Dr Scott J Turner | Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) | Sydney
Key Takeaways A lip lift scar sits in the crease at the base of the nose, which is one of the better places on the face for a scar to settle into a fine line. Expect it to look pink and firm for the first several weeks, then soften and fade over six to twelve months. Early redness, tightness and numbness are normal. A scar that keeps widening, thickens or stays raised is worth having reviewed. Tension-free surgical closure and steady scar care make the biggest difference to how it turns out.
The scar is the part of a lip lift that patients ask me about most, and reasonably so. It sits on the face, not hidden under clothing, and it is permanent. The reassuring part is that the incision is placed where a scar has a good chance of settling well. The honest part is that healing takes months rather than days, and the care it gets in that time matters.
This guide walks through what a lip lift scar looks like as it heals, roughly week by week, what falls inside the normal range, and when a scar is worth having looked at. If you are still deciding whether the surgery is right for you, the lip lift surgery procedure page covers candidacy and technique in detail. For the wider picture of why some people are happy afterward and others are not, our guide on upper lip lift regret covers that side of the decision.
Where a Lip Lift Scar Sits, and Why That Helps
Most upper lip lifts use a bullhorn or subnasal incision. The cut follows the junction where the base of the nose meets the skin of the upper lip, curving along the natural line beneath the nostrils and across the base of the nose. That position does a lot of the work. It sits in a natural shadow and crease, so once the scar matures it tends to blend into an area the eye already reads as a fold rather than a flat plane of skin.
Not every lip lift scar sits in the same place. A corner lip lift leaves small scars at the corners of the mouth, and a direct lip lift places the scar just above the lip border, which is why it is used less often. Where the scar sits is decided at the planning stage, and it has a real bearing on how visible the final line is likely to be.
The Healing Timeline, Week by Week
Healing is a process with fairly predictable stages. Knowing what each stage looks like takes a lot of the worry out of it.
The First Week
In the first week the scar looks its most obvious, and this is the stage that alarms people the most. The line is red or pink, often slightly raised, and there may be a little crusting along it. The area feels tight and can be swollen. Sutures are usually removed around day five to seven. What you see at one week is not what the scar will look like in a year, so try not to judge it now. A one-week lip lift scar is meant to look like a fresh wound, because that is what it is.
Weeks Two to Six
Once the sutures are out and the incision has sealed, many patients notice the scar actually looks pinker or redder for a while before it starts to fade. This is normal. It reflects the extra blood supply that arrives while the body remodels the tissue underneath. The line may feel firm, a little lumpy, or numb to the touch. This is the “looks worse before it looks better” phase, and it passes.
Months Two to Six
Through this stage the redness begins to settle and the firmness softens. The scar gradually flattens, and any numbness usually eases. This is the window where scar care earns its keep, because an immature scar responds far better to silicone and sun protection than a mature one does.
Six to Twelve Months
By six to twelve months, the scar in most patients has matured into a pale, flat, fine line that sits quietly in the crease beneath the nose. A scar keeps improving over this whole period, which is why surgeons ask you not to judge the final result until around the twelve-month mark.
What’s Normal, and What Isn’t
Plenty of things that look concerning early on are simply part of healing. Redness, firmness, a slightly raised line, numbness, occasional itching and mild unevenness are all common in the first weeks and months.
A few signs are worth acting on rather than waiting out. A scar that keeps getting wider, one that thickens into a raised ridge or spreads beyond the original line, or one that stays angry and red well past the early months can point to a scar that is not settling as it should. So can a scar that pulls on the base of the nose or the lip and changes their shape. And any sign of infection, such as spreading redness, heat, discharge or fever, needs prompt review. None of these mean something has necessarily gone wrong, but they are reasons to check in with your surgeon rather than sit on it.
What Separates a Fine Scar From a Poor One
Two things shape how a lip lift scar heals: how the surgery is done, and how your own skin behaves.
On the surgical side, the single biggest factor is tension. When the lifted lip is anchored to the firm structures deep to the skin, the surface closure carries almost no load, and a tension-free line is what heals into a fine scar. When the weight of the lift is left hanging on skin sutures alone, that constant pull tends to widen the scar over time. This is the same principle that underpins deep plane facelift surgery, where the deeper layers do the lifting so the skin is never under strain. It is also why the experience of the Specialist Plastic Surgeon doing the work counts for so much with an operation this small and this unforgiving.
