Lip Lift Surgery: How It Reshapes Your Profile and Restores Your Youth

The aging process can cause subtle and unexpected differences in your face that go well beyond wrinkles. One common change is the growth of the space between your lower nose and lip, creating a more mature look.

If you'd like to reduce this gap and restore more youthful-looking lips, a minimally invasive lip lift procedure might be a good fit.

Find out from Joshua E. Goldberg, DO, FACOS, at Goldberg Facial Plastic Surgery in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, how a lip lift can restore and enhance your youthful facial profile.

What’s a lip lift?

A lip lift is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that reduces the space between your lip and nose. 

As you age, your lips lose volume, the jawbone supporting them weakens, causing the lips to recede, and the muscle supporting them tends to sag, making your lips turn down. These changes all make you appear older.

Getting a lip lift corrects these issues. The procedure gives your upper lip a vibrant, natural-looking appearance by reducing the space between the nose and lip. You can expect the final result to:

• Restore youthful proportions throughout your face
• Create a fuller, younger-looking upper lip
• Show off more of your teeth
• Define your lip’s cupid’s bow

After the procedure, you can expect your face to look younger and more beautiful. You can also combine a lip lift with other facial rejuvenation procedures.

The difference between lip lifts and lip fillers

Lip fillers are a popular, nonsurgical method for enhancing lips and making them look more youthful. Lip fillers can make your lips look plumper and younger, but they don’t reduce the space between your upper lip and nose.

Some patients feel that lip fillers make their lips too full and not sufficiently natural-looking. On the other hand, lip lifts enhance your lips’ natural beauty, creating a look that doesn’t appear enhanced cosmetically.

You can also expect your lip lift results to be permanent. Lip fillers are temporary and need to be redone every 12-18 months.

Who can get a lip lift?

A lip lift is most effective when you first notice the gap widening between your nose and lip or other deterioration of the upper lip. That varies from person to person, but some people notice these changes as young as age 30.

A lip lift can benefit any adult who dislikes the area between their nose and lip and would like to correct it permanently.

What happens during a lip lift?

Lip lifts are customizable procedures that we adapt to your unique aging process and goals. Before surgery, Dr. Goldberg shows you your expected results at a consultation.

You usually get a lip lift using local anesthesia to numb the target area. You can also get sedation for further relaxation. You might get general anesthesia if you combine the surgery with a more intensive facial surgery, such as a facelift.

During the procedure, Dr. Goldberg makes small incisions right below your nose or at the corners or border of your upper lip; the location depends on the changes being made.

He removes excess skin between the lip and nose to tighten and shorten the area. After it’s removed, Dr. Goldberg repositions your lip to give it the most flattering and enhanced appearance. He uses stitches to close up the area.

Swelling and minor pain around your lip are normal during recovery. You can control that with ice and over-the-counter painkillers. It takes a few weeks to see full results after swelling subsides.

Some people get a touch-up several years after their procedure because the gap can continue to widen subtly with age.

Combined with other facial rejuvenation surgeries or on its own, a lip lift achieves impressive results with a simple, minimally invasive procedure. Contact Dr. Goldberg at Goldberg Facial Plastic Surgery today to learn more about this innovative lip enhancement.