Lip Flip Melbourne
Subtle Upper Lip EversionA lip flip treats the orbicularis oris, the ring of muscle that circles the mouth and closes the lips. Its outer edge sits just under the border of the upper lip, and when it tightens it tucks the pink of the lip in towards the teeth. Muscle activity treatment along that border is designed to ease the tuck, so the upper lip can turn slightly outward and show more of its natural colour. The lip keeps its own shape, and the change is subtle.
Your AHPRA-registered nurse watches your upper lip at rest, mid-smile and while you say words like โpopโ and โbooโ, because the same muscle shapes those sounds and holds a straw. That shows how much of the lip turns under, and how much your speech relies on the muscle being treated. Treatment is available at our Moonee Ponds, Brighton and Camberwell clinics.
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Understanding a Thin or Inverted Upper Lip
The upper lip has two parts: the pink vermilion and the white skin above it, which meet at a raised ridge called the vermilion border. Most upper lips show a little less pink than the lower lip. How much shows comes down to:
LIP ANATOMY
lip height, Cupidโs bow and natural pink show
MUSCLE ACTIVITY
how strongly the lip edge rolls in on movement
TEETH AND BITE
how far the front teeth hold the lip forward
AGE
the white lip lengthening as the years pass
A lip flip only changes the muscle. Where the muscle is what rolls the lip in, the lip may turn out further. Where the front teeth sit further back or the white lip has lengthened with age, the muscle has less to release, so the change may be small, and thatโs assessed before anything is planned.
Lip Flip Treatment by Cause
All three causes are treated with muscle activity treatment along the upper lip border. The orbicularis oris works every time you talk, eat or drink, so the effect tends to wear off sooner than it does on the forehead, often within a few months.
At rest, the upper lip shows enough pink. As you smile, the lip elevators lift it while the outer edge of the orbicularis oris tightens at the same time, rolling the pink inward over the teeth. In a broad smile, the upper lip can thin to a narrow line or disappear altogether, and it shows most in photos, which catch the lip mid-smile.
Muscle activity treatment along the upper lip border, just above the pink, is designed to treat that edge of the muscle. The lip elevators arenโt treated, so the smile itself should lift as usual, while the lip may roll in less and keep more of its colour as you smile.
How strongly your upper lip rolls inward during expression Lip length and vermilion show at rest vs. smile Whether muscle pull or anatomy is the dominant factor How the lip looks in photos taken mid-smile Any history of cold sores around the mouth - โWill I still be able to drink through a straw?โ Sipping through a straw or from a bottle can feel weaker for the first week or two while the lip adjusts. A cup is easier in the meantime.
- โWill my smile look different?โ The lip may show more pink as you smile. The lift of the smile comes from other muscles, which arenโt treated.
- โWill it affect how I speak?โ Sounds that need firm lip closure, like โpโ and โbโ, can feel slightly different at first, which is why your speech is checked before treatment.
- โWhy does my lip only disappear in photos?โ A mirror usually shows your lip at rest. A camera catches it mid-smile, when the muscle edge rolls it in furthest.
- More pink may show across the lip as you smile
- The change tends to build over a week or two
- Sipping and whistling may feel different at first
- The effect often fades within a few months
- Brass and woodwind players may feel a change
- Cold sores can flare after treatment by the lip
- Uneven rolling may need a plan for each side
- Upcoming dental work may affect the timing
- Upper lips that thin to a line when smiling
- People who like their lip shape at rest
- Anyone who notices it most in smiling photos
Here the vermilion border stays turned in even when the mouth is still. The outer edge of the orbicularis oris holds a steady resting pull, so less pink shows, the white skin above looks longer and the mouth can look flat from the side. As the white lip lengthens with age, the turned-in border becomes more noticeable.
Muscle activity treatment along the vermilion border is designed to ease that resting pull, so the border may turn out slightly while the mouth is at rest. More pink showing makes the white lip look shorter. Where the white lip itself has lengthened, a surgical lip lift shortens it directly, and a referral is discussed.
