What is a lip flip?

How does a Botox lip flip work?

The lips are wrapped in a ring of muscle called the orbicularis oris. It purses, it pouts, it closes around a straw. It also contracts every time you smile, and when the top edge of that ring tightens, it curls the upper lip inward over the teeth. That is why some people have a perfectly reasonable upper lip at rest that seems to vanish in photographs.

A lip flip relaxes just the top border of that muscle. Botox is placed in a few small units along the upper lip line, the muscle lets go a little, and the lip settles a touch further out. More of the pink shows and the lip reads a little fuller, though nothing has been added to it: a little more of what you already have becomes visible.

What does a lip flip do, and what can't it do?

This is where expectations get set, so it is worth being precise.

• It shows more of the upper lip, particularly in a smile.
• It suits lips that already have volume but read thin when you smile.
• It is quick, has no downtime, and Neoderma treats it as a legitimate starting point in its own right.

It does not add volume. The lip is exactly the same size afterwards; a little more of it is simply visible. It cannot build a sharper border, balance an uneven lip, or do anything for the lower lip. Those are structural changes, and relaxing a muscle cannot build shape. If that is what you are after, read the flip-versus-filler comparison before you book.

How long does a lip flip last, and when does it show?

Neoderma's published figure for Botox results is about 3–4 months on average; how long a flip holds in the lip is assessed at your consultation.

So expect the first change between day 3 and day 7, the finished result around days 10 to 14, and roughly three to four months before it has fully worn off, with the muscle regaining its full movement as it goes.

That short life is part of the appeal. Because nothing is added to the lip and nothing is permanent, there is very little to commit to: like it and repeat it, or let it fade.

Is a lip flip the same as Botox for a gummy smile?

No, but they are close cousins. The same idea, a few units in the muscles that lift the upper lip, is also used at Neoderma for a gummy smile, where the lip rises so high in a grin that a band of gum shows above the teeth. Relaxing that lift lets the lip cover more of the gum line. It is a different placement for a different goal, and it is one of the things a provider will look at when they watch you smile at the consultation.

Who should not get a lip flip?

Because the product is Botox, Neoderma's Botox screening applies to the flip. Neoderma does not recommend it if any of these apply:

• you are pregnant or breastfeeding
• you have certain neuromuscular conditions, such as myasthenia gravis
• there is an infection where the injections would go
• you have ever had an allergic reaction to a botulinum toxin product

Those questions are part of the full medical history reviewed at the consultation, before anything is injected.

Who should inject a lip flip?

The mouth is the most expressive part of the face, and the dose that makes a lip flip work is small, so placement matters more here than almost anywhere. Neoderma's injectors are trained and approved under its founder, Sal Nadkarni, DO, who served as Global Medical Director for Botox clinical trials at Allergan, and the practice's house rule is that you should leave looking like yourself.