Oral Commissure Lift: A Retrospective Analysis of Complication Rates and Overall Outcomes

Abstract

Background Downward-turning oral commissures and sagging mouth corners can present an unfavorable impression. We introduced a new oral commissure lift procedure and investigated its effectiveness and complication rates. Methods Patients who underwent oral commissure lift in the plastic surgery clinic between January 2010 and December 2017 were enrolled retrospectively. Pre-and postoperative photographs were evaluated to measure oral commissure angles and analyze surgical complications, including visible scarring, unnatural appearance, and asymmetry. Many patients underwent a oral commissure lift with a simultaneous facelift. To exclude potential bias, we compared angular changes between patients receiving both oral commissure lift and facelift, with those receiving only oral commissure lift. Moreover, oral commissure angles of patients only receiving facelift were also measured. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Oral commissure lift was performed in 51 patients. The mean ages and follow-up periods were 46.7 +/- 11.9 years, and 25.2 +/- 22.9 months, respectively. The preoperative mean angles of the right and left oral commissures measured - 3.1 +/- 4.0 degrees and - 3.4 +/- 3.7 degrees, respectively, and postoperative mean angles measured 3.6 +/- 3.2 degrees and 3.3 +/- 3.5 degrees, respectively. Postoperative changes in oral commissure angles were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The low complication rate included undercorrection in one patient, asymmetry in one patient, and visible scarring in three patients. We found no statistically significant differences in the studies excluding bias. Conclusions The new oral commissure lift procedure for correcting sagging oral commissures was simple, safe, and effective with a low complication rate.