# Lip Lift in Istanbul, Turkey
> Canonical (HTML): https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/lip-lift
By Muhsin Yilmaz, MD, FEBOPRAS · Medically reviewed September 2026
A lip lift shortens the distance between the base of the nose and the upper lip, so that more of the lip's own red shows and the mouth sits in a younger proportion to the face. It is a small operation with a large effect on the centre of the face — and, because the incision sits under the nose, it is also an operation that has to be planned around the scar rather than in spite of it.
- **Surgery:** 1–2 hours
- **Hospital stay:** Day case
- **In Istanbul:** ~7 days
- **Socially presentable:** ~2 weeks
## What a Lip Lift Is
The philtrum is the space between the base of the nose and the border of the upper lip. It lengthens with age: the lip rolls inward, the red border narrows, and the teeth stop showing when the mouth is relaxed. Some people are simply born with a long philtrum, and the same features appear far earlier.
A lip lift removes a measured strip of skin from beneath the nose and closes the gap, which lifts the whole lip and shortens the philtrum. Nothing is added to the lip. What increases is the amount of the lip's own red that is visible, together with the definition of the border and, in most patients, a small amount of tooth show at rest — which is one of the things the eye reads as youth.
## The Subnasal, or Bullhorn, Lip Lift
The operation I perform most often is the subnasal lift, usually called a bullhorn lift after the shape of the excision. The incision follows the base of the nose exactly — along the sill, around the base of each nostril and into the crease where the nose meets the lip — so that the healed line sits in an existing shadow rather than on open skin.
How much is removed is a decision made in millimetres, on your face, with your teeth and your smile in front of me. Too little changes nothing. Too much shortens the lip beyond what your face supports, exposes too much tooth, and cannot be undone — so I plan conservatively, and I would rather revise a lift that was too cautious than manage one that was too aggressive.
## The Corner Lip Lift
A corner lip lift is a different operation for a different complaint: the outer ends of the mouth that turn down, so the resting expression reads as unhappy. A small excision at each corner raises the outer end of the lip line and levels the mouth. It is frequently done together with a subnasal lift, because a lifted centre and a still-drooping corner look inconsistent — and, for the same reason, it is occasionally the only lift a face needs.
## Lip Lift or Filler?
They solve different problems. Filler adds volume inside the lip. It does not shorten the philtrum, and in a long upper lip it usually makes the proportion worse: a fuller lip sitting under an even longer space reads as heavier rather than younger, which is the look most people are trying to avoid when they come to me having had it done repeatedly.
A lip lift changes proportion rather than volume, and what it changes stays changed. Where a lip genuinely lacks volume as well, the volume can be addressed separately — with your own tissue, through [fat grafting](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/facial-fat-transfer), where that suits the plan. The first question is always which of the two problems you actually have.
## Who It Suits
A lip lift suits someone with a long philtrum, a thin band of visible red, an upper lip that rolls inward when relaxed and no tooth show at rest — whether that is how their face has always been or how it has become.
It suits less well a face with a naturally short philtrum, where shortening it further looks odd; a very long upper lip in a face where the nose base is broad, where the scar has less shadow to hide in; and anyone whose expectation is a bigger lip rather than a better-proportioned one. Heavy smokers heal the scar worse, which matters more here than almost anywhere on the face. [What I look for in your photographs](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/am-i-a-candidate) is set out plainly.
## The Scar: the Honest Part
There is an incision under the nose, and it does not disappear. Placed correctly, in the shadow at the base of the nose and the nostril sills, it settles into a fine line that most people do not notice in conversation and that makeup covers completely — but it is there, it is red before it is pale, and it takes months rather than weeks to mature.
Anyone who tells you a lip lift leaves no mark is selling. What I can tell you honestly is where the line will sit, how it behaves in your skin type, how long it stays pink, and what we do if it thickens. Patients who understand the trade before surgery are, in my experience, the ones who are happy with it afterwards.
## How I Perform It
The markings are made with you sitting upright, at rest and smiling, because the lip behaves differently in each. The strip is excised beneath the nose, the muscle layer is respected rather than cut through, and the closure is layered so that the tension is carried deep and the skin edge sits without pull — which is what decides how the scar matures. Fine sutures come out early.
On its own the operation is a day case under local anaesthesia with sedation. As part of a facelift it is performed under the same general anaesthetic and adds very little time. What the day of surgery involves is on [your surgery timeline](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/your-surgery-timeline).
## With a Facelift
[A facelift](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/deep-plane-facelift) lifts the jawline, the cheeks and the neck and does nothing at all to the philtrum — so in a face where the upper lip has lengthened, a facelift alone leaves the centre of the face untouched and the change looks incomplete. That is why a lip lift is one of the additions I make most often inside a facelift plan, usually with a corner lift, occasionally with fat grafting to the lip. Which combinations I perform and where I stop is on [combining facial procedures](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/combination-facial-procedures).
## Results
A good lip lift is not a bigger mouth; it is a mouth in proportion, with the border defined and a little tooth showing at rest. Every case in my [results gallery](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/results) lists the full combination of procedures performed, so a lip lift performed inside a facelift is never presented as the work of the facelift alone.
