Lip Lift

Raising Your Upper Lips

Lip lifting has not been featured on many cosmetic plastic surgery talk shows or reality shows…but Dr. Loftus thinks that it should be. As all of us age, our lips do, as well. Like so many other parts of our bodies that sag and droop, our lips become elongated with time. A long upper lip may give away your age in spite of efforts to tuck everything else.
A lip lift will remove about 6-8 mm (about 1/4 inch) of skin along the "sill" or bottom of your nose, just below your nostrils. Because there is a natural crease there, a scar is typically inconspicuous. A lift often results in an upturn of the vermillion (the "pink" of your lips), thereby accomplishing two things at once.
In comparison to a lip lift are lip fillers. Fillers include many possible substances such as collagen, Restylane, fat, etc. These substances are often used to bulk up the area into which they are injected, and they last for varying lengths of time. Fillers will make your lips bigger and bulkier, which is ideal if that is your primary concern. However, fillers will not shorten a long lip or make the vermillion (pink part) appear higher. In many cases, both are employed.
So, if your main concern is that your upper lip is too long, you should seek a lip lift. If your main concern is thin lips, you should seek fillers. If you have both concerns, you should keep both options open.

Surgery and Recovery

The lip lift procedure can be performed under local anesthesia and takes less than an hour. you may return to work the next day. Pain is minimal. Cost ranges from $1500-3000.