Your top lip looks fine until you smile - then it seems to tuck itself away. A lip flip can help it stay more visible, giving a subtle change to the shape of your smile.
The treatment relaxes the muscle around the upper lip so the edge can turn out slightly. It uses the lip you already have, without adding volume. If you like your lips but wish a little more of your top lip showed when you smiled, that may be just the change you're after.
i
With Dr Alex, who teaches doctors, dentists and nurses how to use botulinum toxin and has presented on toxin treatments in the UK and internationally.
Sound familiar?
Where did your top lip go?
A lip flip is often considered for a particular moment: the change between a relaxed mouth and a full smile.
Your lip rolls in when you smile
You want a small change
You are weighing up lip flip and filler
At a glance
The details you'll want to know
A small treatment with a subtle effect on the upper lip.
The change
More of the lip you already have
A lip flip can make a thin-looking upper lip more visible when it would otherwise roll inward.
The result is usually a small change in the exposed lip edge. It can make the upper lip look a little fuller, even though no volume has been added.
Your starting lip shape and how it moves determine how much difference you see. If you want a noticeably fuller lip, Dr Alex will discuss lip filler rather than trying to get a larger result from a lip flip.
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Is it right for you?
Lip shape, movement or volume?
Looking at all three helps Dr Alex recommend the treatment that matches what you want.
Something to consider
Do you rely on very precise lip control?
Tell Dr Alex if you play a wind instrument, sing professionally or have another activity that depends on precise lip movement. Even a small temporary change may be inconvenient for you.
How it works
Helping the upper lip turn out slightly
The muscle around your mouth helps close and shape your lips.
Small injections of botulinum toxin relax part of this muscle near the upper lip. That allows the lip edge to turn outward slightly, exposing more of the pink lip.
A lip flip does not place anything inside the lip to build volume. It also targets a different movement from gummy smile treatment, which reduces how high the upper lip rises.
Your appointment
First, show Dr Alex your smile
You can bring photographs of what you like, but your own lip movement tells him the most.
Compare relaxed lips and a full smile
Agree what a lip flip can achieve
A few small injections
Let the change develop
Why Dr Alex?
Small changes around a very expressive part of your face
Dr Alex teaches doctors, dentists and nurses how to use botulinum toxin. He is also an international Key Opinion Leader for Evolus, an aesthetics company that supplies botulinum toxin.
A lip flip involves a muscle you use all day, for everything from speaking to sipping your coffee. The assessment looks at how your upper lip rolls and how your lips meet, as well as how much lip you would like to show. Dr Alex can help you weigh that small change against a temporary difference in lip control - and explain when filler would do more of what you want.
GMC-registered doctor · 7072776
Full Member of BCAM
International toxin trainer
Aesthetics Awards winner 2021
Safety
What should you know before a lip flip?
Temporary changes to lip movement are particularly relevant with this treatment.
Possible side effects
You may have tenderness, small bumps or bruising at the injection sites. The upper lip can feel weaker or unfamiliar as the treatment takes effect.
Drinking from a straw, sipping from a cup, pursing your lips or saying certain sounds can be more difficult temporarily. An uneven smile or drooling can also occur. These effects are not usually immediate and can take time to settle as the toxin wears off; a lip flip cannot be dissolved.
When to get urgent help
Seek urgent medical help for difficulty swallowing or breathing, widespread weakness, or signs of a severe allergic reaction. These are rare but require prompt assessment.
When treatment may not be suitable
Botulinum toxin is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Tell Dr Alex about previous reactions to toxin, muscle or nerve conditions, swallowing difficulties and all medication you take. Infection around the planned injection sites needs to settle first.
Your consultation includes a medical history and assessment of lip movement before treatment is agreed.
Treatment pricing
Lip flip treatment costs
A lip flip counts as one area and costs £200. Two areas cost £280, three £350 and four £430. Dr Alex will confirm your plan before treatment.
Your questions
Questions about lip flips
The differences between a lip flip and lip filler are often the deciding factor.
Is a lip flip the same as lip filler?
Will it make my lips much bigger?
Will it help when my upper lip disappears as I smile?
Can I have a lip flip if I already have filler?
Does a lip flip also treat a gummy smile?
Will eating and drinking feel different?
How quickly will I see the result?
How long does a lip flip last?
Can I have it reversed if I do not like it?
Can I go back to work afterwards?
Other options
Looking for fullness, or less gum on show?
Lip filler adds volume and definition. Gummy smile treatment changes how far the upper lip rises. Dr Alex can help you choose according to the change you want.
Your next step
Let's have a look at your smile
Book a consultation with Dr Alex at SONÜ in Hale, Altrincham to find out whether a lip flip would give you the small change you have in mind.
SONÜ Medical Aesthetics
34 Hale Road, Hale, Altrincham, WA14 2EX
Doctor-led treatment in a relaxed, private clinic
Close to Hale station and easy to reach from Altrincham, Manchester and Cheshire