Irina Prosmushkin’s mother used to at all times tell her she looked grumpy.
But on a recent FaceTime call, her mom wondered why she couldn’t stop smiling.
Prosmushkin, a 48-year-old pharmacist within the Philadelphia area, has Dr. Andrew Jacono to thank.
The Manhattan-based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Jacono performed a lip lift on Prosmushkin in January, curing her of the so-called “resting bitch face” that had plagued her.
“The corners of my lips were [always] facing down,” Prosmushkin told The Post. “Now I actually have this perfect pout.”
Lip lifts — a minimally invasive operation procedure that shortens the skin between the upper lip and the nose, often called the philtrum — are trending thanks partly to social media and all those Zoom calls we’ve needed to endure seeing ourselves on.
Done well, the surgery widens the highest lip, defines the cupid’s bow, improves tooth display and creates a younger appearance. On mature patients with drooping mouths, the surgery makes their expression appear happier and fewer pensive. On young adults with thin lips, it provides a everlasting alternative to injectables.
“It definitely looks more natural than fillers,” says Jacono, whose lip lift business has increased significantly during the last two years. “As an alternative of adding bulk to the lip, it rolls the lip from the within out and makes the red part look fuller.”
A lip lift typically costs between $3,000 and $12,000 and takes between 45 minutes and an hour. It’s normally performed under local or twilight anesthesia, unless combined with a fancy procedure comparable to a face-lift.
Numbness and stiffness are normal throughout the healing process but almost at all times go away quickly. Full recovery takes eight to 10 weeks.
Although the surgery isn’t latest, Instagram and TikTok have heightened public awareness. In accordance with a member survey from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, lip lifts were up 3% in 2022.
There are multiple kinds of lip lifts with different advantages and scar placement. Doctors say the bullhorn technique — named after the form of the strip of skin removed directly below the nose — is amongst probably the most common. A discrete scar is hidden beneath the nostrils.
“A typical candidate for a lip lift is a 53-year old face-lift patient whose smile has modified as a consequence of the lengthening of their upper lip due to gravity and lack of elasticity, just from aging,” Dr. Louis P. Bucky, a plastic surgeon with 4 offices in Philadelphia, told The Post. “Once I show a patient the before-and-after photos, they’re immediately on board.”
Some younger patients seek surgery after repeated filler use.
“While you start doing filler if you’re in your early 20s, the burden of the filler stretches the lip out,” said Jacono. “So by the point you’re in your early 30s, the lip becomes elongated. I see it on a regular basis.”
Jessie Barnes, a 29-year-old software sales exec in Denver, got a lip lift from Dr. Manish Shah in Englewood, Colorado, in May and documented her experience on TikTok.
One week post-surgery, the swelling was almost completely gone and the scar was surprisingly faint.
“I feel like my face looks more balanced and I look really natural,” she says in a video. “I’m probably still going to get some filler in my upper lip.”
Although complications like asymmetry and poor lip mobility are rare, doctors advise a conservative approach.
“You must be cautious and never do an excessive amount of,” said Boston-based plastic surgeon Dr. Samuel Lin.
“You’ll be able to’t reverse a lip lift.”
