What Is a Lip Lift?
A lip lift, sometimes called a “subnasal” lift or “bullhorn” lift, is a procedure that shortens the distance between the base of the nose and the vermillion border (lipstick line) of the upper lip. As the face ages, the upper lip can become longer, droopy-looking, or stretched out.
This ages the mouth area and changes the balance of the upper, middle, and lower third of the face on both front and profile views. The upper teeth also don’t show as much with the lips gently parted in repose or when smiling. Instead, only the bottom teeth show, creating an aged, sometimes ill or angry appearance. While injectable fillers can efficiently plump the lips, they are unable to shorten an overly long upper lip. In fact, when the upper lip has lengthened beyond the bottom edge of the top teeth, it seems to roll in and “disappear” regardless of how much filler is placed. Many such patients report that filler “doesn’t last” in their upper lip.
