Your mouth is one of the most expressive parts of your face, conveying emotions as you speak and providing non-verbal cues while you listen or otherwise engage with others. With so much attention drawn to the mouth, it’s understandable that some people are self-conscious about the appearance of their lips with lip lift surgery. If the corners of your mouth turn downward, it can age your face or create an unfriendly expression. While cosmetic lip fillers, lip injections, and lip augmentation enhance the lips by adding volume, a corner lip lift is often a more appropriate procedure for correcting a downturned upper lip and restoring the youthful softness of your mouth.
What is a corner lip lift?
As we age, the upper lip elongates and forces the corners of the lips downward, which can make you appear angry, sad or worried even if you’re happy. A San Diego lip lift is a relatively simple facial plastic cosmetic procedure that lifts the corners of the mouth for a more youthful appearance, facial rejuvenation, and happier expression. Although lip lift surgery is simple, the change in appearance is significant.
Lip Lift cosmetic surgery in San Diego and La Jolla creates and/or restores aesthetic elements to the upper lip. Aging vertically elongates the upper lip by structural degradation and by gravitational descent. Vermilion (red part of the lip) thins. Visibility of upper teeth at rest diminishes, and lower teeth begin to show as soft tissue around the mouth settles lower on the face. Lip lift is an office procedure that reverses some of these changes, restoring a more youthful look and expression. Results are PERMANENT.
What are the benefits of a corner lip lift?
A corner lip lift improves the appearance of the mouth by creating a more defined lip shape, offering a boost of confidence and self-esteem. Other benefits of a corner lip lift include:
- Enhances balance, shape, and proportion of lips
- Minimizes the appearance of a downturned mouth
- Procedure is performed in under two hours
- Permanent results and no need for re-application, as with dermal fillers
- Natural-looking results
- Younger-looking lips
- Overall pleasing appearance
- A great lip-enhancement solution for those unable to get dermal fillers due to allergic reactions or other reasons
The corner lip lift can also be done in combination with dermal fillers for more dramatic results. To determine whether a corner lip lift is right for you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Laverson.
Who is a Good Candidate for a Corner Lip Lift?
A corner lip lift is a subtle yet powerful procedure designed to enhance the shape and expression of your lips by lifting the outer corners. This procedure is ideal for individuals who feel that their lips give them an unintended sad, tired, or aged appearance. However, suitability depends on several factors, including age, facial anatomy, and aesthetic goals.
Ideal Candidates for a Corner Lip Lift
You may be a good candidate if you:
- Have naturally downturned corners of the mouth, creating a frowning or aged expression.
- Have noticed a loss of lip volume or definition due to genetics or aging.
- Want a permanent solution rather than relying on dermal fillers.
- Have good skin elasticity, which allows for optimal healing and natural-looking results.
- Are in overall good health and do not smoke, or are willing to stop smoking before and after surgery to aid recovery.
- Desire a subtle but effective enhancement that improves lip shape while maintaining a natural look.
Age Considerations
Corner lip lifts can be performed on a wide range of age groups. While many patients seeking this procedure are 40 or older, younger individuals (as early as their mid-20s to 30s) may also benefit, particularly if their lips have a natural downturn due to genetics rather than aging.
For older candidates (50s to 80s), a corner lip lift can be combined with other facial rejuvenation procedures, such as a facelift or dermal fillers, for a more comprehensive anti-aging effect.
Who Might Not Be a Good Candidate?
While a corner lip lift is a great option for many, some individuals may not be ideal candidates:
- Those with severe lip asymmetry that may require a more complex surgical approach.
- Individuals with medical conditions that affect wound healing, such as uncontrolled diabetes.
- Smokers unwilling to quit before and after surgery, as smoking can compromise healing and results.
- Those expecting a dramatic increase in lip volume—this procedure lifts and reshapes, but does not add fullness like lip fillers.
What happens during the lip lift procedure?
The corner lip lift procedure typically takes about 90 minutes to complete, and while some patients request sedation, most only require local anesthesia at the surgical site to remain comfortable. During the procedure, Dr. Laverson removes a thin triangle of skin near the corners of the mouth, reversing the elongated downturn and causing a slight lift so that the lip sits a few millimeters higher. Once the skin is removed, the surgeon will suture the incision line so that it coincides with the “vermillion border,” which is where the facial skin meets the flesh of the lip. By planning the incision this way, the scar from the surgery will be virtually unnoticeable, even from a close distance.