Upper lip lift

What is a Lip Lift Procedure ?

Lip Lift Procedure or Upper Lip Lift is a surgical procedure that can help reduce the distance or length of tissue between your nose and lips, more commonly known as the philtrum, A lip lift or bullhorn lip lift can give your lips a plumper, more youthful look. A lip lift surgery is a permanent lip treatment as opposed to the temporary results of using lip fillers and can even provide a better result in some cases.

It is an ideal solution for you if you want your lips to look plump and rejuvenated but do not want to undergo frequent plumping procedures with fillers. As you age, the ligaments and the skin lose their elasticity and begin to droop and sag. In places, the skin may stretch resulting in elongation of certain facial structures. The philtrum is a perfect example of such facial structure. A long philtrum can cover your upper teeth and is an early sign of aging.

What are the benefits of a Lip Lift Procedure ?

The lip lift procedure has several physical and psychological benefits as it improves the physical appearance of your lips which then improves your self-image and self-esteem, along with your mental health. The improved and youthful appearance of your lips is bound to knock some years off your face. That coupled with shortening of the philtrum is guaranteed to make you look significantly younger.

The benefits of the lip lift procedure are not held back by age groups. Of course, it works wonders on aged skin and makes you look way younger than you are but philtrum length is also an issue for the youth. If you are young and have a long philtrum, then a lip lift procedure will reduce the size of the philtrum and give some volume to your relatively thin lips.

What are the steps of a lip lift procedure ?

The lip lift procedure is a surgical procedure that can take up to an hour but usually lasts only for twenty minutes to thirty minutes. The procedure is performed as an outpatient procedure meaning that you will be allowed to go home a couple of hours after the surgery.

The procedure begins with the administration of anesthesia and mostly, local anesthesia with intravenous sedation is used over general anesthesia. Your surgeon will let you know of the best option for you. After you have been anesthetized, your surgeon will make the first incision and begin the surgical process.

How is the recovery from the upper lip procedure ?

The recovery phase of the lip lift procedure is not as intensive as the recovery period of most cosmetic procedures. The sutures from the procedure will be in place for a week, and the recovery period is generally two weeks long. Although the scars from the procedure can take up to a year to fade away.

You should rest and stay at home for at least the first couple of days of your recovery period. You should avoid any sort of strenuous exercise during this period, as it can put pressure on your incision and complicate the wound healing process. You should also abstain from smoking during this period as it can cause an infection which can negatively affect the healing process and result in prominent scarring.

You should also be careful while sleeping so as to not put any pressure on your incisions by sleeping on your face. During the recovery period, it is better to avoid opening your mouth really wide when yawning and such as that also can complicate the healing process. An impaired healing process is bound to alter the results and ruin the aesthetics of the face completely.

Will I have a scar?

The lip lift procedure can be performed using one of the six possible techniques and based on which technique is used, the location of the incision will change. However, most surgeons will try their best to hide the incisions in the natural contours of the face. And if that is not possible, they try to make small and unnoticeable incisions to ensure that there is no visible scar. You should talk to your surgeon about the location of the incision and the potential scarring.