Am I A Good Candidate for Upper and Lower Lip Advancements?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have been getting lip filler for eight years and have tried numerous types of filler, numerous techniques and numerous injectors, and I always suffer from lip migration. To be honest, I was not blessed with lips and my goals are to have more “lip shape” than volume because I love the look of large full lips that are flatter than projected. I’ve been researching for the past two years about the lip advancement technique, and your work is stunning! I wanted to know if I would be a good candidate for upper and lower lip advancements  being someone who is naturally tan and not naturally blessed with any kind of lip whatsoever. I have not done lip filler in 2 1/2 years, but I still feel as though I have some residual filler in my lips. I always used Restalyne Kysse or Juvederm. Thank you kindly for your help!

A: Compared to many lip advancement patients your lips are very full by comparison (even minus the residual filler) But even fuller lips can undergo vermilion advancements. Having intermediate skin pigmentation slightly increases the risk  of more visible scarring. But the real risk factor in that regard is how much vermilion advancement is being done and does it need to cross the cupid’s bow area. It seems like your lips are most ‘deficient’ laterally more than centally (see attached picture) which would also be the safest approach to minimize scarring. 

Dr. Barry Eppley