lip lift in NYC

As you get older, the ligaments between the nose and upper lip can loosen and weaken, causing the area to increase in length, from one to three millimeters every decade after your 20s. Over time, this causes less of the pink of your upper lip to show, making the mouth look smaller, the upper lip appear thinner, and less shapely definition of the Cupid’s Bow.

Many of our patients desire the more youthful look of a plumper upper lip that slightly exposes the top teeth when relaxed. If you experience the thinning of your upper lip and desire a more youthful and natural pout, a lip lift may be a great option for you.

Other ideal patients include those who have been using lip fillers for a plumper upper lip and would like longer-lasting results than those from lip fillers. If you are seeking a more natural look than implants or fillers, you may also be a good candidate for a lip lift.

Yes, a lip lift can make more of the pink-colored part of your upper lip, or vermilion, show by repositioning the tissues. By shortening the distance between your nose and lips, a lip lift raises the upper lip to expose more of the naturally pigmented tissue, especially for individuals with a long upper lip that covers part of their teeth. If your vermillion stops short of the corner of your mouth, we may recommend combining a subnasal lip lift with a corner of lip lift. 

A lip lift does not change your lip’s pigmentation, but rather makes its natural color more visible by revealing an area previously obscured. This can make your lips appear fuller and more defined and youthful, without appearing unnatural, “overdone,” or “duck-like.” Dr. Pearlman’s meticulous lip lift techniques can also define your cupid’s bow—the curve at the top of your upper lip—to further enhance your natural contours and restore overall facial harmony. 

Dr. Pearlman performs every lip lift in NYC with the utmost precision, using advanced techniques at every stage of the surgical process to minimize scarring. Depending on the kind of lip lift you opt for—subnasal (cupid) or corner—he will create precise incisions along the natural borders of your lip or creases of your nose to conceal any future scarring. We may also perform laser treatments and/or injections starting as early as 6 weeks post-op to help your skin heal more seamlessly. 

After surgery, it’s important to follow Dr. Pearlman’s recovery guidelines to help your skin heal properly and preserve the health of tissues throughout recovery. For example, keeping the incision site clean and dry for the weeks after your procedure reduces the risk of infection, which can worsen scarring. It’s also important to apply SPF to the area to protect it from UV rays during and after the healing process, as the sun can cause scar tissue to darken or thicken. 

You should avoid overusing your lip muscles through excessive facial expressions during the first week of recovery, which can put unnecessary strain on the tissue as it heals. We recommend sticking to a soft diet in the weeks after surgery to reduce the amount of chewing necessary for this reason. 

Many people with hooded corners of the lips notice that they appear tired or sad, despite not feeling that way, due to a downturned mouth. Hooded corners cause the edges of the lips to droop downward, which can create a permanent negative facial expression. While this condition is often brought on by aging, it may also occur due to genetics or weakening lip muscles, potentially offsetting the delicate balance between your features and making you appear less youthful. 

If you notice that the corners of your mouth remain flat when you smile—rather than lifting up—this may be a sign of hooded corners. Dr. Pearlman may recommend a corner lip lift in NYC for patients struggling with these concerns, as this technique focuses on repositioning the corners of the mouth to reestablish a youthful, upturned appearance.

Lip injections offer non-surgical lip enhancement, which means that they require less downtime, but more maintenance. It’s important to understand that various injection formulas work differently—providing different results with their own unique upkeep needs.

Lip fillers, such as Juvéderm and Restylane, use a hyaluronic acid (HA) based gel to “fill” the area. This formula binds to water beneath your skin’s surface, increasing volume. While results are immediate, they typically last between 4 and 6 months, requiring regular maintenance injections to uphold your results. Typically, dermal fillers offer longer-lasting results in other areas like the cheeks and jawline, as your lips are constantly moving while you talk, eat, and drink. Over time, dermal fillers can migrate to areas beyond where they were originally injected, which can lead to uneven distribution, asymmetry, and unnatural-looking texture.

Botox is another injectable option, which works around the lips rather than in the lips themselves. As a wrinkle relaxer, Botox works by temporarily limiting specific muscle movements, hence why it’s often used to smooth and prevent wrinkles. When artfully injected around the lips, Botox can slightly adjust how the upper lip sits—changing its position so that your upper lip appears fuller or reducing the amount of your gums that show when smiling. This formula takes about a week to “settle” and provide results, which last about 8 weeks. 

Lastly, we also offer PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) injections for the lips, which work by triggering collagen and elastin production. This gives your body the resources to plump your lips naturally, offering gradual and more subtle results, which can last up to 12 months after a series of injections. 

Dr. Pearlman may recommend a lip lift in NYC rather than injections if you are seeking a lasting solution and want to avoid excessive fullness, often called a “trout pout.” His personalized lip lift techniques deliver results that rarely—if ever—require updating.

A lip lift has some of the longest lasting results because the lip lift procedure involves the actual removal of accumulated skin to create a shorter philtrum (that space between your upper lip and your nose). This delivers a long-lasting result that rarely requires updating, if ever. While some patients see a slight relaxation of the skin between the nose and upper lip over the first year afterward, most of the initial results are there for the long term.

Dental hooding is a condition that causes the upper lip to extend over the upper teeth, making them less visible when you speak or smile, due to excess skin in the philtrum—the area between the upper lip and nose. This can make your upper lip appear longer and less defined, subduing the natural curvature. In some cases, dental hooding can cause a “gummy smile,” where the upper gums become more visible when speaking or smiling. While dental hooding can occur with age and as the philtrum begins to sag and elongate, it can develop at any age. 

A subnasal lip lift can correct dental hooding by shortening the philtrum and lifting the lip into a more youthful, defined position. This can allow your upper teeth to show more when speaking or smiling while balancing your facial features. 

You may experience some pain and discomfort for the first 72 hours after your lip lift, but this is pretty easily managed by oral pain medication. Most patients return to work after three days. In less than a week, we will remove the stitches to finalize healing. Your lips may experience some swelling for the first one to two weeks and a feeling of tightness may linger for two to four months in some cases.