Atlanta Docs Tell You What You Need to Know About Lip Lifts

How a lip lift can perfect your pout

You know that little space between your upper lip and your nose? Some of us are born with more of it than others, and on many of us, the length of it grows as we age and begins to sag. But according to oral and maxillofacial surgeon Brenda Hall, DDS, M.D., either group can benefit from what is known as a lip lift, a revolutionary procedure that can revive any smile.

Not to be confused with a lip flip, a lip lift is a minimally invasive surgery that corrects and enhances a patient’s natural smile using small incisions to achieve permanent results. Dr. Brian Maloney, of the Maloney Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, explains that it’s done two ways. The first is a nasal base resection, which helps patients with a well-defined upper lip shorten the space between their upper lip and the base of their nose to reveal more “teeth show” when smiling. The other option is a vermillion advancement. It is designed for patients with thin lips, and involves an incision at the top edge of the upper lip to remove part of the white space and help roll out some of the lip’s pink part, allowing more of it to show.

“There really are no other procedures like it,” says Dr. Hall. “It’s a very forgiving procedure with a very minimal scar to produce a more youthful shape to the lips.”

Following an in-depth consultation, a lip lift is performed in the plastic surgeon’s office under local anesthesia. The procedure takes around 90 minutes, recovery takes about a week and final results are usually achieved within four months.

“The most common question I get is if the lips can be lifted with fillers instead of surgery,” says Dr. Hall. “The answer is yes, but only sometimes. If the space above your upper lip is too long and you inject fillers, the filler will push the lip out instead of up.”

And while Dr. Maloney explains that a lip lift doesn’t add volume, the good news is that you can combine it with other forms of lip augmentation, using either AlloDerm®, fat or a hyaluronic filler such as Juvéderm® VollureTMor Juvéderm Ultra to achieve more plumpness.

“Lips are associated with health and beauty,” says Dr. Maloney. “The benefits of these procedures are that they help to restore proportion and balance back to the lower portion of the face.”

Now that’s something to smile about.

Details: Dr. Brian Maloney, Maloney Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, 6111 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., Bldg. E, Ste. 201, Atlanta.
www.maloneycenter.com
Dr. Brenda Hall, www.facebook.com/drbrendahallomfs