Lip lift — it removes skin under the nose, and the scar sits in the middle of the face

A lip lift removes a strip of skin right under the nose and closes it, shortening the philtrum. The upper lip rises, more of its red part shows, and in some cases the upper teeth show slightly even at rest.

First, what it does and does not do.

• it does — reduce the distance between nose and lip, and make more of the red part of the upper lip visible
• it does not — make the lip itself thicker. It is not adding volume; it is moving position.

That distinction matters. If thin-looking lips are the concern, this may or may not be the answer. Thin and far away are different problems.

And two things belong on this page more plainly than anything else.

First, the scar sits in the middle of the face. The incision runs along the crease under the columella, and hiding it there is the aim of the technique. Done well it is not easy to see, but under the nose is where light falls from above, and it cannot be covered by a mask or by hair.

Second, it cannot be undone. Removed skin does not come back. Take too much and the upper lip rises too far, so that the teeth show with the mouth closed and the area under the nose looks taut. Reversing that is difficult.

We also note that reversible approaches exist — hyaluronic acid filler and botulinum toxin. The nature of the result differs, but what you can do if you change your mind differs too.

The scar sits under the nose. Hiding it in the crease is the aim, and done well it is less noticeable, but it is the middle of the face and where light falls from above. A reddish line stays for months, and longer with thicker skin or a tendency to scar.

Lifting too far is hard to undo. If the upper lip rises too much, the teeth show with the mouth closed and the area under the nose looks taut. It is the best-known bad outcome of this operation.

The shape of the nostrils can change. The incision is right under the nose, so it touches the nasal base. Nostrils can look wider or come out uneven.

Sensation under the nose and in the upper lip dulls. It usually returns, though some can persist.

Your smile changes. Do not decide from the resting face alone — more gum can show when you smile.

Swelling lasts weeks. Under the nose holds swelling for a long time, and the final shape takes three to six months.

Avoid opening the mouth wide and stretching the upper lip for as long as you are told.

Get the amount to be removed as a number. This operation is a matter of millimetres. Have the current distance between nose and lip measured, and hear how much is to come off.

Taking less is the safe direction. Too little can be revised; too much lift is hard to undo. Same as on the other operations on this site.

Bring photographs of yourself smiling. Planning from resting photographs alone leaves out how much gum will show when you smile.

Check now how much of your teeth shows. If the upper teeth already show with the mouth comfortably closed, this operation increases that.

Trying a reversible approach first is an option. Raising the lip with filler or botulinum toxin lets you check whether the direction is the one you want in a way you can take back. The nature of the result differs.

Say in advance if you scar easily. The scar shows here.

Stop smoking. How the incision heals decides what the scar looks like.

It cannot be undone. Removed skin does not come back. We write that sentence on every page of this layer, but here it weighs more — because reversible alternatives clearly exist.

Put it side by side with the reversible ways. Filler can be dissolved (hyaluronidase); botulinum toxin wears off. This operation is neither. Not many entries in this layer let us write that, so we do.

'Small operation' does not mean small change. It takes about an hour under local anaesthesia, but a few millimetres between nose and lip carry a lot of the impression a face makes. We wrote the same on eye-corner surgery.

With age the upper lip lengthens and thins. Today's result does not stay as it is.

Whether you can accept the scar is the central question. It is the middle of the face, and it cannot be covered.

Whether to have it is decided in consultation, and it is better not to decide from one clinic's account.