Will a Lip Lift Affect My Smile and Expressions?

Publication date: 9/2026

A lip lift can affect your smile in minor ways. While certain changes are the main goal of the surgery, others are just temporary stages of recovery, and a few can be prevented with proper preparation.

A lip lift (aka upper lip lift or surgical lip lift) is a surgical procedure that shortens the skin between the base of your nose and upper lip. For cisgender patients it is usually performed as cosmetic surgery to counteract aging. For transgender patients it is an appearance-based part of gender-affirming care. Because the upper lip sits at the center of every smile and most facial expressions, it is reasonable to ask how the lip lift procedure will change your smile.

What Are The Intended Changes To Your Smile From a Lip Lift?

These smile changes are intended results of lip lift surgery. They are permanent because the procedure removes skin from the upper lip:

More upper teeth shown. A long upper lip tends to curtain the upper teeth, both at rest and while smiling. A lip lift changes your smile by shortening the space between your nose and upper lip which shows more of your upper teeth and red lip tissue. In one published series of 55 patients, a subnasal lip lift increased tooth show by an average of about 1.5 mm.¹ A systematic review covering 1,754 patients found maxillary incisor show typically improves from roughly 1.5-2 mm before surgery to 3.5-5 mm afterward.²

More visible red lip. Lifting the lip rolls the vermilion (the pink-red part of the lip) slightly outward, so the upper lip looks fuller without any added volume. The same 55-patient series measured a 31.5% increase in vermilion show.³

A shorter philtrum. The vertical skin between the nose and lip becomes shorter, which creates a more feminine and youthful look.

These changes do not change the mechanics of the smile. A properly performed lip lift removes only skin beneath the nose and preserves the facial muscles around the mouth, so the muscles that produce your smile and expressions are left intact.

Will My Smile Feel Tight or Stiff After Surgery?

Yes, your smile will feel tighter and/or stiffer after surgery. During this period, the lip feels tight, and big expressive smiles can feel restricted or unnatural. This usually feels uncomfortably tight for a few months after surgery and gradually softens. It can take as much as 6-12 months to reach a stable sensation. Dr. Mittermiller counsels patients to judge their smile at several months, not several weeks. Smile stiffness in the initial weeks is part of the normal recovery process.

Recovery from a lip lift is relatively quicker and easier compared to other plastic surgery procedures. Swelling and bruising of the upper lip typically last a couple of weeks. Sutures are typically removed after seven to ten days.

Does a Lip Lift Affect Speech, Eating, or Other Mouth Movements?

In the first days the upper lip is swollen and the incision is fresh, so many surgeons advise limiting excessive talking and exaggerated mouth movements while the incision heals. Expect some awkwardness with wide bites and big laughs during the initial few weeks.

Compared to other facial procedures, lip lift recovery is much simpler over the long term. Because the bullhorn technique places no incisions inside the mouth, there is no need to change your diet after the procedure. You can brush your teeth right away, although brushing the upper front teeth may feel a bit tender in the beginning. Speech, chewing, and kissing will all return to normal as the tissues soften. A lip lift only changes the resting position of the lip’s skin and not the muscles in your smile.

“My smile feels stiff and doesn’t look like mine.” This is normal in the first weeks. Your smile may feel tighter. The tissues soften progressively, and normal expressive range returns as swelling resolves.

“Will my smile get narrower or change shape?” Lip lift does not tighten the corners of the mouth (horizontal) and your lower lip is untouched. Lip lift only shortens the lip (vertically). Once healed, the width of the smile is preserved.

“Do people regret it?” Published data shows most patients do not regret their lip lift. Satisfaction after lip lift surgery is high, with a mean improvement score of 4.4 out of 5 and revision rates between 0.6% and 6.7%.⁴ Most regret around a lip lift stems from overly aggressive skin removal or poor incision placement. This is why conservative planning matters.

Can a Lip Lift Make a Gummy Smile Worse?

If a patient already has a gummy smile, it can make their gums more visible. The best candidates for a lip lift have a long upper lip with limited tooth show. If a patient already shows significant tooth or gum exposure when smiling, lifting the lip further can produce an abnormal amount of tooth or gum show after the procedure. This is why Dr. Mittermiller evaluates tooth show at rest and during a full smile before recommending a lip lift.

Excessive gum visibility is driven by specific underlying factors, such as hyperactive lip muscles, an elongated upper jaw, or excess gum tissue covering the tooth crown.⁵ A lip lift is ineffective at treating these conditions. Patients whose smile concerns stem from these causes are better served by treatments matched to the actual cause.

Which Lip Lift Technique Is Best for Preserving Your Smile?

Not every lip lift is the same operation:

Bullhorn (subnasal) lip lift. The most common technique performed today, and the one used by Dr. Mittermiller. Skin is removed beneath the nose in a bullhorn shape, the incision hides at the nose-lip junction, and the smile muscles are untouched. The standard bullhorn lift changes what a smile shows and does not change how the smile moves. This is the technique behind the outcome data cited throughout this article.

