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Which should be done first, lip lift or facelift?

Dr. Dean Kane Q & A Q. Which should be done first, lip lift or facelift? I want a different surgeon for each procedure? I desire full facelift AND upper lip lift. My concern is lip lift procedure seems to be more difficult and not done as often. If I prefer one doctor for face & another for lip, what is recommended surgery sequence? Lip or face first? The distance from my nose to upper lip is quite long, but my upper lip is full enough so lip lift will be even more challenging. Do I select only one doctor based on my confidence in the lip skill and conclude that he/she will be equally or more skilled in face? A. ​​As you allude to, the face stretches and wrinkles as does the upper lip with aging and many other factors. ​ ​You are correct in stating that the lip lift (a “gullwing” like excision of skin excess next to the lower nasal margin) is not performed as much and certainly not documented publicly as often. The lip lift is not as complicated as the facelift but can leave a perceptible scar. ​ ​Most certainly you should select the best surgeon for YOU to undergo these two procedures which may be performed together under local/ sedation / general anesthesia or separately as you wish. I prefer local with IV sedation, and I would perform them together. ​ ​Advantages of doing both at one sitting is that you do not need a recovery time for swelling to diminish prior to proceeding with the lip lift. It also allows adjunctive procedures to reduce visibility of the scar and wrinkles of the upper lip and elsewhere such as IPL, CO2 / erbium fractionated lasers, peels, fillers, etc to be performed sooner after separated surgeries. ​ ​Selecting the right doctor for YOU is based on your trust in that physician. Ask your facelift surgeon and if desired a second opinion Board Certified and well versed Plastic Surgeon or ENT Facial surgeon how he feels and what his or her concerns are regarding doing both procedures at once. ​ ​Good luck with your surgery, your care and with your decision. All the best!
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