Who Are the Best Candidates for a Lip Lift?

Published on April 02, 2025 by Regina Rodman

Everyone loves full, well-proportioned lips.  Beautiful lips enhance facial harmony and create a youthful, attractive appearance. Although lip filler has been popular for years, more and more people are turning to Lip Lifts for a more natural and permanent result.  Lip Lifts have become a superior option for those with naturally thin lips or an elongated philtrum (space between the nose and the lip). A lip lift is a surgical alternative that creates lasting, natural-looking results by increasing the vertical height of the upper lip.

So, who is the ideal candidate for a lip lift? If you fit into any of the categories below, this procedure might be right for you.

1. Your Upper Lip Disappears When You Speak or Smile

Some people have an upper lip that curls inward when they smile or talk, making it appear even thinner than it actually is. Some people’s anatomy makes the lip muscle to pull inward, causing the lip to fold under itself. Dr. Rodman’s lip lift rotates the upper lip out, allowing more of the pink lip to remain visible when speaking or smiling. The result is a natural, balanced look that enhances your facial expressions.

2. Filler Makes Your Upper Lip Look Like a “Shelf” or “Duck Lips”

Lip filler is a popular option for adding volume, but it is not the best choice for everyone. If you have naturally thin lips, filler adds volume but pushes the upper lip out, not up.  This means the lip sticks out more, which makes upper lip look like a shelf, which looks odd.  Even in people with moderate sized lips, filler pushes the lips out which is what makes the dreaded “duck lips.” Instead of enhancing the shape, filler can sometimes make the lips look overfilled and protrude too far from the face.

If you have gotten filler in the past, but felt it made your lips look odd and did not like the effect, a lip lift is a better solution. The way Dr Rodman performs the procedure, her lip lifts do not add bulk and make it stick out.  The way she rotates the lip enhances the shape of the upper lip by increasing its vertical height. This means you see more of the upper lip without it sticking out more. 

3. You Have a Full Bottom Lip but a Thin Top Lip

A well-balanced lip shape includes a slightly fuller bottom lip and a well-defined upper lip. However, some people have a significant imbalance, with a very full lower lip and a thin or barely visible upper lip. This can make the face look bottom-heavy and disrupt overall harmony.

A lip lift addresses this by rotating the upper lip, so more of the upper lip is seen both at rest and when smiling.  The balance between upper and lower lips is different for every person, and Dr Rodman examines every patient to find what balances with each individual face. Her goal is to create the most proportionate and aesthetically pleasing balance between your own top and bottom lips.

You Have a Long Philtrum That Makes the Lower Face Look Longer

The philtrum is the space between your nose and upper lip, and this plays a key role in facial proportions. A long philtrum can make the lower half of the face appear too long.  As we age, the philtrum gets longer and the upper lip gets smaller, so a long philtrum can also create an aged look.

A lip lift shortens the philtrum by removing a small strip of skin under the nose, shortening the philtrum.  Because Dr Rodman rotates the lip AND lifts the lip, the philtrum is shortened AND more of the upper lip shows.  This means the ratio (balance) between the lip and the philtrum is doubly improved.  The change to shorten the philtrum AND lengthen the upper lip add together dramatically improve facial harmony and create a balance and harmony in the lip area. 

You Are Tired of the Filler Cycle and Want a Permanent Solution

Lip fillers require ongoing maintenance, with touch-ups needed every 6 to 12 months. Over time, this can become expensive, time-consuming, and painful.  No one likes having needles stuck into their lips!  A lip lift offers a long-term solution, eliminating the need for repeated filler injections. With just one procedure, you can permanently get the lips you want.  A lip lift will ultimately saving you time and money while providing a more natural and balanced result.

Is a Lip Lift Right for You?

If you identify with any of the issues above, a lip lift could be the perfect solution. Unlike fillers, a lip lift provides long-lasting, natural-looking enhancement by improving lip shape, proportion, and facial harmony.

Regina Rodman, MD is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon specializing in lip lifts. She specializes in natural, beautiful results tailored to each patient’s unique features. If you are considering a lip lift, schedule a consultation with Dr Rodman to see if this procedure is right for you!