Corner lip lift. A different operation for a different goal. The corner lip lift elevates the corners of the mouth into a slight smile, intended for downturned or drooping mouth corners. It is the one lip lift variant whose explicit purpose is changing the corners of the mouth both at rest and while smiling.

Italian lip lift. A more subtle variant using two incisions, one at each nostril, that does not lift the center of the lip. It changes the Cupid’s bow and central tooth show less.

Gullwing (direct) lip lift. An incision along the upper lip border that creates a more defined top lip, but places the scar in a more visible location than in the subnasal approach.

Can a Lip Lift Change Your Nose?

The lip and nose share a border, and research shows measurable nasal effects: the same 55-patient series found the nasolabial angle decreased by about 4.6 degrees, alar width increased 2.2%, and the nasal tip could appear slightly more projected after surgery.⁶

In Dr. Mittermiller’s view, the best lip lift should not significantly change the shape or appearance of the nose. Removing the natural nose-lip junction causes unnatural blunting, excess tension on the closure can distort the nasal base, and taking too much tissue near the sides of the nose may widen the nostrils slightly. These changes do not occur with every lip lift. Choosing a surgeon who carefully plans the surgical procedure can help prevent these issues.

Lip Lifts in Gender-Affirming Facial Surgery

The goal for transgender women pursuing facial feminization is a feminine appearance. On average, men have longer upper lips than women. Studies show a difference of around 2 mm in philtral length. Shortening the lip is a feminizing change. Recent research in facial feminization patients confirms that lip lifts can achieve philtral shortening with low complication rates.⁷

How Dr. Mittermiller Approaches Lip Lifts to Protect Your Smile

In Dr. Mittermiller’s practice, protecting the smile comes down to three planning decisions.

First is conservative and customized skin removal. The best lip lift shortens the lip to a length that still appears natural, producing slightly more tooth show rather than an exaggerated reveal.

Second is careful candidate selection. Pre-operative evaluation identifies patients whose existing tooth or gum show would be pushed into an unnatural range.

Third is incision placement exactly at the nose-lip junction with a tension-limiting closure, which protects both the scar and the natural drape of the lip during expression.

You can review healed results in Dr. Mittermiller’s lip lift before-and-after gallery, including an example with smiling before-and-after photos. If you are considering a lip lift and want an honest assessment of how it would affect your smile, contact Dr. Mittermiller’s office to schedule a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the downsides of a lip lift?

The main considerations are a scar beneath the nose (usually well hidden at the nose-lip junction when properly placed), temporary tightness and swelling, and the fact that the change is permanent. There isn’t an easy way to lengthen the lip again if too much skin is removed. Most of these risks can be effectively mitigated by selecting an expert plastic surgeon and pursuing a conservative treatment plan.

How long until my smile looks and feels normal after a lip lift?

Most swelling and bruising resolve within a couple of weeks. Gentle smiling is comfortable shortly after sutures come out. Residual tightness with big smiles typically fades over the following two to three months, with complete softening taking six months to a year in some patients.

Do lip lifts age well?

Lip lifts tend to age very well. Because the procedure permanently removes skin and shortens the upper lip, it directly counteracts the natural aging process, which typically causes the lip to lengthen and thin out over time.

Citations

1. Marechek A, Perenack J, Christensen BJ (2021) Subnasal Lip Lift and Its Effect on Nasal Esthetics. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 79 (4):895–901. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2020.12.007 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33421416
2. Komisarek O, Banasiak L, Olichwer V, Burduk P (2026) The Bullhorn and Beyond: Evidence-Based Review and Clinical Recommendations for Lip Lift Techniques. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 25 (3):e70703. doi:10.1111/jocd.70703 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41731334
3. Marechek A, Perenack J, Christensen BJ (2021) Subnasal Lip Lift and Its Effect on Nasal Esthetics. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 79 (4):895–901. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2020.12.007 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33421416
4. Marechek A, Perenack J, Christensen BJ (2021) Subnasal Lip Lift and Its Effect on Nasal Esthetics. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 79 (4):895–901. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2020.12.007 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33421416
5. Faus-Matoses V, Faus-Matoses I, Jorques-Zafrilla A, Faus-Llacer VJ (2018) Lip repositioning technique. A simple surgical procedure to improve the smile harmony. J Clin Exp Dent 10 (4):e408–e412. doi:10.4317/jced.54721 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29750105
6. Marechek A, Perenack J, Christensen BJ (2021) Subnasal Lip Lift and Its Effect on Nasal Esthetics. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 79 (4):895–901. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2020.12.007 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33421416
7. Moscarelli J, Kauke-Navarro M, Singh N, Kong V, Salib A, Lewis K, Glaspy J, Michael Alperovich (2026) Efficacy and Morphometric Outcomes of Combined Rhinoplasty-Lip Lift for Facial Feminization Surgery. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery 37 (7-8):1905–1909. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000012538 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41931361/