Subnasal Lip Lift

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am wanting a rhinoplasty and subnasal lip lift and don’t want to do both at same time so I wanted to ask. Do you recommend getting a lip lift first before rhinoplasty as it can distort nostrils or should I get it done after?

A: A well done subnasal lip lift will not distort the nostrils so this is a misconception. That being said the order of a rhinoplasty and subnasal lip lift does not matter from an anatomic standpoint. Doing one does not affect the other in a negative way either in terms of aesthetics or being able safely perform it.

You do the nose or lip procedure first that is of greatest aesthetic significance. Because most patient’s rhinoplasty surgery produces a greater aesthetic change and can potentially have some impact on lip length, it would be most common to do the nose surgery first.

The other way to look at it is to assume whichever one you do first, the other one may never get done. (for a variety of reasons) Thus if you prioritize the surgery based on if you could only ever do one of the procedures and not both, which one would it be?

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana