Lip Surgery

Lip Reduction Surgery


Lip Reduction Surgery| Cheiloplasty for Enhancing the Look of the Lips

Lip reduction surgery is the common terminology used for cheiloplasty.
Cheiloplasty or lip reduction is  surgery of the lip for the purpose of enhancing the look of the lip.

It includes lip reduction, the process of surgically reducing the size of the lip or lips in order to reduce the appearance of abnormally large or protruding lips and the process of forming an artificial tip or part of the lips by using a piece of healthy tissue from some neighboring part. The procedure can also be performed to enhance the upper and lower lip for those who wish to make their lips permanently larger.

Who is a Candidate for Lip Reduction Surgery

It is hard to believe that anyone would want to reduce the size of their lips. Full, glossy lips are so popular in our world today. But there is a percentage of people who have lips that are too large and can actually affect their every day routines. Eating, talking or trying to maintain dental health can become difficult when the proportion of the lips is out of sync with the face.
Teasing or ridicule is common among people with lips that are too large. This can cause a lack of confidence in anyone with this particular problem and can also cause the person to avoid contact with others because they fear being humiliated or rejected by the public. For these reasons, people with lips that are too large might want to consider lip reduction surgery.
There are four types of people who usually opt for this procedure.
  1. People of certain genetic or race are born with thick lips. They in their effort to mingle with the general population want to reduce the lip size.
  2. Those who had gone for a surgical procedure for lip augmentation in their quest for full pout lips but are not satisfied with result because of abnormal lumps on lips as a consequence of a botched lip enhancement surgery may also go for lip reduction surgery to even out the lumps.
  3. Some people are born with congenial lip deformities like cleft lips. They also need Cheiloplasty to correct these lip abnormalities.
  4. There are yet another section of people who may need this type of lip surgery. They are the people who had accidents or burn injuries that left excess healing tissues that needs to be surgically removed. It is not uncommon for an injured lip to heal with lumps or bumps that can look unattractive and impair function.
The surgery itself is a way to balance out the lip area. Usually one lip is larger then the other and has to be put in balance with the remaining lip as well as the nose and chin.
Lip Reduction surgically reduces the appearance of larger-than-desirable lips. It involves taking a small section of tissue from the inside of your lip and suturing it with either dissolvable or non-dissolvable stitches.
People who are thinking about getting a lip reduction should first find a reputable plastic surgeon. Thanks to the Internet, most plastic surgeons are listed and also rated and reviewed. Their credentials can be checked and if they were ever sued for malpractice, it will also be listed along with the reviews.
After finding a physician, they can than schedule a consultation. During the initial consultation the patient has to disclose any medication he or she is using and the surgeon must go over in detail the procedure being done. He must also include the time it will take to heal and any after care instructions. At this time, the patient also needs to go over what result they expect from the surgeon. The surgeon will explain if he can meet these expectations and what to expect after the surgery is completed.
A few days before the actually surgery the patient goes again to the surgeon to discuss any other things that might come up. This is called the preoperative appointment. The surgeon will also discuss the pre care and after care following surgery and prescribe any medications or antibiotics needed.
This is is the most important step in the whole process of lip reduction surgery because this is the time when you must have a very clear discussion with the surgeon about your complaints, concerns and the various looks one can achieve, the amount of skin that can and should be removed, etc. Your surgeon will explain the technique and incision placements or methods that may be most appropriate for you and should discuss the risks associated with lip reduction as well.

Time Required for Lip Reduction Surgery Procedure

The surgery is usually done under a local anesthesia and takes about 1-2 hours to perform lip reduction surgery. Time requirement can vary depending on the extent of surgery being done. The surgeon removes a strip of skin from one or both of the lips, to balance the lip area out. After the surgery it can take from 7 to 14 days to heal fully. In some cases, stitches might have to be removed after 10 days depending on the type of sutures that were used.

Lip reduction surgery is done in out patient basis.

And since this surgery is of cosmetic nature insurance cover is not available.
For enhanced results, lip reduction can be combined with:
  • Rhinoplasty
  • Facelift
  • Facial Implants
One the positive aspect of this surgery is that it is permanent in its result.
So you need to be very clear about exactly what kind of look you are expecting from the procedure and have a frank discussion with your surgeon before the lip reduction surgery is actually done.

Recovery Time for Lip Reduction Surgery

Your swelling will subside within a few weeks, but usually the final result will be visible after about 3 months of the surgical procedure. You may notice a change in your smile, odd sensations of “hollowness”, tingling, the sporadic sharp pain, or “pulling”, burning, and cold sensations. These usually subside within the first few weeks.
You can return to work at 5 to 7 days – but it depends upon type of your work. If you have a sedentary (desk job) with little or no amount of talking it is ok to resume your work after about a week. If your job requires high impact activity you may need more time off .Consult with your surgeon regarding this.

Post Operative Care for Lip Reduction Surgery

Just like any other surgery, lip reduction has risks. Patients are at risk of getting a bacterial infection and may be allergic to the anesthesia. After surgery the lip area may also become numb. Usually this goes away. But in a small percentage of people it is permanent.
After the lip reduction surgery you need a few precautions about the food you eat. Wash thoroughly any raw food or vegetables that you eat. Avoid spicy and hot foods until your lips are completely healed. It’s also a good idea to avoid having raw fish, rare meat or other types of food that may contain high amounts of bacteria. You may be instructed to rinse with Listerine several times a day. Do not to pick or tongue your incisions and sutures. Your doctor may advice you to refrain from contact sports for at least 6 to 8 weeks after lip reduction.

Cost Of Lip Reduction Surgery

Lip reduction surgery normally is not that expensive. The price can range anywhere from $1,000 and beyond, depending on which surgeon is used, the related procedures combined and the type of anesthesia used for the surgery. In bigger cities the prices for these types of surgeries go up. So it can also make a difference where the surgery is being performed.
There are many clinics which offer free consultations for cosmetic lip reduction surgery.
And also there many clinics that perform lip surgery for free for children born with lip abnormalities like cleft lips.
Here is a YouTube video by Dr.Lam who provides a brief tutorial about the lip reduction procedure.Hope you find it informative.

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