All lip lift procedures are essentially reducing the amount of skin space between the lip and the nose. However, there are several different types of lip lift surgeries. At your consultation, I will explain the different types of lip lifts and show you which is best for you based on your facial dimensions and the look you want to achieve.
Direct Lip Lift
You may see this referred to as a gullwing lip lift because of its shape. A direct lip lift creates a fuller lip and more defined lip border.
Subnasal Bullhorn
The subnasal bullhorn lip lift is one of the most popular lip procedures. The bullhorn refers to the shape of the incision around the bottom of the nose.
Central Lip Lift
The goal of the central lip lift is to shorten the space between the nose and the upper lip.
Corner Lip Lift
A corner lip lift pulls up the corners of the upper lip to correct drooping and create a more smiley facial expression. This can be coupled with another type of lip lift to minimize the space between the lip and the nose.
Italian Lip Lift
An Italian lip lift is a less pronounced version of the bullhorn lip lift.
What Kind of Anesthesia Is Used?
Here at my Beverly Hills office, I offer both general and local anesthesia. General anesthesia provides optimal comfort and convenience. Since some lip lifts are very minimal procedures, they may be able to be performed with just local anesthesia. At your consultation, I will determine which type of anesthesia is best for your surgery needs.
The Surgical Procedure
During your lip lift, I make discrete, small incisions to give your specific facial dimensions better harmony and balance while enhancing the look of your lips. My focus is to create a natural-looking result that flatters your personal appearance.
The lip lift surgical procedure will differ based on the specific lip lift you’re receiving. In a direct lip lift or gullwing lip lift, I will remove a thin strip of skin above the upper lip and pull the skin upward to reveal more of the pink vermillion parts of the upper lip. For a subnasal bullhorn lip lift, the incision can be hidden around the base of the nose so any incision scar is less visible. I trace the shape of the bottom of the nose and lift the skin up to the nose. A central lip lift also has an incision under the nose, but here it is a single “central” incision.
In a corner lip lift, I make two small incisions at the corners of the upper lip, removing a small amount of skin and pulling the skin upward. Finally, for an Italian lip lift, a very small incision is made under each nostril.
How long does a Lip Lift last?
A lip lift procedure is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that typically takes around an hour to complete. This makes it one of the shortest procedure times and for some lip lifts that only require a minimal amount of lifting, IV sedation might not be required.