Lip Flip
A lip flip changes the shape, not the size. The upper lip rolls outward slightly, so a little more of the pink border shows.
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Lip Flip vs Lip Filler
A lip flip does not make your lip bigger. It is a few units of botulinum toxin that relax the muscle around your mouth, so the upper lip rolls out and a little more pink shows. Lip filler does make your lip bigger. It is a gel injected into the lip that takes up space, so it changes size as well as shape.
At a glance
| The difference | Lip Flip | Lip Filler |
|---|---|---|
| What is injected | Botox | Hyaluronic acid |
| What it costs | Priced as a few units | Priced by the syringe |
Lip Filler
Filler adds material, so the lip is physically larger. It can also change the outline and the balance between the top and bottom lip.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What is injected
Lip Flip
Botox
Usually 4 to 6 units, placed in the ring of muscle around the mouth. Dysport and Xeomin can be used the same way.
Lip Filler
Hyaluronic acid
A gel made of a sugar your body already makes. It takes up space, so the lip is physically larger. Half a syringe to a full syringe is a common amount.
What it changes
Lip Flip
Shape only
The upper lip turns outward a little, so more of the pink border shows. Most visible when you smile or talk.
Lip Filler
Size and shape
Real added volume. It can also change the outline of the lip and the balance between top and bottom.
How big the change is
Lip Flip
Under half a millimetre
The one study that measured it with 3D imaging found a gain of 0.43 mm. That is a real change in how the lip sits. It is also smaller than most people picture.
Lip Filler
As much as you pay for
There is no fixed figure. It depends on how much gel goes in and where. Filler scales with the dose. A lip flip does not.
How fast you see it
Lip Flip
3 to 7 days
Nothing happens on the day. It builds over the first week and peaks around two weeks.
Lip Filler
Right away
You leave with fuller lips. They will also be swollen for two to five days, so they look bigger at first than the settled result.
How long it lasts
Lip Flip
2 to 3 months at most
It peaks at about two weeks. Measured objectively, it was already fading at 30 days and had essentially gone by 90. Most people book a repeat every two to three months.
Lip Filler
About 12 months, for some
In the main trial behind Juvederm Ultra XC, 79% of people had a visible improvement at three months. At twelve months, 56% still did.
What can go wrong
Lip Flip
Awkward, not dangerous
Trouble whistling, drinking through a straw, or making "p" and "b" sounds. In the one study that tracked this, every participant had at least one mild effect. Numbness was the most common, and all of them cleared on their own.
Lip Filler
Usually bruising, rarely serious
Swelling and bruising are normal for several days. Lumps can be smoothed or dissolved. The serious problem is the gel blocking a small blood vessel. That happens in under 1 in 100 filler procedures, and lips are one of the areas where it happens.
If you do not like it
Lip Flip
You wait
Botulinum toxin cannot be reversed. But it wears off within weeks, which is the point in its favour.
Lip Filler
It can be dissolved
An enzyme called hyaluronidase breaks hyaluronic acid down, usually within a day or two. It is also the treatment if a vessel is blocked.
What it costs
Lip Flip
Priced as a few units
At 4 to 6 units, a lip flip is usually the smallest and cheapest item on an injector's list.
Lip Filler
Priced by the syringe
Filler is sold by the syringe, and one syringe costs far more than a lip flip visit.
Who tends to be happy with it
Lip Flip
- The problem — Your upper lip vanishes when you smile.
- Also useful for — A gummy smile, where a lot of gum shows.
- The mindset — You want subtle, and you want to be able to change your mind in two months.
Lip Filler
- The problem — Your lips are thin at rest, not just when smiling.
- Also useful for — Uneven lips, a flat border, or a top and bottom lip that do not match.
- The mindset — You want a visible change and you do not want to be back in eight weeks.
How much each one really does
Lip Flip
A lip flip moves the upper lip by less than half a millimetre. A 2026 study measured 17 women with 3D imaging instead of by eye. Upper lip height rose from 8.31 mm to 8.74 mm at day 15. The change comes from the muscle relaxing, not from added volume. Expecting filler results from a lip flip is the most common reason people say it did nothing.
A lip flip is a different choice, not a bad one. It is a low-cost, low-commitment change to how your lip sits, and it is fair to judge it on that.
The fine print
Lip Flip
Sources: lip flip review · Lip Flip Revisited · FDA SSED, Juvederm Ultra XC · vascular occlusion review
More photographs
Lip Filler
Filler adds material, so the lip is physically larger. It can also change the outline and the balance between the top and bottom lip.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Lip filler vs lip flip — what is the difference?
Filler adds material, so your lip is physically bigger. A lip flip adds nothing — it is a few units of botulinum toxin that relax the muscle around your mouth so the upper lip rolls out slightly and shows a little more pink. Filler lasts far longer; a lip flip wears off in a couple of months.
Can you get a lip flip and lip filler at the same time?
Yes. They do different jobs — one relaxes the muscle, the other adds volume — and injectors often combine them. Tell your injector if you want both, because the amount of filler may be planned differently.
Does a lip flip make your lips bigger?
No. Nothing is added. The upper lip turns outward slightly so more of the pink shows. The one study that measured it with 3D imaging found a gain of about 0.43 mm in upper lip height, and no change in volume.
Why did my lip flip wear off so fast?
It may not have worn off early. Measured objectively, the effect peaks around two weeks and starts returning to baseline by 30 days. The eight-to-twelve-week figure quoted by many clinics is longer than the published measurements support.
Is a lip flip cheaper than filler?
Usually, yes. A lip flip uses 4 to 6 units of botulinum toxin, so it is priced as a very small treatment. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the average for lip augmentation with filler at $743. But a lip flip lasts weeks and filler lasts months, so the cost over a year can be closer than it first looks.
Can a lip flip be reversed?
No. Botulinum toxin cannot be undone once injected — it has to wear off, which takes weeks. Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with an enzyme called hyaluronidase, usually within a day or two.
Does a lip flip help a gummy smile?
It can help a mild one. Relaxing the muscle stops the upper lip lifting quite as high. A very gummy smile is often treated at a different muscle, and sometimes needs a different approach entirely.
Safety to keep in mind
The 4-to-6-unit dose range comes from a 2025 systematic review in Archives of Dermatological Research. The injection site is the orbicularis oris, the ring of muscle around the mouth.
The 0.43 mm figure and the day-90 fade come from "Lip Flip Revisited," Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2026: 17 women, 4 units of onabotulinumtoxinA, 2 per side.
Juvederm Ultra XC was approved for lip augmentation in 2015 under premarket approval P050047, supplement S044. The FDA Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data covers 213 subjects: 79.1% improved at three months and 56.4% at twelve.
The vascular occlusion figures come from a 2026 systematic review in Oral.