Dr. Song Sanghoon, Medical Director of Golden View Plastic Surgery, has performed over a thousand lip reshaping procedures. The shape of the mouth is a major factor that determines the overall balance of the facial features. Beautifully shaped lips can drastically enhance your smile and the beauty of the face.

 

Beautiful faces have certain aspects in common. They may have strong, pronounced features, soft, small features, a narrow bone structure or even angular bone structure, etc. but all have a certain type of harmony among the features. The shape of the lip, in particular, contributes to the overall balance of the facial features. A tiny difference in the shape of the lips can drastically change one’s smile and create a uniquely attractive face.

 

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The shapes of the eyes and lips are the most important factors that determine the overall impression of the face. Plastic surgery and other procedures of the eyes have been commonly performed, however, undesirable shapes of the lips, wrinkles around the mouth, and drooping mouth corners have been dismissed as less important or could not be corrected due to lack of effective procedures. The shape of the mouth greatly influences facial expressions and the general impression others get from your face. Lip volume, shape of the mouth corner, nasolabial lines, shape of the chin and jaw lines (bimaxillary) can be corrected to improve one’s smile and create a more youthful appearance. Aesthetic surgery of the lips can be performed to create a balance between lips and surrounding tissues, as well as more unique, individualized beauty.

 

Table 1. Types of lip reshaping surgery

1. Mouth corner lift for descending mouth corners

2. Lateral upper lip lift for very thin or non-existent lateral upper lip

3. Philtrum reduction for rejuvenation

4. Cupid’s bow surgery for volumizing the middle of the upper lip

5. Aesthetic reconstruction of the philtral ridge

6. Lip reduction for unattractively large lips

7. Lip augmentation for very thin or non-existent lips

8. Nasolabial line and chin correction, chin implant

9. Lip reshaping procedures for correcting asymmetry of the lips and reconstruction/removal of previously injected foreign body or filler materials, etc.

 

Mouth corner lift

 

Figure 1-1. Mouth corner lift

Figure 1-2. Mouth corner lift

Figure 1-3. Mouth corner lift

 

 

Figure 2. After Mouth corner lift surgery

 

Descended corners of the mouth give the face a grumpy look. They can be caused by congenitally drooping corners of the mouth with a shorter and protruding mouth or aging and reduced elasticity of the skin. Patients with thin lips or shorter horizontal length of the mouth often suffer from a smaller mouth, drooping mouth corners or thinned lips after bimaxillary surgery. Mouth corner lift can create a happier and friendlier appearance by elevating the drooping corners of the mouth.

In a mouth corner lift, a small, triangular incision is made in the skin around the mouth corner (Figure 1-1), the depressor anguli oris is weakened (Figure 1-2), and levator anguli oris is strengthened (Figure 1-3) to adjust the shape and location of the mouth corners.

The surgery is carried out under local anesthesia alone or with simultaneous sedation anesthesia if necessary. The surgery takes about 1-2 hours. The incision is carefully sutured with a thin thread which is removed in 5 days. If mouth corners have descended due to age, the corrective surgery can bring a more rejuvenated and softer appearance. Patients will be particularly pleased with a drastically improved look when they smile.

 

Cautions to be given after surgery

After surgery, patients are recommended to eat only liquid food and avoid spicy or hard food. Washing or teeth brushing are possible immediately after surgery. For 3-4 days following the procedure, ice pack should be applied to the area to prevent and reduce edema. It is very important that patients do not speak too much or open their mouth too wide for at least 2 months after surgery. They should also avoid singing loudly, laughing out loud or getting dental treatment during this time. Scarring can be prevented by meticulous use of moisturizers including petroleum jelly, wound healing ointment as well as sun screen for the first few months after surgery.

 

-To be continued-

 

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