Vermilion show at rest, front-on and in profile Length of the white lip from nose to border The angle of the upper lip seen in profile How far the front teeth support the lip Previous lip treatment or surgery near the mouth - โWill a lip flip make my lip look fuller?โ It may bring more of your own pink into view, so the lip can look fuller at rest, though its size stays the same.
- โWhen is a surgical lip lift the better option?โ Where the white lip is long, a lip lift removes a strip of skin beneath the nose to shorten it, and a referral may be offered.
- โWill my top teeth show more at rest?โ Turning the border out doesnโt shorten the white lip, so how much of your teeth shows at rest usually stays the same.
- โCan lip liner do the same thing?โ Overlining draws colour onto the white skin above the border. A lip flip may bring the lipโs own pink into view.
- The border may sit slightly turned out at rest
- More pink may show with the mouth closed
- The white lip may look a little shorter
- The change at rest tends to be quite subtle
- A very long white lip may need a surgical opinion
- Teeth that sit further back limit the change
- Earlier lip treatments are checked first
- The change often shows best in profile photos
- Upper lips that look flat or tucked at rest
- Those whose white lip looks long beside the pink
- People who overline to show more colour
The upper lip is usually a little smaller than the lower, and an upper-to-lower ratio of about 1:1.6 is often cited as a balanced guide. When the upper lip is much thinner than that, the lower lip leads the mouth and the lower face can look heavier. Often part of the upper lipโs pink sits just inside the mouth, held out of view by the edge of the orbicularis oris.
Muscle activity treatment along the upper lip border is designed to ease the muscleโs hold on that edge, so some of the hidden pink may turn outward into view. The upper lip may look fuller beside the lower lip and sit closer to that ratio, while the lower lip is left as it is.
Upper-to-lower lip ratio, front-on at rest How much pink sits just inside the upper lip Cupidโs bow shape, height and definition Left-to-right balance across the upper lip Lower lip fullness at rest and on smiling - โWhat is the 1:1.6 ratio?โ It compares the height of the upper and lower lip at the centre of the mouth. Itโs a guide, and plenty of balanced lips sit outside it.
- โCan a lip flip make my upper lip as full as my lower lip?โ It can only bring pink thatโs already there into view, so the change depends on how much sits hidden inside the lip.
- โWill my lower lip change?โ The lower lip isnโt treated, so its shape and fullness stay as they are.
- โCan I check my ratio at home?โ A straight-on photo at rest gives a rough idea. Your nurse measures both lips at your consultation.
- The upper lip may look fuller beside the lower
- The lips may sit closer to the 1:1.6 guide
- Change is limited to the pink already there
- The lower lip keeps its current shape and size
- Little hidden pink means a smaller change
- A very full lower lip may still lead the mouth
- The ratio shifts on smiling, so both are checked
- Photos at rest are used to track the ratio
- Upper lips noticeably thinner than the lower
- Mouths that look heavier through the lower lip
- Those happy with their lower lip as it is
One Treatment, Often More Than One Cause
An upper lip that disappears when you smile often sits slightly in at rest as well, and a thin upper lip can do both. All three are treated along the same border, so your nurse checks your lip in motion, at rest and against your lower lip in one visit, then explains which cause leads and how much change is realistic for you. Thereโs no obligation to go ahead.
From Upper Lip Assessment to Review
Your nurse checks the upper lip in motion and at rest, and measures each lip at the centre and at the peaks of the Cupidโs bow. The same points are measured again at your review, so any change is compared against where you started.
What we cover in your consultation
MEDICAL HISTORY SCREENING
cold sores, pregnancy and current medications
THE LIP IN MOTION
how far the lip rolls in at your widest smile
THE LIP AT REST
vermilion show and white lip length, side-on
LIP PROPORTIONS
upper and lower lips measured at the centre
SPEECH AND FUNCTION
sipping, whistling and the sounds โpโ and โbโ
YOUR PLAN
where treatment goes and when it is reviewed
A lip flip is a single appointment, with a review once the effect has settled, usually after about two weeks.
