Your lips are one of the most noticeable features on your face (probably second only to your eyes) and are a major focal point whenever you need to talk or smile. As we age, thinning lips becomes more and more of a problem, especially in women who recognise how their lips thinning can cause them to look older than they are. Lip fillers are one possible solution, but the results that they give are only temporary and need to be repeated to maintain the look, but lip lift surgery on the other hand will provide a permanent enhancement to the appearance of your lips.
Lip lift surgery is an incredibly straight forward procedure that is performed to reduce the distance between the upper lip and the base of the nose. By surgically removing a small amount of excess skin beneath the nose, the upper lip is lifted and gives a fuller appearance which in turn makes the face appear to be more youthful. The incisions are strategically place in the natural creases around the base of the nose and nostrils to aid in their concealment.
Will lip lift surgery change my smile?
Undergoing surgery to alter the appearance of your lips will not directly affect your ability to smile, but considering that it alters the face it will definitely change the smile in some form. By lifting the upper lip, you will be able to show off more of your smile when you do and can even correct the appearance of some negative signs of aging, further increasing your smile.
Will lip lift surgery change my nose?
In the past, lip lifts were notorious for distorting the base of the nose and causing scarring and widening of the nostrils. Because the surgery itself is performed at the base of the nose, there will always be potential to change the appearance of the nose to at least some degree. By performing the surgery in the way that we do, lip lift surgery minimises the amount of tension on the nose by actively avoiding any form of lifting to the skin of the nose itself, drastically reducing any visible changes to the nose and increasing patient satisfaction.
What risks are associated with a lip lift?
As with all forms of surgical procedure, there is definitely an element of risk associated with lip lift surgery. The main risks associated with it are scarring, imbalance, poor or reduced lip mobility, infection, nasal widening or distortion of some form, hematoma and drooping at the sides of the lip, although an experienced surgeon will be able to limit and reduce the risks of surgery for you.
If I’ve already had fillers, will I need to dissolve them first?
This all depends on the type of filler that you have had injected previously, although it won’t hurt to go and have them dissolved prior to surgery. One of the biggest offenders that tends to migrate the most is Juvederm and we advise having this filler dissolved at least 2 weeks before undergoing lip lift surgery. Some fillers aren’t necessary to be dissolved, but we would recommend discussing this during your consultation to find out the correct answer for your own personal situation.
Will I still need to use fillers after surgery?
The vast majority of lip lift surgery patients make the decision to undergo surgery to avoid having to repeatedly return for further lip filler appointments, but that’s not to say all patient are the same. Some patients do opt to have fillers again after surgery to further increase the volume and appearance of the lip, so it’s entirely down to the patient who has undergone surgery.
What will lip lift surgery actually do to my face?
When it comes to terms of beauty, the equation known as the “golden ratio” was actually developed by artists and architects who used it to create their masterpieces. Fast forward a few thousand years and scientists were able to adopt the formula to help figure out what makes people consider others as beautiful. The studies carried out into the golden ratio found that fuller and larger lips were considered to be more attractive than thinner lips with less volume.
It’s generally thought that fuller lips are a good indication of youth, but your lips can appear aged due to other factors than thinning alone such as their length and width. Lip lift surgery improves and evens out the shape and length of your lips, giving you a more youthful appearance that, in most cases can even give you a generally more youthful and radiant look.
Lip lift surgery can even help to correct issues like downturned corners of the mouth and fine lines and wrinkles around the edges.
Does lip lift surgery give results that look natural?
It all depends on the goal you are looking to achieve. The combined effect of surgery to your lips, nose and mouth will be able to assist in giving you a much brighter and more positive expression. The surgery itself alters the lips to restore (and in some cases give) balance and correct proportion to the lips which results in a much more pleasant mouth area. The final results should be able to make enough of a difference that others are able to notice a change, but should also be subtle enough to seem completely natural and proportionate to your face.
The other huge benefit that aids in the natural appearance of the results is that they are completely permanent. With lip fillers, not only are they very noticeable at times, they aren’t going to give the exact same result every time you have them due to there being slight differences in the amount of filler used, the position of the injection site and even the aesthetician performing the treatment on the day. With lip lift surgery, your final result is what will be there for the rest of your life.