Lip Lift

LIP LIFT CONSULTATION AND PLANNING

Dr. Shabdiz offers surgical lip lift to his patients in Orange County, California. Dr. Shabdiz individualizes every patient’s care. He invests the time to fully understand patient expectations, learn complete history, evaluate the inside and outside of the nose, and take digital images. Dr. Shabdiz will discuss the cosmetic and functional expectations of your surgery in detail to ensure all your questions are answered.

Too many people are walking around with huge, shapeless lips that look unnatural! This is because there are so many practitioners who feel that more filler and more volume will create a prettier shape. This just isn’t the case. Filler is merely adding volume and with it, weight, stiffness, and projection. It is not ideal for creating a desired shape; and that’s where surgery comes into play.

A lip lift requires an artistic eye to achieve desirable results. The techniques used during the procedure are largely dependent on the innate shape of the mouth and the goals of the patient. The most usual lip lift technique is an incisional scar at the base of the nose. However sometimes incisions are made inside of the lip or even on the face just above the corners of the mouth.

The great majority of the time this scar heals to a point of being unnoticeable to any casual observer, even without makeup. However, healing is not completely predictable and there are times when the scar requires some help and we might recommend laser, cortisone injections or dermabrasion. If the patients are chosen carefully for this procedure then the net gain is always substantially greater than any downside and we have happy patients and surgeon.”

THE PROCEDURE

A lip lift is a minimally invasive procedure, requiring only local anesthesia. The operation is relatively simple to perform but requires great attention to detail, meticulous technique, and experience.

The patient is marked and measured precisely to create the design for the skin that will be removed from under the nose. An incision is created at the base of the nose and the skin excised, undermined, then advanced and secured in place.

RECOVERY AND RESULTS

Patients can go home right after the procedure and most return to work within 7-10 days, taking care to avoid strenuous activities. Pain and swelling are moderate and are managed with prescribed medication. Patients are encouraged to follow a soft food diet and not to talk with a wide-open mouth for about a week after surgery. The stitches at the base of the nose are removed in about two weeks. Patients return after one week and after six weeks for follow-up appointments with Dr. Shabdiz.

After healing, the mouth will be returned to a more youthful look with a shorter upper lip that allows part of the upper teeth to show naturally when the mouth is open. A more youthful, natural pout will also be restored, as the upper lip will be turned slightly outwards.