The no-scar lip-lift: upper lip suspension technique. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: Addressing the long upper lip has been a complex problem for some time. Methods such as the subnasal skin excision and the vermillion advancement technique have been described, but both leave a visible scar. A no-scar lip-lift technique is necessary for a subset of patients who have a long upper lip and will not accept a visible scar. METHODS: The upper lip is shortened via an intranasal incision and suspension suture that elevates the upper lip and anchors it to the anterior nasal spine. A retrospective review of 92 patients who had undergone upper lip-lift with the no-scar suspension technique was performed. Three plastic surgeons assessed the pre- and postoperative results and determined the presence of improvement in four categories: lip shortening, lip projection, incisor show, and vermillion show. RESULTS: The lip parameters improved, with 85% of the patients showing noticeable lip shortening, 79% showing increased sagittal projection, 74% exhibiting increased incisor show, and 25% exhibiting increased vermillion show. All the patients had improvement in at least one of the four categories. Complications were experienced by two patients with a suture abscess and one patient with an unraveled suture. CONCLUSION: The overall lip contours improved after the lip suspension technique, most noticeably in terms of lip height and sagittal projection, and the scar was hidden intranasally.

publication date

  • February 27, 2011

Research

keywords

  • Lip
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 80054701109

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1007/s00266-011-9655-6

PubMed ID

  • 21359992

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 35

issue

  • 4