If we study the model lips, both female and male, we see that there is a certain ideal shape and volume. Typically the upper lip conforms to the tenants of beauty, where the pink portion of the lips is one third of the height of the distance of the opening of the lips and the base of the nose. It typically is in a “cupid’s bow” shape with two peaks that then have a ridge that ascends toward the base of the nose, creating a central valley in the upper middle portion of the upper lip. The lower lips takes on a “happy face” shape. Both the upper and lower lips have reasonable fullness so that they are neither lack volume, nor are they excessive in volume. Lips that lack volume require some type of filler material that typically is performed at Newport Med Spa and may consist of an injectable material such as liquid silicone, Restylane, Juvederm, or Radiesse. If a patient has adequate volume and yet has thin lips, then they patient is more of a candidate for a lip lift procedure. It is important to ask patients to smile to determine the amount of pink lip showing with a full smile because so often, in the relaxed state, the pink lip is apparent but with smiling there is very little pink lip showing. If a patient has this type of a thin lips that does not conform to the rules of beauty, they may be a candidate for a candidate for a lip lift procedure. This is no different than patients who come in with various conditions with the breast, where some patients simply don’t have enough volume of the breast and are good candidates for some type of a breast filler procedure, and other patients have drooping breasts and are ideal candidates for breast lifting procedures.
Dr. Brennan was the first doctor to perform a lip lift procedure. This procedure was performed on a patient, who at birth, had cleft lip deformity and who, in her adult years, developed a cupid’s bow of one side of her upper lip, but very little lip showing or “pink lip” showing on the side where she had the congenital birth defect. A procedure was designed to elevate the pink lip portion of that patient’s upper lip and it resulted in a very successful, gratifying procedure, which the patient even today, benefits from the aesthetic improvement of that procedure. That was the inception of the lip lift procedure, and that procedure is performed regularly on patients who have hereditary thin lips, with very little pink lip showing.
The procedure is performed in the out patient center, usually under a local anesthetic or with a mild sedation. A higher cupids bow is outlined on the patient’s lip and a strip of skin is removed, allowing for the pink border of the lip to be advance to a superior position to create a better defined, higher cupids bow of the u upper lip. The lower lip is treated by creating a happy face type incision and a strip of skin is removed and the pink border of the lower lip is advanced to a lower position so as to show more pink of the lower lip. These incisions generally heal extremely well and in an inconspicuous manner. The result of this surgery is that the patient has a more aesthetically pleasing lip, which creates a much better target for her lip cosmetics. It should be noted that this condition occurs commonly in men as well and the same principles and procedures are applied to men as well as women.
This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, is relatively simple procedure to perform. The patient has sutures in for approximately four days, but is able to resume all normal activities including normal hygiene, including normal oral hygiene, normal physical activities, regular diet, regular sleep habits. After about four days the sutures are removed and typically the incisions heal in an inconspicuous manner. Patients who have lip lift procedures are extremely happy with the results and this procedure is often done in conjunction with other procedures such as facelift procedures as the thin lips may be a sign of the aging face.