On your side, a few things influence healing. A personal or family history of keloid or thick, raised scarring is important to raise before surgery. Smoking impairs wound healing and is worth stopping well before and after any procedure. Sun exposure can darken an immature scar, and following the aftercare you are given all make a measurable difference.
Corner Lip Lift Scars
A corner lip lift is a different operation with a different scar. Rather than sitting beneath the nose, the scars are placed at the corners of the mouth to lift a downturned mouth. Because the corner of the mouth moves constantly with speaking and expression, these scars can behave differently from a subnasal line, and their placement calls for careful planning. If you are researching a corner lip lift specifically, it is worth discussing scar position and healing for that technique in its own right rather than assuming it heals like a standard upper lip lift.
Caring for Your Scar
Good scar care is simple, but it works best when it is consistent. General measures that help most patients include the following, always after and alongside your surgeon’s specific instructions.
Keep the incision clean and protected in the early days, and follow the suture-care advice you are given. Once the wound has fully sealed, silicone gel or silicone sheeting is one of the better-supported ways to help a scar flatten and fade. Protect the scar from the sun with a high-SPF sunscreen for at least a year, because ultraviolet light can leave an immature scar permanently darker. Gentle massage of the healed scar can help soften it, if your surgeon advises it. Avoid stretching or putting tension on the area while it is healing, and if you smoke, stopping gives your skin its best chance to heal cleanly.
When to Have a Scar Reviewed
If something about your scar is worrying you, it is always reasonable to see your surgeon rather than wait it out. Early treatment of a scar that is starting to thicken is far easier than trying to correct a mature one, and simple measures often settle things.
At the same time, patience matters. Because scars keep improving for up to a year, it is usually wise not to rush into revision surgery. There is also an important limit worth understanding: revising a lip lift scar means removing more skin, which shortens the upper lip further, and for some patients that trade is not worth making. We cover why revision options are narrower than people expect in our guide on upper lip lift regret.
If you are considering a lip lift, or you have questions about how a scar is settling, you can arrange a consultation with Dr Scott J Turner, Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS), consulting in Sydney at Bondi Junction and Manly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a lip lift scar take to heal? The wound seals within the first week or two, but the scar itself keeps changing for much longer. It usually looks red and firm for the first several weeks, softens and fades over the following months, and reaches its final appearance at around twelve months. Most surgeons ask patients not to judge a scar before then, because it improves considerably over that first year.
What does a lip lift scar look like after one week? At one week the scar looks like a fresh wound, which is exactly what it is. Expect a red or pink line that may be slightly raised, with some tightness, swelling and occasionally light crusting. Sutures are often removed around day five to seven. This early appearance is not a guide to the final result, so it is normal for it to look far more obvious now than it will later.
How do I know if my lip lift scar is healing badly? Redness, firmness and a slightly raised line are normal early on. The signs worth reviewing are a scar that keeps widening, thickens into a raised ridge, spreads beyond the original line, stays intensely red well past the early months, or pulls the nose or lip out of shape. Spreading redness, heat, discharge or fever can indicate infection and should be checked promptly. If in doubt, see your surgeon.
Can a lip lift scar be hidden or removed? A lip lift scar cannot be removed, only improved. Most settle into a fine line that is easy to camouflage with makeup once mature. A poorly healed scar can sometimes be revised, but revision removes more skin and shortens the lip further, so it is not always the right choice. Good scar care and a tension-free repair at the outset are the best ways to keep a scar discreet.
Does the type of lip lift affect the scar? Yes. A bullhorn or subnasal lift places the scar in the crease at the base of the nose, where it tends to hide well. A direct lift sits just above the lip border and is more visible, which is why it is used less often. A corner lip lift leaves scars at the corners of the mouth, an area that moves a great deal, so it behaves differently again. Scar position is part of the surgical plan and worth discussing beforehand.
About Your Surgeon
Dr Scott J Turner is an AHPRA-registered Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) consulting in Sydney (Manly and Bondi Junction), Brisbane and Canberra. His practice focuses on facial aesthetic surgery, rhinoplasty and cosmetic breast surgery, performed at accredited private hospitals in Sydney. Dr Turner emphasises individual patient assessment, surgical planning and clear information on risks, recovery and costs, holds Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
