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Lip Lift

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Real Patient

What is a Lip Lift?

A lip lift is designed to address issues related to the mid to lower facial regions, yet it is a surgical procedure often overlooked by patients and surgeons alike. Our board-certified surgeons focus exclusively on the face and understand the subtle intricacies of the facial bones and structure. They strive to produce natural-looking results with minimal downtime for every patient and every procedure that they perform.

At L&P Aesthetics, an upper lip lift is a subtle yet transformative procedure that can help San Francisco Bay Area patients look and feel more youthful. During the aging process, tissues around the mouth begin to droop, and this lengthening can make a person look tired and heavy. Drs. David Lieberman, Sachin Parikh, and Steven Curti see many patients in the Bay Area who have been using dermal fillers such as Juvederm® or Restylane® for lip augmentation and shaping, but a lip lift at our Palo Alto office can be a longer-lasting option.

A subnasal lip lift, also called a modified bullhorn procedure, involves lifting the tissue below the nose and above the upper lip to restore a balance between the upper and lower lips. Drs. Lieberman, Parikh, and Curti make a single bullhorn-shaped excision beneath the nostrils and close the wound by lifting the right, central, and/or left portions of the upper lip. Once healed, the incision is usually hidden by the natural creases in the skin and is sometimes virtually invisible.

Beautiful woman with curly hai

What to Expect During the Procedure

A lip lift is most usually performed in approximately one hour on an outpatient basis. At L&P Aesthetics, we perform lip lift surgery with the patient under either local anesthesia or light sedation, depending on what is best for each person.

It is recommended that you have someone drive you home from the procedure, as most patients experience mild to moderate discomfort, and the effects of the sedation will most likely still be present by the time you are discharged.

Typically, Drs. Lieberman, Parikh, and Curti do not see any bruising in patients after a lip lift, but often patients will need to wear bandages for at least 24 hours after the procedure.

In four to six days, our office staff will schedule a follow-up appointment, and usually in a week to 10 days, a patient will feel comfortable enough to return to his or her usual activities. To help conceal any visible wounds, make-up can be applied to the incision usually sometime between 10 to 14 days post-op.

Difference between lip Lift & lip filler

Why L&P For a Lip Lift and Who is Considered a Good Candidate?

A person in good health and over the age of 18 is generally a good candidate for a lip lift. While there are a variety of reasons to consider a lip lift, the most common reasons are either an elongation of the upper lip or flattening of the top lip. For both concerns, a lip lift can help restore the natural symmetry and youthful balance a person once experienced. For photos of lip lifts performed by our facial plastic surgeons, visit our photo gallery.

There are many reasons to consider getting a lip lift, and for each person, the outcome will be different. Some issues a lip lift can address are:

  • Additional lip volume without repeated dermal filler treatments
  • More definition of the “lipstick” lines
  • More pronounced “pout”
  • Shortening of the skin above the lip for more visibility of the teeth

Lip Lift Before and After Gallery

View real results from real patients below.

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Facelift Neck Lift before and after treatment

Revision Facelift, Neck Lift, Brow Lift & Lower Bleph

This beautiful patient of ours felt like her looks on the outside didn’t match up with how energetic she felt on the inside. She entrusted us with her face and we feel privileged for that honor. She underwent a revision facelift using our signature L&P technique- modified deep plane technique with deep neck contouring, lower lid blepharoplasty, brow lift, lip lift, chemical peel and chin implant.

Facelift Neck Lift before and after treatment

L&P Facelift & Neck Lift For Full Transformation

Before her surgery this patient felt more self conscious about her presentation. She is naturally such a kind, warm and friendly person. She told us that making the choice to undergo rejuvenation surgery not only changed the way she appears but has made a huge impact on the way she feels about herself.

Facelift Neck Lift before and after treatment

L&P Signature Facelift & Neck Lift For Woman From San Carlos

This beautiful woman from San Carlos came to Drs. Lieberman and Parikh for full facial rejuvenation. She was concerned that she looked much older than she was, and she was suffering from low self-confidence because of it. Drs. Lieberman and Parikh performed their L&P Signature Facelift and Neck Lift along with a lip lift, upper blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and fat transfer for a full and natural transformation.

Recovery and Beyond

Drs. Lieberman, Parikh, and Curti are known for achieving natural results, and with a lip lift, their goal is to provide subtle yet transformative results. Achieving a natural appearance depends on the surgeon’s aesthetic understanding of the size, shape, symmetry, proportion, and balance of the lips, as well as his or her surgical skill.

