Plastic surgery to correct ‘resting bitch face’ is trendy

Irina Prosmushkin’s mother used to always tell her she looked grumpy.

But on a recent FaceTime call, her mom wondered why she couldn’t stop smiling.

Prosmushkin, a 48-year-old pharmacist in the Philadelphia area, has Dr. Andrew Jacono to thank.

The Manhattan-based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Jacono performed a lip lift on Prosmushkin in January, curing her of the so-called “resting bitch face” that had plagued her.

“The corners of my lips were [always] facing down,” Prosmushkin told The Post. “Now I have this perfect pout.”

Lip lifts — a minimally invasive operation procedure that shortens the skin between the upper lip and the nose, known as the philtrum — are trending thanks in part to social media and all those Zoom calls we’ve had to endure seeing ourselves on.

Done well, the surgery widens the top lip, defines the cupid’s bow, improves tooth display and creates a more youthful appearance. On mature patients with drooping mouths, the surgery makes their expression appear happier and less pensive. On young adults with thin lips, it provides a permanent alternative to injectables. 

“It definitely looks more natural than fillers,” says Jacono, whose lip lift business has increased significantly over the last two years. “Instead of adding bulk to the lip, it rolls the lip from the inside out and makes the red part look fuller.” 

A lip lift typically costs between $3,000 and $12,000 and takes between 45 minutes and an hour. It’s usually performed under local or twilight anesthesia, unless combined with a complex procedure such as a face-lift. 

Numbness and stiffness are normal during the healing process but almost always go away quickly. Full recovery takes eight to ten weeks.

Although the surgery isn’t new, Instagram and TikTok have heightened public awareness. According to a member survey from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, lip lifts were up 3% in 2022.

There are multiple types of lip lifts with different benefits and scar placement. Doctors say the bullhorn technique — named after the shape of the strip of skin removed directly below the nose — is among the most common. A discrete scar is hidden beneath the nostrils.

“A typical candidate for a lip lift is a 53-year old face-lift patient whose smile has changed due to the lengthening of their upper lip because of gravity and loss of elasticity, just from aging,” Dr. Louis P. Bucky, a plastic surgeon with four offices in Philadelphia, told The Post. “Once I show a patient the before-and-after photos, they’re immediately on board.”

Some younger patients seek surgery after repeated filler use.

“When you start doing filler when you’re in your early 20s, the weight of the filler stretches the lip out,” said Jacono. “So by the time you’re in your early 30s, the lip becomes elongated. I see it all the time.”

Jessie Barnes, a 29-year-old software sales exec in Denver, got a lip lift from Dr. Manish Shah in Englewood, Colorado, in May and documented her experience on TikTok.

One week post-surgery, the swelling was almost completely gone and the scar was surprisingly faint. 

“I feel like my face looks more balanced and I look really natural,” she says in a video. “I’m probably still going to get some filler in my upper lip.”

Although complications like asymmetry and poor lip mobility are rare, doctors advise a conservative approach.

“You want to be cautious and not do too much,” said Boston-based plastic surgeon Dr. Samuel Lin.

“You can’t reverse a lip lift.”