Lip Lift in Irvine, CA
Rosy, fuller lips have long been considered a key component of a lovely smile and a person’s overall beauty. If you have been undergoing temporary lip fillers and want a permanent change, a lip lift is a minimally invasive surgery that shortens the skin between the nose and the top lip for fuller lips and contour. Dr. Houmehr Hojjat offers natural-looking lip enhancement with the lip lift procedure in Irvine, CA.
Lip Lift
What Is a Lip Lift?
A lip lift can serve two functions. The primary goal of a lip lift is to alter the ratio of the lip to the skin under the nose. This is done by a lip reduction of the skin with incisions directly below the nose. The top of the lip can also be trimmed and slightly rolled back.
For someone with a downturned mouth, a lip lift can also be used to remove the skin at the corners of the mouth and lift sagging corners at the outer edges of the lip. If you have ever felt that your lips were pinched, tight, or too thin, or if you are constantly looking for ways to round out your lip area with color, you may be a great candidate for a lip lift.
Why
Why Get a Lip Lift?
There are many products on the market that can offer you plumper lips. A surgical lip lift procedure will actually make your top lip take up more space under the nose, rolling back the edge of the top lip and exposing more of the pink lip tissue. This cosmetic procedure can balance a full bottom lip, create a consistent gap between the lips when your lips are resting, and give you more space for lip color if you choose to apply it.
Narrow or thin lips have never been popular. The trend for fuller lips at the moment has many struggling to find a way to have a bigger, bolder smile. Temporary lip fillers can make your existing lip tissue fuller, but if you want a long-term solution for thin lips, then an upper lip lift will help!
How a Lip lift is Performed
The cut along the top edge of the lip is referred to as a gullwing lift and creates a smooth curved line that defines the top of the lip. Many practitioners also pair this with a subnasal bullhorn cut at the base of the nose that removes skin under the nose, pulling the top of the lip up toward the nose.
For those who are prone to scarring, an Italian lip lift may be a better choice. Instead of just one incision in a bullhorn shape below the nose, you will have two incisions directly below each of the nostrils. This scar is much less visible, though the bullhorn scar is also nearly invisible. There is a slight risk of an uneven pull with this surgical choice.
If you feel that your mouth is excessively downturned, you might also consider a corner lip lift. This surgical procedure lifts the corners of the mouth slightly and is often done at the same time as a lip lift for a brighter, more open smile.
Preparation
Preparing for Your Lip Lift Procedure
During your consultation, you will be asked to bring in a list of any medications, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs, as well as any supplements you take. Lip tissue features blood vessels very close to the surface. You will receive instructions on what to avoid, including:
- Smoking
- Blood-thinning medications like aspirin
If you are on prescription medications to prevent clotting, your regular physician and Dr. Hojjat will likely need to discuss your risks and candidacy.
If you have been getting lip augmentation injections, you may need to put off your upper lip lift until that product is fully out of your system and plastic surgery can be done on your lip tissue in its natural state. Make sure you let your physician know of any injectable use prior to scheduling your surgical procedure.
This is also the time to focus on wellness. You will need a week to rest and recover with minimal bruising and swelling. In the time leading up to your surgical procedure, do your best to get in the habit of:
- Protecting your skin from the sun
- Drinking plenty of water
- Avoiding tobacco
- Eating a diet high in antioxidants
If you plan on getting any dental whitening, consider getting it done before your upper lip lift for best comfort after your facial plastic surgery.
Call us today!
Recovery
Recovering from a Lip Lift
For the first 24 hours, do your best to rest and to stay still. Keep your head elevated to avoid blood pooling and brush your teeth gently. Keep the tissue moisturized and clean. Don’t eat anything that forces you to over-stretch your mouth or pucker, such as drinking liquids through a straw.
Investing in a tall wedge pillow to keep your head elevated is a good idea after any cosmetic surgery. Additionally, you will want to avoid any garments that have to be pulled over your head. Keep a soft cloth and a bag of frozen peas close by so you can ice as directed. Use a timer so you don’t fall asleep with an ice-pack on your face and never apply the plastic directly to your skin.
Lip Lift Healing Over Time
Avoid strenuous activity for at least a week after your facial plastic surgery. Exercise will increase blood flow to the incision and sweating may introduce bacteria to your stitches.
You can expect your swelling to be completely gone after two weeks and the redness of the scars to fade within 3 months. If the scar tissue is prominent, it can be reduced with a laser treatment.
You may notice a loss of sensitivity at the lip line. You may also notice a slight problem speaking as your body heals. These symptoms should fade as your scars heal.
It should be noted that this surgical procedure will make your lips more visible, but not necessarily fuller. If you feel you look best with full lips, you may still choose to get a lip augmentation.
Candidates
Good Candidates for Lip Lift
If you don’t already have a gap between your lips when you are perfectly relaxed and just want a larger or more visible top lip to balance your mouth, you’re likely a good candidate for this cosmetic procedure.
It should be noted that this surgical procedure may leave a gap between your lips when your face is at rest, displaying your top teeth a bit more even if you’re not smiling. Taking too much skin could lead to visible gums when you smile.
Your board certified plastic surgeon can help confirm whether you’re a good candidate for this surgical procedure. If you smoke, are diabetic, or have oral herpes, you may need to take a different path to lip correction.
Cost
Lip Lift Cost
Depending on where you live, a lip lift can cost between $2,000 and $5,000 total. The national average in the United States is $3,350. As fillers cost between $600 and $800 per injection and last up to six months, your lip lift could pay for itself in two years.
Expand your need
Complementary Procedures
An upper lip lift may pull the top lip up slightly, showing more of the top front teeth at rest. If your front teeth are not as white or straight as you would like, you may want to undergo whitening or some form of cosmetic dental correction.
Additionally, your lip lift may expand your need for new lip colors. Your bolder smile could be enhanced by non-invasive treatments around the eyes, such as microdermabrasion, Hydrafacial, or a mild chemical peel to brighten the skin across your face. You may also want to consider microneedling to boost collagen production around the eyes to firm drooping tissue.
Some find that an upper lip lift leads to a younger-looking mouth. If you have concerns about an imbalanced face, injectable Botox can be a great way to reduce forehead grooves.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Lip Lift
What are the risks?
Any time the skin is cut there is a risk of infection. Choosing a skilled board certified plastic surgeon is the most critical step in protecting your overall health.
This is a minimally invasive surgery that is generally done under a local anesthetic. You should have someone to drive you home and be set up at your house to lay back and heal. Do everything you can to avoid swelling, which will keep bruising and hopefully pain to the minimum level.
The scar under the nose should fade within three months of your procedure. Once it’s fully healed, you can cover it with makeup.
Give your body at least a week after this cosmetic procedure. You do not want sweat pouring into your incisions.
A lip lift is an extremely stable surgery. You may notice droop at the corners of your mouth over time, but the risk of stretching in the skin over the top lip is minimal. This is why your initial consultation and measurements are so key. It is rare but possible, to take away too much skin above the top lip.
If you live near Irvine, CA, Socal Aesthetic Surgery offers lip lift among its services and is conveniently located at 113 waterworks way, Suite #100, Irvine, CA 92618.
Irvine, CA
Schedule Your Consultation!
Contact the office of Dr. Houmehr Hojjat in Irvine, CA at 310-729-4475 for a conversation about this procedure or any other cosmetic concern. Your confidence and sense of self could be greatly increased with this simple procedure.
ADDRESS:
113 waterworks way, Suite #100
Irvine, CA 92618
400 Newport Center Dr, Suite #704
Newport Beach, CA 92660
PHONE:
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Mon-Friday: 09:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat-Sun: Closed
