What’s the Difference Between a Lip Lift, a Lip Flip & Lip Filler?

October 21, 2022

If you’re looking for that fuller, poutier lip, you may have delved into the internet abyss and found a lot of different options out there. There are indeed various ways to give your lip a lovely plump, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out which procedure or treatment does what, and which one is the right one for your desired look.

There are basically three ways to safely and effectively get a fuller lip look. You can go permanent, with a surgical lip lift, or take the more common non-surgical route and make the lip look fuller with temporary injectable treatments like the lip flip and lip filler.

Whether you opt for a surgical lip lift, a lip flip, or lip filler, will primarily depend on your lip and facial anatomy and on your long term goals.

Surgical Lip Lift

There’s a misconception that the surgical lip lift adds permanent volume to the lips. What the lip lift actually does is create the illusion of a fuller lip in the right patient without actually adding volume.

As we age the philtrum (the distance between the nose and the upper lip) lengthens and we lose volume in the lips. Hyaluronic acid in the lips can have a really nice effect but some patients desire a permanent option.

With the surgical lip lift the philtrum is shortened, and the upper lip is simultaneously pulled up to reveal the vermillion (the pink part of the lip); creating more vertical height in the lips and resulting in a fuller and more voluminous looking lip.

It’s a great procedure if you’re looking for a permanent result, but ideal for patients who have quite a thin upper lip, and for whom fillers just never worked. However, it can only be done on candidates who have a long enough philtrum, since this distance will be shortened during the surgery. It’s also a great procedure if you’re looking to create a more overall balanced look to the face.

If you’re also looking to add volume to the lip during the lip lift procedure this can be done via hyaluronic acid (HA) injection during the surgery. However this part of the surgery is not permanent. You’d need to have subsequent lip filler treatments in order to maintain the volume in the lips.

Lip Flip

The lip flip is a non-surgical treatment that involves injecting botulinum toxin, like Botox, both at the corners of the mouth and at the edges of the lip. Botulinum toxin relaxes the muscles that surround the upper lip, which ultimately allows your lip to flip upward creating a fuller looking upper lip. What we’re doing with the lip flip is creating more “show” of the lip.

This is a great option for anyone looking for a fuller looking lip without the need for lip fillers. Some people find that the lip flip creates a more natural looking fuller lip, but again this treatment doesn’t add actual volume to the lips. The lip flip is also temporary as the botulinum toxin does eventually wear off after about 3-4 months, meaning maintenance treatments are required in order to keep up the look.

Lip Filler

If you’re looking to add actual volume to the lips, then lip filler will be your go to treatment. Lip filler treatments typically involve injecting HA into the lips in order to create fuller, poutier, and softer looking lips.

Lip fillers with HA are not permanent, which has its advantages. It means you’re not stuck with one look forever, and because HA is dissolvable, it means the look can be reversed if you’re not happy with the result or if on the very rare occasion you have a bad reaction to the product.

That being said lip fillers with HA last anywhere between 6-12 months, depending on how quickly your body metabolizes the product, so you will need maintenance treatments if you want to preserve the look.

If you are looking to give your lips a little oomph then there is no better time than the present during our annual Fall Beauty Event on now until November 4th. Enjoy 20% off most in-clinic treatments in addition to some fun bonus treats and a chance to win a major giveaway.