Image: On the left you can see a narrow upper lip and a relatively long distance between the base of the nose and the edge of the upper lip, which is to be reduced. These are favorable conditions for performing an indirect lip lift, also known as a bullhorn excision.
Also marked in white on the left is the area that is cut away to bring the upper lip closer to the base of the nose. The area to be removed has the shape of a horn – hence the name bullhorn excision.
What does bullhorn excision mean?
The term is a construct from English and Latin:
- English: Bullhorn = horn of the bull
- Latin: excision from excidere = to cut out
What is a bullhorn excision?
It describes a lip correction technique in which a bullhorn-shaped area of skin is removed at the entrance to the nose in order to correct the upper lip. The technique is therefore also referred to as an indirect lip lift (in contrast to a direct lip lift, in which an incision is made at the red border of the lip).
Bullhorn excision shortens the distance between the edge of the lip and the nose as the upper lip is raised. This operation also causes the lip mucosa to be pushed outwards slightly, making the upper lip appear larger. However, this lip lift does not result in a direct increase in volume.
This surgical technique has been superseded by the scarless filling of the lips with hyaluronic acid, for example. However, the operation has the advantage that it is a one-off intervention. It is therefore cheaper in the long term than years of lip injections.
What is the procedure for this operation?
The surgical procedure is similar to an indirect lip lift. You should not take any blood-thinning medication before the operation.
The operation can be performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia, twilight sleep or general anesthesia. Local anesthesia is only recommended for the hard-boiled due to the painful anesthesia.
After the operation, a great deal of care is required to ensure that the scars heal inconspicuously and fade quickly.
What alternatives are there to bullhorn excision?
Due to the scars, which usually heal very inconspicuously, bullhorn excision is rarely used in Germany. Only a few plastic surgeons offer this operation.
An examination can clarify whether a bullhorn excision makes sense. In addition to a direct lip lift, which also produces a permanent result, the following lip correction options are also available:
- Information on lip augmentation using hyaluronic acid and other materials.
- Lip correction with hyaluronic acid
- Surgical lip reduction for oversized lips.