Before Your Appointment
WHAT TO BRING & KNOWThe lip border is easiest to read bare, in good light. If you have photos or an event coming up, book about two weeks ahead, because the change tends to build gradually.
Come without lipstick, liner or tinted balm
Mention any cold sores so cover can be arranged
Tell us about recent or upcoming dental work
Bring a smiling photo that shows your concern
During Treatment
WHAT TO EXPECTYour nurse asks you to smile and pucker, then marks the upper lip border while it moves, because the treatment points sit along the edge of the pink. The treatment itself takes a few minutes.
The lip is cleaned and the border is marked
You smile and pucker so the edge can be traced
Numbing cream is available for the lip border
A cool pack may settle tenderness at each point
Aftercare & Follow-Up
WHAT HAPPENS NEXTFor the rest of the day, keep pressure and heat off the upper lip so the treatment stays where it was placed.
Skip straws, puckering and lip pressing today
Leave lipstick and lip liner off until tomorrow
Avoid facials, saunas and hot yoga for a day
Contact us immediately if you notice anything unexpected or concerning
Treatment Is a Process, Not a Single Decision
How tightly the orbicularis oris tucks the upper lip in tends to stay the same through life. What changes with age is the lip around it. The white lip lengthens and the pink thins, so the same tuck hides a larger share of the lip.
A 2020 3D imaging study of 169 Chinese women measured these changes from their 20s to their 50s. The white upper lip lengthened from an average of 13.75 mm to 16.74 mm, while the pink of the upper lip thinned from 8.10 mm to 6.57 mm and its border flattened. Most of the change appeared between the 40s and 50s.
So in your 30s, a lip flip mostly changes how the lip moves, while later on the same treatment works with less pink to bring into view. Your consultation measures where your lip sits now and how much a lip flip may show.
CLIENT REVIEWS
What our clients say
Explore More Treatment Options
The orbicularis oris works with the muscles around it. The elevators that lift the upper lip also pull on the fold beside the nose, and the mentalis below pushes the lower lip up as the lips close, so changes around the mouth rarely sit in one muscle alone.
Gummy Smile Treatment
The lip elevators lift the upper lip high enough to show the gum line
learn moreNasolabial Fold Treatment
The same elevators pull on the fold running from the nose to the mouth
learn moreCleft Chin & Mental Crease
The mentalis pushes the lower lip up and dimples the chin as lips close
learn more
Lip Enhancement
Volume is used to help shape the lip border and balance upper and lower lips
Wrinkle treatments
Muscle activity treatment for frown lines, forehead lines and crowโs feet
Fotona 5D
Laser that works from inside the mouth as well as on the skinโs surface
Chemical Peels
Peels that may smooth fine lines and uneven texture above the upper lip
PRF Treatment
Platelets from your own blood, used to support thin skin around the mouth
3 accessible clinic locations across Melbourne
All locations
Camberwell
1172 Toorak Rd, Camberwell VIC 3124, Australia
+61 477 441 340 Book an in-clinic consultationMoonee Ponds
30-32 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039, Australia
+61 477 441 340 Book an in-clinic consultationHave Questions? Your Consultation Is a Good Place to Start.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lip Flip Treatment
SUITABILITY
Can I have a lip flip if Iโm pregnant or breastfeeding? 
Can I have a lip flip if Iโve had other lip treatments?
Can I have a lip flip after cleft lip repair?
RESULTS & TIMELINE
Will my lip look uneven while it settles?
How will I know if my lip flip has worked?
Can a lip flip change my Cupidโs bow?
AFTERCARE & LOGISTICS
Can I go to the dentist after a lip flip?
Can I exercise after a lip flip?
Is a price listed for a lip flip?
CHOICE ARCHITECTURE
Is a lip flip a good first lip treatment?
FEAR-ADDRESSING
Will people be able to tell Iโve had a lip flip?
Is a lip flip painful?
Will I dribble when I drink?
COMPARISON
Lip flip vs surgical lip lift: whatโs the difference?
Lip flip vs lip blush tattoo: whatโs the difference?
Send an Enquiry
Have a question or want to learn more? We'd love to hear from you.