Direct upper-lip lifting: a safe procedure.

Thin lips and an aging lower third of the face are increasingly the focus for surgical improvement. Thin and tightly pursed lips imply a certain resignation or even bitterness, especially in older women. Excessive application of lipstick to enhance the shape and color of thin lips was a solution but a poor camouflage. The desire for well-defined and full lips, as seen today on many models and actresses, is the motivation behind the increasing demand of women with relatively normal looking lips to turn to cosmetic surgery. They often present the surgeon with photographs of the shape and fullness of lips they desire to achieve. In this article the author recommends the use of the direct upper-lip lifting method as a more effective and successful approach to enhancing the shape of the upper lip. For plumping the lower and upper lip, the author recommends using autologous collagen augmentation.