Comments on: hypermobile high lip line surgery

By: Aria

Aria — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:50:38 +0000

Hi Kirsty,

Hope you are well.

I meant to also ask you on the last email how did you find smiling after the stitches had been out for the necessary two weeks. Did you find that there was a slight pinching sensation under your lip when you eventually smiled? I got my 22 stitches out last Thursday so I’ve another week to go before I can smile but I find that when eating if I have to stretch a little bit more then I get a pinching sensation up under the lip. The upper lip still feels tight at the left and right side but not so much now under my nose. I found that when the stitches were in place under my nose could be really tender. I appreciate any advice you could offer as I don’t know of anybody local to me that had the procedure done.

Kind regards,
Aria.

By: kirsty

kirsty — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:32:04 +0000

Hi Aria,
I used one of those flight neck pillows for about 4 weeks to make sure I stayed sleeping on my back. I had real trouble cleaning my teeth though, as I was so scared of brushing too high and catching them.
Hi Sarah,
I didnt have the botox before my op and am planning to have it done again with as soon as I can get down to London. There is still a great improvment, hope it goes well for you.
Kirsty

By: sarah

sarah — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:35:57 +0000

Hi all. Im now over 6 months after surgery and have found in last couple of weeks now botox has worn off that lip line has lifted a lot. its still not as bad as it was but i have sent photos to Dr fairbairn for his opinion . Dont like the thought of having it re-touched but will do so if have to. I will wait and see what he says. I have heard of people having to have it redone again.

By: Aria

Aria — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:33:33 +0000

For the attention of Sam:
Hi Sam,
I got this surgery done on Tuesday last. Healing time takes about 4 weeks in all. Stitches come out after two weeks and then you still have to be careful not to smile for a further two weeks. The not smiling part I’m finding difficult, I’ve a persian kitten and trying not to smile at her is really difficult. Hope this helps.
Aria.

By: Aria

Aria — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:30:20 +0000

Hi Kirsty, Many thanks for your reply. I only got the surgery done on Tuesday last and on Wednesday evening there was a huge amount of swelling and I got really concerned and was starting to panic now to be honest. However I slept last night propped up on pillows and that seems to have made a big difference as most of the swelling has subsided and my lips look normal again. I got 22 stitches in all and from the tightness under my nose and above my two central incisors I’m guessing thats where most of the stitches are. As you advised Kirsty I’ll be extra careful when the stitches come out and will keep on doing the salt rinses. Were you able to brush your teeth up around near the top gumline whilst you still had the stitches in? I’m trying to keep away from the area just in case I catch one of the stitches with the side of the toothbrush and start the gum and lip bleeding.
Aria.

By: kirsty

kirsty — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:32:05 +0000

Hi Aria, I found sticking to soups worked well for me, good for my waistline too!! I think I had around 15 stitches in all and the swelling went down after a week, but then came back when the stitches came out. I was still quite careful for a few days after that just because it was tender.
Kirsty

By: Aria

Aria — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:44:36 +0000

Hi Kirsty,
I have just had this procedure done in the last few days and am due to get the stitches out in just under two weeks or so. I didnt get the botox beforehand and was just wondering what other advice you could offer. I’m finding eating quite difficult as I’m really concious of not stretching my jaw around too much in case I pull at the stitches. How many stitches did you get altogether? I’m rinising my mouth with a salt water rinse a few times a day also but three days on the swelling is still quite high. How long did it take for your swelling to go down can you remember?
Aria.

By: kirsty

kirsty — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:35:23 +0000

Hi I had the procudure done last year but did not have the botox before hand. I would reccomend this to anyone, as my lip line raised really high. The main benifit is it stops the pulling of the stitches as its alot harder than you think not to smile. The procudure still worked but has streched back slightly and so have botox every 6 months to keep the lip down until I can get back to see Dr Fairbairn.

I found that afer the 2 weeks and my stitches were out that was the end of the healing process with plenty of swilling your mouth with salt water to minimise infection.

As for anyone who is not sure what they will look like after, I too had a boyfriend who thought I was daft and there was nothing wrong with me. For me though, I had hated my smile so much, for nearly all of my life, I didnt care what anyone thought, I was getting it done!! My smile has altered and thats what I wanted but not in a bad way. I still look like me but without the gum.

I go to a dentist in Preston North West called Steve Hennessy, the dentists @ Watling Street Rd. He spoke to Dr Fairbairn before the botox was injected as I had 40 uints injected which is quite a high dose. He charged £140 which was the cheapest I had found in this area.
Hope this helps and good luck to anyone having it done. Its worth it!!!
Kirsty

By: Colette

Colette — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:32:35 +0000

A, I share your concern as I’m keen to still look like ‘myself’, my brother-in-law thinks I should leave well alone because my smile is a part of me, but I also hate seeing pictures of myself and feel it would boost my confidence when there’s a camera around. If I ever got married I would hate to see that gummy smile on my photos! I too would love to see some before/after photos which show the whole face, rather than just the mouth area – I assume they do this to protect the patient’s identity.

However, and to respond to Aria also, I have been in touch with Dr Fairbairn and he advised that the botox greatly increases the healing process – he’s asked me to have it done 2 weeks before. I think that makes sense, if you can’t move your top lip as much there’s less chance of rupturing the stitches. I think another benefit is that you’ll get a good idea of how your smile will look after the surgery. If you have the botox done and hate your smile then you have the option of not going ahead with the surgery and just waiting for the botox to wear off. Dr Fairbairn said if I find a local botox practitioner, preferably a doctor, he will tell them how much botox he wants then to inject and where.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:05:11 +0000

Kissdental is a practice in the Northwest that i believe offers botox treatments it may be worth giving them a try