Lip Lift FAQs

Not everyone is a candidate for a brow lift procedure. Selecting the right candidate for surgery is an important part of every consultation.

Common reasons for seeking out this type of surgery:

  • Eyebrows that have descended toward the upper eyelid
  • Crowding of the upper eyelid region with bunching of the thin eyelid skin
  • Bunching of skin at the outside corner of the eyes
  • Deep forehead wrinkles and frown lines
  • Always looking fatigued or angry

Brow lift surgery typically takes from 1 to 2 hours to complete. You will first receive an anesthetic to make you more comfortable. As mentioned before, we are able to offer multiple different surgical techniques, including:

Endoscopic Brow Lift

The endoscopic approach is a modern, advanced brow lift method that involves the doctor performing the surgery with help from a camera at the end of a long, thin tube inserted through small incisions hidden within the hair. This method allows for the precision targeting of muscle and other tissue, which is adjusted as necessary via another incision to create new, smoother contours. Once lifted, these tissues will be secured in place.

Coronal Brow Lift

Another brow lift approach involves what is known as a coronal incision, typically made in a line running over the top of the head from ear to ear. The length of this incision allows the doctor to lift a large flap of skin and see all of the tissue to be repositioned and adjusted. When the skin is redraped over the area, it is pulled tighter to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and any excess is trimmed away. Since this technique can change the position of a person’s hairline, it isn’t recommended for certain patients. If the patient has a very high forehead, for instance, a variation on this technique may be used.

Hairline Brow Lift

The hairline brow lift involves an incision that sits at the top of the forehead, but below the hairline. When the forehead skin is pulled tight, the hairline and scalp stay in place. This may be done for people who show signs of losing their hair or who have an already receding hairline, to avoid pulling that line back even farther. Patients who want to learn more about hair restoration in relation to or apart from a brow lift can talk to our surgeons, who offer dedicated hair-focused procedures.

In all of these brow lift cases, any incisions are carefully closed after the adjustments are made and, in the case of coronal and hairline brow lifts, the remaining skin is put back into place.

At L&P Aesthetics, we prefer using an endoscopic approach for a variety of reasons, though the technique used for each particular case is determined based on several factors specific to the person. Most of our brow lift patients go home the same day and return on the first day after their surgery for dressing removal.

During the normal aging process, the perioral area often begins to change in size and shape. For most people, youthful-looking lips are balanced and full, so it is important to find a surgeon who not only understands how size, shape, symmetry, proportion, and balance affect the lips, but a surgeon who listens to your personal concerns and desired outcomes.

According to research done over thousands of years, an aesthetically pleasing face has a specific symmetry and balance between the lower and upper lips. The upper lip describes the tissues below the nostrils and the entire top lip. The lower lip describes the bottom lip as well as the skin that extends to the tip of one’s chin.

Generally speaking, a youthful lower face has a lower lip that is twice the height as the upper lip. As we age and the bone structure around the mouth thins, the cutaneous portion (skin-bearing portion of the lip) elongates and leads to a disproportion of this natural ratio.

In addition to the elongation of the cutaneous lip, people tend to lose volume in the vermillion area (red and pink parts of the lip), which then diminish the lips’ contours. The skin-bearing portions of the upper and lower lips can develop vertical lines (lipstick lines) from repeated actions of the muscles. In combination, these changes give a less than desirable appearance to the perioral area, and a lip lift is a procedure our surgeons use to address them.

While individual results vary, some results that a patient can expect are:

  • Shortening of the lip length between the nose and mouth
  • Improved balance, symmetry, and proportions between the upper and lower face
  • Increased visibility of the upper teeth
  • Increased sensuality of the mouth
  • Shortening of the perceived length of the lower midface
  • Turning the “cupid’s bow” upward (lip eversion)
  • Increasing volume of the pink and white lip
  • Improvement of lipstick bleed lines and wrinkles
  • Subtle improvement in the corners of the mouth
  • Decreased need for fillers
  • Looking younger overall, especially in the lower and mid-face regions
Elevating Aesthetics to New Heights

Work That Speaks for Itself

Trust your beauty to an award-winning team of board-certified facial plastic surgeons, renowned for comprehensive expertise, high-quality care, and an unparalleled commitment to patients. Learn why men and women throughout San Francisco, Palo Alto, and San Jose select L&P Aesthetics for superior results.

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