Are your lips and mouth suggesting that you are older than you want people to think of you as? Do you friends and colleagues worry about your "tired" look?

Many times patients come in to Dr. Brueck's office and ask him what he can do to make them look refreshed, younger, more youthful. When we look at the face several things may strike us as apparent. Is there sun-damaged skin? Are the upper eyelids droopy? Is there jowl formation? How about unattractive turkey gobbler neck? All of these things can affect your facial appearance.

One area of facial rejuvenation that also is becoming more and more important is the mouth area , also known as the peri-oral region of the face.

Some of the stigma that may show aging around the mouth include the following:

Droopy upper lip.

Vertical lines along the upper and lower lips.

Turning down at the corners of the mouth.

Thinning of the upper and lower lip.

We now have available many tools to correct some of these signs of aging. “Peri-oral rejuvenation” is becoming an important aspect of creating a more youthful and rested facial appearance.

Some of the modalities we use are surgical and some non-surgical.

For example, we may laser around the mouth to smooth out fine lines – we may add dermal fillers as well. These can also be used to fill out and plump the lips.

We can surgically elevate the corners of the mouth - we can advance the vermillion or pink of the upper and lower lips.

We can short a sagging or eulonging upper lip.

These procedures can be done easily as an outpatient under local anesthesia.

Peri-oral rejuvenation or lip enhancement many times is done in conjunction with a face/necklift or eyelid surgery.

This peri-oral area is very important to achieving a more balanced and youthful facial appearance.

Click here for a review of before and after examples of lip enhancement.

Robert Brueck, MD, FACS is a Board Certified and fellowship-trained plastic surgeon with 28 years of experience in cosmetic surgery and other non-intrusive procedures, including lip enhancement. He has been named one of the top plastic surgeons in Southwest Florida (Northport to Marco Island) for four consecutive years, including 2007, by Gulfshore Life magazine. He is dedicated to beautiful results in cosmetic surgery and strives to provide the highest quality patient care.

Dr. Brueck, currently serves as a founding surgeon with Associates in Cosmetic Surgery's office in Fort Myers, a world-class plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery facility. Associates in Cosmetic Surgery applies the most advanced technologies and the latest treatment therapies to provide patients with the best in surgical and non-surgical results.