The 'bikini lip reduction': A detailed approach to hypertrophic lips

Excessively large lips represent an occasional but significant challenge in aesthetic surgery. Previously described techniques focus largely on the simple excision of a strip of tissue to reduce the lips, without specific attention to the resultant lip contour or to the volume relationship between the lips. The present paper describes a new technique for lip reduction, called the 'bikini lip reduction'. This technique not only reduces the volume of the lips, but also restores an attractive labial contour, as well as an ideal volume relationship between the upper and lower lips. Because it is based on aesthetic analysis, this technique consistently yields both smaller and more aesthetically appealing lips. Simply stated, the bikini lip reduction consists of excision of a 'bikini top' (two cups and a middle strap) from the upper lip and a 'bikini bottom' (a triangle) from the lower lip. The aesthetic results and the patient satisfaction achieved through the bikini lip reduction technique have been very satisfactory.