Lip lift in Iran: the subnasal (bullhorn) lip lift explained

A lip lift is surgery that shortens the space between the bottom of the nose and the top of the upper lip. Sahleva coordinates one type: the subnasal or "bullhorn" lip lift, which removes a strip of skin just under the nose. This page explains what the operation changes, where the scar sits, and what recovery looks like, using Cleveland Clinic and American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) sources. It then covers planning a lip lift in Iran. Whether it is right for you is a question only your surgeon can answer.

What a lip lift changes

Cleveland Clinic describes a lip lift as a procedure to lessen the space between the bottom of the nose and the top of the lip. The surgeon removes excess skin from that area, called the philtrum, and lifts the lip into position. An ASPS article explains the effect: shortening that distance shows more of the inner, pink part of the upper lip, so the lip looks fuller without injections.

This page is about surgery. Non-surgical treatments, such as lip fillers and toxin injections, aren't coordinated by Sahleva.

The bullhorn (subnasal) lip lift

Cleveland Clinic calls the bullhorn (subnasal) lip lift the most common type. The surgeon makes a single incision shaped like a bullhorn just below the nose, then lifts the centre and sides of the upper lip. This is the only lip lift Sahleva coordinates. Central, corner and gull-wing lip lifts aren't coordinated by Sahleva.

How it's done

Cleveland Clinic says a lip lift is usually done under local anaesthetic, so you're awake but don't feel pain. A general anaesthetic may be used if it is combined with other procedures. On average the operation takes less than an hour, and you go home the same day. You'll need someone to drive you.

What your surgeon will assess

Only a surgeon can decide whether a lip lift suits you, after examining you. This is what the consultation is for. It is not a checklist to judge yourself against:

• The distance between your nose and upper lip, and how your lip sits at rest and when you smile. In the ASPS article, a surgeon describes the lip lift as better suited to people with a long upper lip who don't show their upper teeth well when they smile.
• Where the scar would sit.
• Smoking, alcohol and the medicines you take.
• Your general health and medical history.
• What you hope to change, and what is realistic.

Before surgery

Cleveland Clinic says you'll be asked to stop drinking alcohol and taking blood-thinning medicines, such as aspirin and some herbal supplements, before surgery, and to stop smoking for several weeks before and after. Follow your surgeon's own instructions, and don't stop a prescribed medicine without asking the doctor who prescribed it.

Recovery in brief

Cleveland Clinic describes the usual course:

• First days: sleep on your back with your head raised, avoid talking a lot, eat soft foods that need little chewing, and avoid alcohol and smoking while you heal. Swelling, soreness and tightness are common.
• From the next day to several days after: back to work, for many people.
• A few days after surgery: stitches are removed, unless they dissolve on their own.
• Within a week: swelling and bruising should start to go down.
• About 2 weeks: avoid strenuous activity, such as strength training and heavy lifting.
• Within a month: swelling and bruising should be gone.
• 6 to 8 weeks: initial healing. The lip may feel tight for a couple of months.

The scar

The scar is the trade-off of a lip lift, so it's worth understanding before you decide. Cleveland Clinic says the incision is placed in the natural crease below the nose to make it less visible. It may be most noticeable while the skin heals, and may fade and blend in with your skin tone over time. The ASPS article says the incisions are often hidden along the natural folds at the base of the nose. No source promises an invisible scar, and permanent scarring is one of the risks Cleveland Clinic lists.

Planning a lip lift in Iran

When you can fly home

ASPS and the NHS both advise waiting 7 to 10 days before flying after cosmetic procedures of the face. Neither names the lip lift, so ask your surgeon whether that guidance applies to you. ASPS explains that travelling soon after surgery raises the risk of blood clots, swelling and infection. To plan your stay, add the days before surgery, the interval your surgeon sets, any stitch removal, and a buffer for delays.

Entry rules

Some visa-free stays are short and can't be extended. See the Iran medical visa guide. For payments and staying in touch, see our Iran guide for international patients.

What your surgeon will ask for

Usually photos of your face from the front and side, at rest and smiling, your medical history, your current medicines and supplements, and whether you smoke. With Sahleva, nothing medical is collected until you have given specific consent. You then complete an intake, which goes to your surgeon.

What it costs

A lip lift trip has three separate costs: the medical fee (surgeon, anaesthesia, clinic, medication, stitch removal and check-ups), coordination, and travel. The operation is short, but the stay is set by recovery and the wait before flying. We don't publish price figures without real, dated data. Our lip lift cost guide explains what makes up each part, and what makes it vary.

Choosing a surgeon

Check the surgeon in the Medical Council of Iran's official member search, and check whether the facility holds a certificate to admit international patients. Our guide on how to verify a doctor or hospital in Iran walks through both checks, and how we verify providers explains what Sahleva checks on every case.

What Sahleva does, and doesn't do

We coordinate everything around your treatment:

• verifying the surgeon and facility you've chosen, or helping you find a verified one;
• managing the consent-based intake your surgeon needs to review your case;
• passing your surgeon's response back to you exactly as given;
• a coordination quote, kept separate from your medical and travel costs;
• travel, accommodation, local transport and an interpreter around your dates.

What only your surgeon can tell you: whether a lip lift is right for you, where the scar will sit, what result to expect, when you can fly, and your personal recovery timeline. Sahleva doesn't diagnose, assess candidacy or predict results.

After your intake, your surgeon's response comes back as one of a small set of clear outcomes. They may ask for more information, recommend a remote consultation, give a preliminary acceptance, decline, or say the decision has to be made in person. Whichever it is, it comes from them. We don't summarise or soften it. How it works shows where this step sits in your case.

Questions to ask your surgeon

Drawn from Cleveland Clinic, ASPS and NHS guidance:

• What is your training, and how often do you perform lip lifts?
• Do you recommend a bullhorn (subnasal) lip lift for me, and why?
• Where exactly will the scar be, and how do you expect it to heal?
• Will you use local anaesthetic?
• Which medicines and supplements should I stop, and when?
• Will my stitches be removed, or will they dissolve? When?
• When will it be safe for me to fly home?
• What happens if there is a complication, before and after I fly home?
• Will we share a language, or will an interpreter be present?

Risks, and when to get help

All surgery carries risk. Cleveland Clinic lists allergic reactions, bruising, infection, nerve damage, permanent scarring, persistent swelling and uneven lips.

It advises contacting your provider if you have:

• signs of an allergic reaction or an infection;
• excessive bleeding;
• swelling that gets worse;
• a fever.

In an emergency, call local emergency services. Our guide to aftercare and complications after surgery abroad covers what to arrange before you fly home.

This page was written from the sources listed below and hasn't yet been reviewed by a clinician. Each medical statement on it comes from one of those sources, and none of it is advice for your case: that comes from your surgeon.