Lip Lift in Philadelphia

If the distance between your nose and lips is more than 1.5 cm, you may be a good candidate for a lip lift. Aging people who want to get rid of their perpetually stern look due to drooping and thin lips may be ideal candidates for this surgery. Younger people who are dissatisfied with the temporary or limited results of fillers may also benefit from lip lift surgery. Patients with thin lips who are prone to developing a “duck appearance” with lip filler are often good candidates for lip lift.

You must be in good overall health to undergo this surgery, and it is best to be a non-smoker. You may not be an ideal candidate to undergo a lip lift if you are not willing or unable to stop smoking two to four weeks before your surgery. It is also important to have realistic expectations in terms of results.

The lip lift can be performed under local anesthesia or in conjunction with other surgical procedures including facelift and neck lift as well as rhinoplasty. Once the local anesthetic has taken effect, incisions will be created. For a modified bullhorn lip lift, the incision will be a continuous line just below the nostrils. In a corner lip lift, the incisions will be made just above the corners of the mouth.

Dr. Ho will then remove a pre-marked area of tissue above the lip to achieve the intended lift. During the modified bullhorn lip lift procedure, Dr. Ho will release the upper lip in the layer below the SMAS layer (sub-SMAS plane) and place dissolveable deep sutures to ensure an adequate tension-free lift of the upper lip. When the desired look is achieved, the incisions will be closed. Dr. Ho performs meticulous skin closure to make sure that the eventual scars heal well and are minimal. You will be closely monitored throughout the entire procedure. The whole process, depending on the extent of work done, may take 30 minutes to one hour.

Your lip lift recovery may take a few weeks to complete, though you may feel swollen and tight in the upper lip for the first few months. Make sure to get plenty of rest during the first 24 hours to help jumpstart the healing process. Sutures will be removed at one week after surgery.

During recovery, avoid opening your mouth too wide, and use a small toothbrush while brushing your teeth. Do not put any pressure on your lip region, and do not sleep face down. Keep your lips moisturized. Most people can go back to normal routines fairly soon after but must avoid strenuous exercises for two weeks after surgery. Sometimes, skin resurfacing procedures such as microneedling or CO2 laser resurfacing are needed in the recovery period to improve the appearance of the scars.

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