Lip augmentation, Duck lips, and Lip lifts

The lips are an important feature of your facial appearance. It is one of the first things women address as they begin to show signs of aging in the face. They are looking for a more youthful appearance, but think they need a Lip augmentation. In other words, they think that making their lips fuller will make them more attractive. However, often times, the real solution is not a Lip augmentation, but a Lip lift.

What do beautiful lips look like?

Beautiful lips generally have these  defining characteristics :

  • well shaped cupid’s bow
  • 1.1 cm distance between the bottom of the nose and the top of the red part of the lip
  • a degree of fullness

For some reason, society has focused on the ‘fullness’ part, with a complete disregard for the other features that make beautiful lips.  The result is that there are a lot of duck lips out there. I know you have seen them – Not to pick on Melanie Griffith or Goldie Hawn, but all of those fillers just made the lips stick out–ala duck lips. Why?

Long space above upper lip creates Duck lips

The reason is that when the upper lip length (distance between the bottom of their nose and the top of their lips) is more than 1.5 cm , the upper and lower lips run into each other as you bring the jaws together. Thus, with fillers the lips have no where to go but out!  The real solution to their lip problem would have been to raise the upper lip.  A lip lift alone can make a HUGE difference.

Do i need a Lip lift or Lip augmentation?

So – do you need a Lip lift or a Lip augmentation?  The first step is to measure the distance between your upper lip and the bottom of the nose. If that distance is longer than 1.1 cm, or if you can’t see the upper teeth with the mouth slightly open, you would benefit more from a lip lift than fillers. The reason is that a lip lift would reshape the cupid’s bow, restore some fullness, and shorten the upper lip. Fillers, on the other hand, don’t shorten the upper lip, and can give you the “Duck lips” look.

I have been doing the Lip lift procedure for over 10 years. It’s a wonderful procedure and I wish that more people were aware of what a difference it can make! See our before and after Lip lift gallery to see for yourself.

By Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez MD Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Cosmeticsurg Baltimore, Maryland Ricardo L. Rodriguez on American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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