The Bull Horn Lip Lift
The goal of the bull horn lip lift is to give you a shorter, more youthful upper lip with more red lip showing and more teeth showing when you smile. It is done if the distance between your nose and upper lip is too long. This is usually from aging because the skin stretches with time. Although, some people are naturally born with too long of an upper lip.
Surgery removes the excess skin directly under the base of the nose, wrapping around in the crease of the nostril. It leaves a small and usually unnoticeable scar at the base of the nose. Results do vary depending on the skin type and how you heal. It lifts all of the lip except the outer corners.
This is the most common lip lift. I do many of these every year them. The surgery is not painful. You will swell a lot for 5-7 days. Sutures are removed in a week.
The Corner or Valentine Lip Lift
This lift removes a heart-shaped wedge of skin just above the corners of the upper lip, right above the red area. Even with great care, there is nowhere to hide the scar so it can be permanently visible. This is fine for women who routinely wear make-up. People who do not want the risk of a visible scar can have Botox in the outer, lower lip or in the Depressor Anguli Oris muscle, or DAO for short. Botox effects are temporary, lasting about 3 months so they are a safe but not a permanent solution.
The French or Central Lip Lift
This lift only removes skin in the center of the upper lip. It may leave some people looking like a rabbit because only the middle of the lip is made shorter than the rest of the lip. I only recommend this lift if a person has lengthening of the middle of the lip. This type of lip lift is rarely needed.