STIFF LOWER LIP
Lips are one of the best facial indicators of a person's true age. For years, women have tried injecting various substances into their lips to achieve a plump, youthful appearance. Now, a new technique is achieving great results, without any need for injections.
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Salon owner Lisa Xavier is a former model, so when years of plastic surgery left her with hard "square-looking" lips, she took action.
Lisa Xavier
"As vain as that may seem, it's just something I wanted to change."
Randal Haworth, M.D.
Plastic Surgeon
Beverly Hills, CA
"What happens is that everything drops. Just like the rest of the face and the breasts and other parts of the body, the lower lip drops. It's no exception, so we start to see the lower teeth at rest."
Now, a new procedure brings the lip back up to a youthful position. Instead of injecting foreign substances like collagen, Doctor Randal Haworth simply tightens the muscles inside the lip.
Randal Haworth, M.D.
"So what I did with Lisa is to do an internal tissue rearrangement, by moving the inside skin of the lip upwards and outwards, and also in the process, tightening the muscle from here to here between my thumb and index finger."
The procedure can be done with local anesthesia and takes only a few minutes. It left Lisa with lips she loves that are free of foreign substances.
Lisa Xavier
Had lower lip procedure
"They're really full, which is really nice. I don't have something in my lip, which is great. I don't have to worry when I'm 90 years old that this thing in my lip is going to cause some kind of problem."
The lower lip lift costs about $1,500. So far, Doctor Haworth believes he is the only plastic surgeon performing the procedure.
THE WORLD OF PLASTIC SURGERY: In the world of plastic surgery, some body parts seem to receive all the attention, while others go relatively untouched. Eye lifts, breast jobs, and tummy tucks are the staples of the industry. Lip implants have been a popular procedure, but most of the emphasis has been on the upper lip. Now, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon is providing a new kind of "lip service," known as the "lower lip lift." This new procedure is designed to reverse the effects of gravity on a patient's face, much like a breast job might do for a woman's chest.
AN OVERLOOKED LIP: Randal Haworth, M.D., says the lower lip plays an important role in the way we perceive age in the human face. At rest, young lips reveal the upper teeth, while concealing the lower ones. However, as we age, both lips begin to "slide down", and eventually the appearance is reversed: the upper lips are concealed, while the lower ones are evident due to the lower lip, which doesn't remain in place. Dr. Haworth says, "What happens is everything drops, just like the rest of the face and the breasts and other parts of the body ... You can have the best face and brow lift, but if the minor youth cues are not addressed, you're still going to look old."
HOW IT WORKS: The lower lip lift involves making an incision inside the front of the lip, then tightening the muscle underneath. The result is a stronger, tighter looking lip that fully conceals the lower teeth. Unlike other lip procedures, the lower lip lift does not involve the injection of any foreign substances, such as collagen, gortex, etc. Dr. Haworth has performed the procedure more than 30 times over the past six months. He reports roughly a 75-percent improvement in 90 percent of his patients.
Patients are usually placed under local anesthesia or a light "twilight" sedation, and the entire procedure takes no longer than 20 minutes. Many patients opt to have additional procedures performed simultaneously, such as lip voluminizing, upper lip lifts, or corner lip lifts. Patients report some swelling and between two weeks to four weeks of tightness following the procedure, but no major complications have been noted.
COST: The lower lip lift costs between $1,000 and $1,500. As it is elective surgery, insurance policies usually do not cover it. Dr. Haworth, the pioneer of the procedure, says he is the only plastic surgeon in the country who performs it.
Randal Haworth, M.D.
Plastic Surgeon
436 N Bedford Dr. Suite 105
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 273-3000
Copyright © 2004 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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