The no-scar lip-lift: upper lip suspension technique

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.

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.

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.

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.