Aesthetic reduction of the upper lip

Quantifying female upper lip lengthening with age by direct surface measurement: A guide for the lip lifting procedure

Upper lip lifting is a very popular procedure but there is no objective guidelines on how much skin has to be removed to obtain an optimal result. We have measured and compared the philtral height in two groups of young and old female Lebanese subjects. We have found a mean philtral height of 14.3 ± 1.9 mm in the young group and 19.8 ± 2.4 mm In the old group, with a mean philtral lengthening of 5.5 ± 2.9 mm. We suggest using these results to plan the amount of skin that has to be removed during a lip lift procedure.

Rejuvenation of the perioral area

Lip aging is characterized by a relaxation of the skin with creation of wrinkles and vermilion involution. Surgical techniques include skin excisions and vermilion reposition.

Aging of the upper lip: a new treatment technique

The signs of aging of the upper lip, the pathogeny, and different treatments proposed up to now are discussed. A personal technique used since 1992 is presented. It is based on an earlier personal technique, described in 1970, which consisted of dissecting the skin from the orbicularis muscle and inserting a temporary (three weeks) silicone sheet. The present technique consists of a skin excision at the nasolabial junction, based on that described by Cardoso and Sperli in 1971. However, I dissect the skin of the vermilion border and insert a trapezoidal graft of the pretemporal areolar tissue, taken during rhytidectomy. The graft is fixed with Vicryl sutures at the level of the nasolabial folds. In a few patients this has been combined with a peel. The technique corrects both the superficial and the deep wrinkles caused by the retraction of the fibers that join dermis and orbicularis muscle. It achieves an eversion of the vermilion, enhancing its convexity and producing a fuller look, and shortens the lip, which adopts a concave, youthful appearance because of the improvement of the philtrum and of Cupid's arch. Our technique has been used in 15 patients who were satisfied with the results.

Lifting of the upper lip using a single extensive incision

In this report an operation to treat ageing of the upper lip is described, whereby a single strip of skin extending from one labial commissure, along the juxta-nasal part of the lip, to the other labial commissure is excised. Good results were obtained with this method in 12 patients operated on, and these results are presented.