Among all facial features, the lips are arguably the most sensual. This, of course, assumes they have an attractive shape. For those with less-than-ideal lip contours that affect facial aesthetics, various cosmetic procedures exist. Let's explore solutions for different lip concerns.
Large Mouth: When the mouth width exceeds aesthetic standards, surgery involves removing diamond-shaped tissue at the junction of skin and mucosa at the corners of the mouth to reduce their size.Since the sutures are placed in the concealed area of the corners, postoperative scars are barely noticeable.
Small Mouth: Beyond congenital factors, some individuals require slightly larger corners for professional reasons. Additionally, many patients with reduced corner size due to burns, trauma, or scalds undergo corner enlargement surgery.The procedure involves excising a diamond-shaped skin flap from the lateral lip margin and everting the inner red lip. Postoperative scars can be concealed by lip tattooing.The corrective approach involves excising a strip of skin and muscle along the vermilion border curve at the junction of the red and white lips beneath the upper lip to shorten it. Since the incision is made at the vermilion-white lip border, postoperative scarring is minimal. For mildly elongated upper lips, excising a strip of mucosa and muscle along the oral side of the junction between the red lip and oral mucosa can shorten the lip, typically leaving no visible scar.
Excessively Thick Lips: This includes upper and lower lip hypertrophy caused by hemangiomas or lymphangiomas. A wavy incision is made along the inner edge of the red lip, following the contour of the lip arch, to remove excess mucosa. The excision is typically 4-7 mm. For the upper lip, mucosa and muscle are symmetrically excised in an arched pattern; for the lower lip, a crescent-shaped excision is performed.This procedure involves intraoral incisions, leaving no external scars, and is the most common cosmetic lip surgery.
Double Lip: Commonly seen in young males, this condition presents as an additional red lip layer beneath the outer lip, more noticeable during eating, speaking, or smiling. It results not from excessive muscle thickness but from hyperplasia of mucous glands. The surgical approach involves removing the hyperplastic mucous glands intraorally while preserving as much oral mucosa as possible.