Lip Lift Procedure - Technique, Types, and Complications

Introduction:

Cosmetic procedures are gaining popularity over the past decade as an aesthetic concern of society. Cosmetic procedures enhance appearance and beauty and boost the individual's confidence level.

Lips are often considered a point of focus and attraction. Having plumpy and fuller lips enhances one's facial beauty. Various surgical and non-surgical techniques are employed to enhance the lip structure. Lip lift procedures even mask the age-related signs on the face and contribute to youthfulness.

What Is a Lip Lift Procedure?

A lip lift procedure is a peculiar cosmetic minor surgical procedure where the upper lip is lifted, thereby reducing the distance between the nose tip and upper lip. The procedure aids in regaining the curviness of the lip and makes it look fuller and chubby.

Normally with aging, the structure and shape of the lips undergo considerable alterations. The lips attain a flat elongated shape, and there will be a considerable collapse in lip volume and vertical height. As a result, the prominence of the lips will be lost, which can directly impact facial aesthetics. These changes are a reflection of age-induced changes in the jaw bones. The lip lift procedure reveals more pinkish lip tissue, thus contributing to a youthful appearance.

What Are the Added Benefits of the Lip Lift Procedure?

Several cosmetic procedures aim at enhancing lip structure. However, the lip lift procedure always holds an upper hand over the other techniques that employ dermal fillers to pronounce the lip volume. Some of the appreciable benefits of the lip lift procedure include the following:

• It gives permanent results unlike other lip augmentation procedures (for enhancing lip bulkiness) and lip implants.

• The lip lift procedure regains and appreciates the physiologic lip curvatures.

• It conceals the age-induced structural changes in the lips.

• It rejuvenates and revives the lips, thereby bringing in youthfulness.

• Drooping lip corners can be lifted, producing a smiling face appearance.

• Lip lifts expose the upper teeth while smiling and talking, which is highly appreciable for maintaining youthfulness. It enhances the beauty of the smile.

What Are the Surgical Techniques Involved in the Lip Lift Procedure?

Lip lifts are minor surgical procedures often performed in an outpatient setting. Before starting the procedure, doctors mark the incision points. Following this, local anesthesia (a numbing agent) is given to the functional area to make the procedure pain-free. Based on the type of lip lift, the incision is given, and then a strip of skin is extracted from the site. The lips are then lifted, utilizing the space created by the skin extraction. Sutures are placed to keep the lip in the lifted position and to close the incision site. The patient may experience swelling and tightness over the operated area for a few days, which gradually resolve.

What Are the Different Types of Lip Lift Procedures?

A lip lift can be achieved through various methods. The choice of procedure is largely based on the patient's requirement and anatomical considerations of the lips. In the lip lift procedure, extracting a tiny skin segment will compromise the distance between the nose tip and the lip border. Some of the routinely practiced lip lift procedures include the following:

1. Subnasal Bullhorn: It is the most widely employed technique for a lip lift. The incision for lip lift is made close to the root of the nose, such that the incision scar does not become evident. This technique is named bullhorn because of the typical bullhorn shape of the incision. The hidden scar makes this technique more acceptable and popular among patients looking for lip lifts.

2. Direct Lip Lift: This technique extracts the skin segment close to the upper lip. After stripping the skin segment, the lip is then lifted and sutured. The gullwing lip lift is the synonym for a direct lip lift. This technique makes the lip border more pronounced and evident. As the incision point is close to the lip, it often produces a noticeable scar upon healing.

3. Central Lip Lift: It is more like a subnasal bullhorn with an incision at the root of the nose. However, it is less versatile than a subnasal bullhorn, which can handle considerable sagging. The central lip lift technique is preferred when there is only limited sagging of the lip skin.

4. Corner Lip Lift: Both lip corners turn downward upon aging, creating an aged appearance. A corner lip lift is designed for individuals more concerned with drooping lip corners. Unlike other lip lifts, where only a single incision is made, the corner lip lift requires two incisions, one on either side of the lip. A wedge-shaped skin segment is then extracted from both the incision sites into which the lip corner is lifted. Drooping and sagging lip corners reflect a dull and gloomy facial appearance.

5. Italian Lip Lift: Like a corner lip lift, this technique also needs two separate incisions beneath each nostril. The scars remain indistinguishable as the incisions are made close to the nose. It enhances the curviness of the upper lip.

What Are the Possible Complications Associated With Lip Lift Procedures?

Though the lip lift procedure offers promising results, it is also associated with a few complications. Some of them include the following:

• Scar formation.

• Exaggerated reactivity towards anesthetic agents used in the procedure.

• Slow healing of the operative site.

• Blood loss.

• Injury to vital nerves during the procedure.

• Infections.

How Long Is the Recovery Period Following the Lip Lift Procedure?

Postoperative difficulties like swelling and pain resolve in one week. The incision site needs to be kept clean and moisturized to fasten the healing process and check infections. Antibiotic creams should be applied over the incision site during the initial day and later can be replaced with Vaseline or other moisturizers to prevent the area from getting dry. Strenuous physical activities, smoking, and alcohol consumption interfere with wound healing, so it should be checked during healing. The scar formed after healing will fade away slowly over time.

Conclusion:

Lip lift procedures are an effective and permanent alternative for lip plumping injections and other lip augmentation procedures. As the name suggests, it lifts the lips and reveals more lip tissue. In addition, it also compacts with drooping lips and restructures one's smile by exposing the upper teeth and gums, which are signs of youthfulness. Proper technique selection effectively conceals the scarring following lip lift.