Can My Sad Looking Mouth Be Fixed At The Same Time As My Rhinoplasty?

Q: Hi Ii am 22 years old and would like to undergo a rhinoplasty procedure with you since I have read some very good things about you. I am aware about the rhinoplasty surgery and I don’t need further information on that procedure. But I was wondering if you can fix another facial problem. The distance between the mouth and the nose is very good. But when I close my mouth its like fat or muscles pile up and that makes the area between my mouth and the nose look big, even though it is not. In addition,  the corners of the mouth droop down and give me a sad face appearance. Is there any surgical techniques to fix these problems?  

A: The upper lip fullness to which you refer seems like a natural phenomenon . If you open your mouth, the upper lip thins as the nose moves upward and the upper lip stretches downward over the teeth. When you close your mouth, the ‘accordion’ shortens and the upper lip gets fuller again. This seems to be a normal tissue reaction and there is certainly nothing that can be done to surgically change the thickness of the upper lip at rest.

The downturning of the corners of the mouth, however, is a different issue. That can be changed through a simple procedure known as a corner of the mouth lift. A small triangle of skin is removed just above the downturned corner to bring it back to a more horizontal lip level.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana