?
Lips do get thinner with age, it’s a fact of life. Whether you were born with thinner lips or if your lips have become thinner over the years, you may want to consider a lip lift as a permanent solution. In our experience, lip lift patients fall into these two categories:
- Younger patients who are tired of getting lip filler injections every few months, and
- Older patients who are unhappy the appearance of their mouth, which has changed over the years as they aged.
You are a good candidate if don’t smoke and if the space between the top of your lip and the base of your nose is greater than 1.5 centimeters.
Is a surgical lip lift right for you? To learn more, schedule a consultation with Board-Certified Surgeon, Dr. Yuly Gorodisky!