When you look in the mirror, do you feel like your upper lip is drawn upward too much? Sometimes patients describe this as having a raised lip. You might feel like your lip makes your smile too obvious or makes your smile look "gummy." Sometimes patients try a lip filler to ease this look, but that tends to just make the lip look larger all-around. It may still appear too tight or too raised. Botox injections may actually be a better solution for your raised upper lip.
How does Botox improve the appearance of a raised upper lip?
To understand why Botox is a good solution here, you first need to have a basic understanding of how Botox works. Essentially, it works by relaxing the muscles it is injected into. So, if your practitioner injects some Botox into your upper lip, and actually into the area just above your upper lip, it will cause those muscles to relax, which causes the lip to drop. As a result, your lip will not only look a little fuller but will also sit a bit lower over your teeth, hiding more of your gums and teeth.
This approach is becoming so popular in some areas that doctors are calling it the "Botox lip flip." In other words, it flips the lip down.
What is it like to get Botox?
Patients are often nervous to get Botox in an area so sensitive as their lip, but the experience is not nearly as bad as you might think. Many doctors will first apply a numbing cream, so you barely feel the injections. And there are just a couple of tiny injections — one placed at either corner of the mouth, and another in the cupid's bow in the center of the upper lip. The tiniest amounts of Botox are used, so the injections take seconds each.
What is recovery like?
There is virtually no recovery time with Botox shots, especially when they are this small. You will want to avoid rubbing the area to harshly for a few days. It may be slightly sore and red. After the soreness subsides, you will be able to fully see your results. And the results should last about three months, give or take. You can have another round of injections once your lip starts looking to raised again.
Feeling that your lip is raised can be frustrating. Thankfully, Botox provides an easy solution.