Would I Benefit From A Lip Lift?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Am I the right candidate for a lip lift? As you can see, my philtrum is visibly on the longer side. I measured it at around 20–21 mm, but I’m not completely sure anymore.

My goal is to achieve a philtrum length of about 14–15 mm with surgery to better harmonize my overall facial proportions. My only concern is that my upper lip might end up looking too feminine or overly rotated, almost like “duck lips.”

I don’t know if this is a benefit or not, but my upper lip is noticeably smaller than my lower lip. I don’t mind a slight amount of rotation, but I’m worried about ending up with an overdone lip lift that feminizes my appearance too much.

Based on what you see, do you think I’m a good candidate for a lip lift?

A: You are a good candidate for the subnasal lip lift as going from 20 to 15 mm of vertical lip length is certainly reasonable. The concerns with the subnasal lip lift are not having duck lips but rather having an A-frame deformity where the amount of vermilion show in the center is far greater than that on the sides.  Those at risk have limited lateral vermilion show initially. This is why such subnasal lip lift patients need a combined lateral vermilion advancements so that they can have a more symmetric lip shape from one mouth corner to the other. You certainly fall into this category.

Dr Barry Eppley

Plastic Surgeon