Lip Lift
Rejuvenation Of The Aging Mouth

A person seeking to look more youthful may be given a face-lift to correct the laxity of the cheeks and neck, and eyelid surgery and perhaps a brow lift to correct the laxity of the lid-brow unit. Although the results are dramatic, the rejuvenation of the patient's face is incomplete. The patient still looks old because the mouth still looks old.

The limited options heretofore available for the mouth area - the resurfacing techniques of dermabrasion and chemical peeling, improve only the wrinkling, which is but a small part of the mouth's aging process.

The mouth undergoes many changes as it ages. The upper lip lengthens and sags, the vermilion thins out and takes on a "set" look, the corners droop, and the architecture becomes muted as the "lip roll" and the philtrum flatten and the "cupid's bow" loses its curves. Eventually, the lower teeth, rather than the upper teeth, show when the lips are slightly parted. Vertical wrinkles appear, nasolabial creases become furrows, and deepening "marionette lines" give the person a downturned and unhappy look. The lower lip changes similarly but less dramatically. Here, aging can be corrected by a lip lift, corner lifts, excision of the nasolabial furrows, a chin implant, and dermabrasion.

The lip lift is performed to shorten the long lip of aging, allowing the upper teeth to show again when the lips are slightly parted. It also everts more of the upper lip vermilion, thus-making the thin upper lip appear more youthful. The scar that lies in the shadow crease between the nostril sill and the lip is virtually invisible.

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