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.
Most beautiful lips 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? 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 (>>1.1 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.
So–do you need a lip lift or a lip aug? 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 givve you the “duck lips” look.
I have been doing the lip lift procedure for years. It’s a wonderful procedure and I wish that more people were aware of what a difference it can make!
Ricardo L Rodriguez, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
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19 Comments
June 19, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Natasha:
I would recommend doing the procedure either well before or well after the rhinoplasty if the rhinoplasty is an external rhinoplasty.
The reason is that in an external rhinoplasty there is a small incision in the columella, very near where the lip incision is.
As far as making a judgement in your individual case, you can contact Kelly (kelly@cosmeticsurg.net) if you are interested in a virtual consultation.
June 17, 2010 at 2:17 am
Hey again Dr. Rodriguez, I’ve looked at this particular blog entry you have several times. It’s really hard for me to tell whether a lip lift would benefit me or not. I think my upper lip height is just at that 1.5 cm line, and when I open my mouth slightly you can see just very little of my top teeth. However, I have fairly small teeth, so that might or might not be taken into consideration. I plan on having rhinoplasty, as I’ve told you. Would you recommend having this procedure done simultaneously or after the nose job? Also, can I e-mail you a picture for you to evaluate whether a lip lift would benefit me? Thanks so much.
-Natasha
April 16, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Lyn:
THANX!!!!!!!!
April 15, 2010 at 4:17 pm
I just want to say Thank you again Dr. Rodriquez for doing an excellent upper lip lift on me. If anyone wants one done, you don’t need to look any further. I did my homework for 1 year looking for someone I can trust and go back to. He did a great job. I didn’t feel a thing. He’s very confident in upper lip lifts. If you want to talk to me I have before and after pictures. you could e-mail me with any questions. You are in good hands with the best Plastic Surgeon for Upper Lip lifts. No more injections into my lips. Go for it.
April 9, 2010 at 1:26 am
absolutely, waaaay big bang for your buck. it has really given me a more youthful look and i haven’t had to use any filler at all. fillers over time cost sooo much more than a lip lift especially when you all you need is a one time lip lift. the scar is imperceptible, i find yellow cover stick works wonders on it and then just a light pat of translucent powder to set it and you’re done. i forgot to say that during recovery, you should try and keep your mouth slightly open at all times to put the least amount of stress on the stitches and then still for at least another couple of weeks after the stitches are out…and forget about flossing for at least a couple of days but brushing is surprisingly easy so just eat food that doesn’t get stuck between your teeth. i just had this done a couple of months ago and two of my girlfriends have made appointments to get theirs done, they were blown away by how natural it looks. i don’t know why i took so long to do this.
April 8, 2010 at 10:56 am
Patricia:
I’m so happy for you! Isn’t it great! I love the lip lift, and I think it is the greatest bang for the buck as far as transforming a person’s look.
Spread the word about the video, help others get what they need.
Thanks for the feedback and enjoy your new look!
April 8, 2010 at 4:12 am
believe me, lip lifts are the way to go. i’m so glad i saw this video with the measurement part, it really assured me of my measurements. my nose to lip was 16 mm long and the top lip sat on top of my bottom lip and made it look like i had filler in it…sort of trout mouth, not very cute. my doctor took 5 mm out which i thought would look really dramatic but it wasn’t…it looks completely natural, soft, pretty and you can see bit of my top teeth when my mouth is open. i absolutely love it and i am thrilled it is available. during recovery, talk as little as possible, cut all of your food into tiny pieces and do EXACTLY WHAT THE DOCTOR TELLS YOU!!! the realistic downtime is 2 weeks off if you have a chatty job, you will spend the first week napping and watching tv, enjoy it, you will end up really loving this procedure.
March 28, 2010 at 10:29 am
Faye:
Glad you loved the video.
Please pass it on!
March 28, 2010 at 10:28 am
Faye:
Sorry I took so long to answer, I was working on a grant for stem cell therapy.
From what you are telling me, I would go for a bull horn scar. There are few, if any, indications for the gullwing scar. It is always visible and unnatural looking.
We would love to hear from you, write an email to Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net
March 21, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I really love your video! I was so happy to chance upon it!
March 21, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Hi, I’m 23 with duck lips. when I open my mouth, I dont see any teeth at all. I have to smile really wide to show my teeth. I was wondering which type of lip lift suit me more? bull horn or gull wing? and will there be visible scars?
February 5, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Dear Fay:
The distance is not as important as the appearance.
If your teeth show, you can probably do a filler safely without worrying about duck lips.
What the lip lift can do is shape the shape of your upper lip border.
I can’t tell what is right for you without seeing pictures, but from what you are saying, both options could give you satisfactory results.
Let us know how it turns out!
January 31, 2010 at 11:33 am
Hello,
My name is Fay and I just stumbled across your video. I’ve been wanting to use filler for my lips for quite some time, then this idea of lip lift came along. My teeth do show when I leave my mouth open so I assumed according to what you said that the lip filler would work well on me. Then I realized that the distance between my bottom nose and the red part of my lips is 1.5 cm, which is quite long? But my teeth are still showing. What would you suggest in such a case?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Fay Kazzi
November 12, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Kasey:
Without seeing your picture, it is hard to say what would be best for you. But from what you say, I would only do a modified lift. Perhaps take a little less from the central part, and elevate more on the sides.
In any case, for the lower lips, I like fillers a lot.
November 12, 2009 at 11:34 am
Hi there, in regards to your video about lip lifts, you state that fillers would be more suitable for people who are able to see there two front teeth when mouth is slightly opened. I can see my two front teeth but i have already tried fillers and they seem to make my top lip look like a trout. basically i just want my lip a bit closer to my nose and give it a puffy look but at the same time the bottom of my top lip to stay in line as how it initially was, if i go ahead with the procedure will it make my top lip look to high up showing to much of my teeth.
and also is there any way to make bottom lips larger.
thanks heaps
October 27, 2009 at 11:16 am
Lisa:
The lip lift does not lift the corners of the mouth. There are 3 choices for the corner of the mouth. One is a small incision at the corner of the mouth, which is at the lip border.
The other is a procedure called the Depressor Anguli Oris Release, with an incision inside the mouth, where the muscle that depresses the corner of the mouth is separated.
The third is Botox to the corner of the mouth. I like doing Botox first, and if the patient likes it, then proceed to the DAO release.
Follow up is usually at 1 week, just for a look-see, because there are only internal stitches. Many patients come from out of town and leave the next day.
Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net for pricing info.
Have a Good day!
October 27, 2009 at 10:56 am
Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net, she can help you out with pricing info.
Have a good day!
October 23, 2009 at 11:57 pm
I saw this youtube about lip lift and I would like to know if it can also lift up the corners of the lip. How much does it cost and what follow up is required? What kind of time is involved? I come to Bethesda about once a year to visit NIH with my daughter. Thank you!
October 22, 2009 at 6:01 pm
How much it cost in Lip Lifts?