[See before & after results](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/results)
## Recovery
The lip swells more than patients expect and looks over-lifted at first; both settle. Eating, brushing and speaking are awkward early on, and I ask you to avoid stretching the lip — wide smiles, dental work, anything that pulls on the closure — while it heals. Sutures are removed early, the line is pink for some time after that, and sun protection over the scar matters from the start. The week-by-week rhythm of facial recovery is in the [facelift recovery guide](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/facelift-recovery).
## Risks, Plainly
The risks are a visible or widened scar, which is the one that matters most here; asymmetry of the lip or of the nostril bases, because the incision runs along both; numbness of the lip, usually temporary; over-shortening, which shows as too much tooth and a stiff-looking lip and is difficult to correct; distortion of the nostril sill when too much tension reaches it; and the general risks of surgery and anaesthesia. A previous [rhinoplasty](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/rhinoplasty) changes the tissue under the nose and changes the plan.
## How Long It Lasts
The skin that was removed does not come back, so the change in proportion is lasting. The lip goes on ageing around it — the red thins, the face changes — and a lift performed early in life will not look identical decades later. I do not attach a number of years to it, and there is no maintenance to buy.
## What Decides the Cost
The cost follows the plan: a subnasal lift alone, a corner lift alone, the two together, and whether they are performed on their own under sedation or inside a larger operation under general anaesthesia. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote for your own plan. How quotes are built and compared safely is on the [cost page](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/deep-plane-facelift-cost).
## Frequently Asked Questions
**What is a lip lift?**
A lip lift removes a measured strip of skin from beneath the nose and closes the gap, shortening the philtrum and lifting the whole upper lip. Nothing is added: what increases is the amount of your own lip that shows, the definition of the border and, usually, a little tooth show at rest.
**What is a bullhorn lip lift?**
The bullhorn is the shape of the excision in a subnasal lip lift — the incision follows the sill of the nose and curves around each nostril base, which is what lets the scar sit in an existing shadow. It is the technique I use for most lip lifts.
**Does a lip lift leave a scar?**
Yes. There is a line under the nose, and it does not disappear. Placed in the shadow at the base of the nose it settles into a fine line that most people do not notice in conversation and that makeup covers — but it is red before it is pale and takes months to mature. Anyone promising no mark is selling.
**Is a lip lift better than filler?**
They treat different problems. Filler adds volume; it does not shorten a long philtrum, and in a long upper lip it often makes the proportion worse. A lip lift changes the proportion, and the change stays. Which one you need depends on whether your problem is volume or distance.
**How is a lip lift done?**
The markings are made with you upright, at rest and smiling. A strip of skin is excised beneath the nose, the muscle layer is respected, and the closure is layered so the tension is carried deep and the skin edge sits without pull. On its own it is a day case under local anaesthesia with sedation.
**What is a corner lip lift?**
A separate, smaller operation for mouth corners that turn down: a small excision at each corner raises the outer end of the lip line and levels the mouth. It is often combined with a subnasal lift, and is occasionally all a face needs.
**Am I a good candidate for a lip lift?**
If you have a long philtrum, a thin band of visible red, a lip that rolls inward at rest and no tooth show when relaxed, probably yes. If your philtrum is naturally short, or what you want is a fuller lip rather than a better-proportioned one, I will tell you that the operation is not the answer.
**Can a lip lift be combined with a facelift?**
Yes, and it often should be. A facelift does nothing to the philtrum, so in a face where the upper lip has lengthened the centre of the face is left untouched. A lip lift, usually with a corner lift, is one of the additions I make most often inside a facelift plan.
**How long does a lip lift last?**
The skin removed does not grow back, so the change in proportion is lasting. The lip continues to age around it, and I do not promise a number of years — but there is nothing to maintain and nothing to repeat at intervals.
**How much does a lip lift cost in Turkey?**
There is no single price: a subnasal lift, a corner lift, or both, performed alone under sedation or inside a larger operation, are different plans with different operating times. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote for your own.
## Start Your Assessment
**Send a photograph of your face relaxed and one smiling, straight on.** Over WhatsApp or through the form — you will receive my initial assessment of whether a lip lift suits your proportions, where the incision would sit on your face, a proposed plan and an itemised quote before anything is arranged.
[Request a personal review](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/contact) [See before & after results](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/results)
*Every enquiry is reviewed personally by Dr. Yilmaz; scheduling is handled by the patient coordination team.*
## About Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz
Written and medically reviewed by Muhsin Yilmaz, MD, FEBOPRAS — Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz is a **double board-certified plastic surgeon**, holding the FEBOPRAS diploma of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and the certification of the Turkish Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and practises in Istanbul, Türkiye. His practice is focused on facial and neck rejuvenation, centred on the deep plane facelift — around 150 facelift operations per year, performed at Acıbadem Kartal Hospital. He is a member of TSPRAS and ISAPS, and is registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health for international health tourism. Read his [full profile](https://muhsinyilmaz.com/en/about-us).
## References
- Austin HW. The lip lift. *Plast Reconstr Surg.* 1986;77(6):990–994. [doi:10.1097/00006534-198606000-00024](https://doi.org/10.1097/00006534-198606000-00024)
- Penna V, Stark GB, Eisenhardt SU, Bannasch H, Iblher N. The aging lip: a comparative histological analysis of age-related changes in the upper lip complex. *Plast Reconstr Surg.* 2009;124(2):624–628. [doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181addc06](https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181addc06)