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.

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

http://www.cosmeticsurg.net

Posted by Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez at 05:45 PM

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Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez
Plastic Surgeon

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8 Comments

Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez wrote
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!
Fay wrote
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
Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez wrote
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.
Kasey Nure wrote
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
Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez wrote
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!
Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez wrote
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!
Lisa wrote
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!
Cosmetic Store wrote
October 22, 2009 at 6:01 pm

How much it cost in Lip Lifts?