LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hi Dr. Lam, I found your site recently and really like your videos and information on the site. Thank you for providing this service to your clients and potential clients.

My question is about lip lifts. I have read here that you are against them. I am 42, and have a long distance from my nose to my upper lip. To add insult to injury, I also have a thin red upper lip. I recently tried Restylane for the first time, both around the border of my upper lip to give it some definition, and within the lip itself to give it a little volume. I was very pleased with the doctor who did this, he took great care to make me physically comfortable, and not to overdo it. The results were good, for what it was. My problem is that this procedure, while adding some definition and volume to my lip, did not make the distance from nose to lip shorter, and it is that long distance that I really dislike. I don't think any amount of filler is going to make that distance a little shorter, or it would take so much that I will end up looking like a duck.

I would definitely like to do Restylane again for the benefits it DOES provide; however it is not solving my problem. What do you recommend for someone who wants to shorten the nose-lip distance?

Thank you!

Oh, I forgot to add that my upper lip is definitely a lot thinner than my bottom lip. Bottom lip is not huge but there is a big difference between the two, and not in a good, "pouty" way either. I would be happy to snap a photo and upload it here if that would help. Or find a picture that has already been taken.

here are my thoughts:
1. yes, i am not a big fan of lip lifts. if you have really zero upper lip and a long white lip, then you may be a decent candidate for a CONSERVATIVE upper lip lift procedure.
2. if you have not had fillers/fat to restore the face and you do a lip lift, it can look particularly fake because a fuller upper lip without balance to the bottom lip and the rest of the face can look done even if the lip is not that big. balance of a lip to the other lip and to the rest of the face is critical. that involves a good eye to make that determination.
your question of is there another method to do what you want, the answer is no other than a lip lift. but remember, you should not always have what you want because it may be bad. i would have to review things. yes, upload a photo here or as a private message. however, i really need to see the face to see if the lip will fit the face.
best,
sml

Thanks dr. Lam! I will send you a photo in a private message. I'm really self-conscious about this.

cool. ok.

i reviewed your photos and i would say a few things:
you look like a good lip lift candidate but with the caveat that you really should consider some more filler to the bottom lip to match the top lip in terms of naturalness. you really should consider more global rejuvenation of the face. i prefer fat grafting because it is more powerful to do the job. it will help make your lip look more natural too but overall would also give you the benefit that your face would look a lot better and more youthful. restylane under the eyes just is not enough to make the difference overall in my opinion.
best,
sml

Thanks for your feedback! I don't know much about fat grafting as I've never looked into it. I have a feeling there is plenty of info about it on this site however. I'll do some research!

Oh, one more question. When you say global rejuvenation and not just under the eyes, I'm not sure exactly what that means... Do you have specific areas of my face that you're talking about? Thanks.

yes, a phone consult would be better to explain but what i mean is the temples, brow, lower eyelids, anterior cheek, lateral cheek, buccal, anterior chin and pre jowl. look at my fat grafting results.
best,
sml

Very nice results! I read on the site how to schedule a phone consult. I'll start the process. Do you charge for phone consultations, or just in-person ones?

Thank you!

thanks. yes, phone and in person are both $100 but applied to any service that you do with me.
best,
sml