Can My Lip Lift Be Partially Reversed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I recently had a lip lift (about a month ago). The Dr. was a renowned and qualified surgeon who had excellent reviews and is considered one of the best at lip lifts. I only wanted a few millimeters off. about 3 mms. Despite my request he ended up taking off “half my lip” as he said or over 8 mms. I now have an A frame deformity. My mouth is constantly gaping open. I read your website about avoiding this. Is there anything that can be done to fix this? I’m heartbroken and in shock and depression. I also wonder if other places have a formal way of agreeing on pre-op plan in writing? Because there was no formal written agreement there was obvious miscommunication. I’m wondering if it is normal for this big of a procedure to just be verbal consent and no formal surgical plan or blue print, so to speak. Any help or advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

A: One of the fundamental principles of all surgical lip lifts and advancements is that they irreversible. Once the skin is removed there is no putting it back. Subnasal lip lifts do relax/settle/drop down to some degree up to six months after the procedure. That is usually but a millimeter or two. So all you can do is give it time and see how much, if any, dropping of the central upper lip occurs.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana