How is lip repositioning performed?

Written in association with: Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Published:
Edited by: Conor Lynch

Top Doctors recently spoke to highly experienced consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah. Here, the esteemed surgeon details what lip repositioning is, and what the potential associated side effects could be.

How important is one's smile?

A wonderful smile is a critical feature of beauty to which society gives a great importance. A smile is key to our socialisation and attraction. A person’s smile can express a sense of happiness, sensuality, success, affection and courtesy. It can also show confidence and kindness.

 

Unfortunately for the 15 to 20 per cent of young adults who have a gummy smile, it is a source of insecurity. The concept of a nice smile basically depends on the entity of three anatomic components: gum, teeth, and lips. A gummy smile, or a high lip line, is when the lip rests high on the gums when we smile and a disproportionate amount of gum tissue is shown leaving people self-conscious about smiling in public or in photographs. 

 

What is lip repositioning, and how long does it take to perform?

The surgical lip repositioning procedure has been shown to produce long-term patient satisfaction with permanent results. It offers a permanent solution to the problem of a gummy smile. Many patients seek this surgery after having a series of Botox injection treatments that only last for a few months.

 

The procedure usually takes about 45 minutes to complete is performed under local anaesthetic. Two minor incisions are just below where the gums meet the upper lip and a small band of gum tissue is removed. A strip of the muscles that elevate the lip is excised so as to prevent the recurrence of the gummy smile. This adjusts the level the lip rises to when smiling or laughing. The lip is then sutured to achieve the final position. 

 

What are the associated side effects?

The procedure is safe and has minimal side effects. There is minimal post-operative bruising, discomfort, and swelling.

 

What is recovery time like?

Recovery takes three to four days. During that time, there is typically moderate pain and swelling, which is manageable with over-the-counter pain medications. Patients typically can go back to work after four days, but will need to avoid strenuous exercise or activity for about two weeks.

 

After the first four weeks of healing, there will be some minor settling over the first six months in which the lip may rise about an additional millimeter when smiling. After six months, the results of lip repositioning surgery last permanently

 

If you would like to correct your gummy smile today, make sure you book an appointment with consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah today by visiting his Top Doctors profile.

By Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Plastic surgery

Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a highly distinguished consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon. With more than 25 years of experience, he is internationally recognised for his expertise in cosmetic surgery without scarring, combining a unique approach that incorporates elements of field work, academia and humanitarianism.

In London, Professor Abu-Sittah currently sees patients at 121 Harley Street. His highly-skilled practice focuses on face and body treatment procedures, including facelift, scarless lip lift, scarless chin augmentation, minimal access browlift, blepharoplasty and non-surgical rhinoplasty procedures.

Professor Abu-Sittah qualified from the University of Glasgow and completed his postgraduate training in London. Following his specialist registrar training, he went on to accomplish three prestigious fellowships: a paediatric craniofacial surgery fellowship and a cleft surgery fellowship at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Kids, and later, a further trauma reconstruction fellowship at the Royal London Hospital.

He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2010 before relocating to Lebanon a year later, where he was appointed Head of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery at the renowned American University of Beirut, known as Middle East’s foremost medical centre.

During this time, Professor Abu-Sittah notably led Lebanon's first augmented reality operation, in which he guided a surgeon from Gaza to reconstruct the hand of a child. He additionally co-founded the Conflict Medicine Program, a curriculum first-of-its-kind designed to train health professionals in the treatment, recovery and rehabilitation of war injuries and trauma-related afflictions.

Throughout his distinguished trajectory, Professor Abu-Sittah has balanced his clinical work with service as a war surgeon in conflict zones, including Iraq, South Lebanon and Gaza. He is also a consultant for the World Health Organisation’s Operational Trauma Initiative and a trustee at the International Network for Aid Relief and Assistance and at Medical Aid for Palestinians, providing assisted reconstructive surgery for adults and children injured by war.

Further to his clinical work, Professor Abu-Sittah is an honorary senior clinical lecturer at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London and is on the board of advisors of the Global Research Group on Burn Trauma at the National Institute for Health and Care Research, where he is also a reviewer.

Prior to this, Professor Abu-Sittah directed a course for the Royal College of Surgeons on surgical skills in austere and military environments. As a world-leading figure in his speciality, he has also featured extensively in the media, including the BBC, the CNN and the Wall Street Journal.

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