Cupid’s bow surgery: Secret to Korean M-shaped lips

Goodbye big lips and trout pouts. Hello M-shaped lips! That’s right, if you haven’t heard, M-shaped lips, aka Korean cherry lips, are the new #lipgoals.

Have you always wondered why no amount of lip gloss nor tint can give you that sweet looking yet sexy Korean cherry lips?

Ponder no more. It’s not the colours, nor the way you gradient your lips, though those does help, a little.

It’s their cupid’s bow. Ta-dah! But its not all about the M-shape on the top but rather, the M-shape on the inner curve of their upper lips! TA-DAH!

Yes, we Koreans are into understated details. Because sometimes, subtle changes have a significant impact on the overall shape of the lips. Let’s find out more, shall we?

What is the golden ratio for Korean lips?

The key to sweet yet sexy Korean lips is finding the correct proportions for your lips. Here’s a guide to the golden lip ratio:

1. Ideal thickness for lips is 1:1.615. Meaning the size of your top lip is 1/3 the size of your bottom lip.
2. Ideal degree for the slant of your cupid bow is approximately 10°.
3. Ideal degree for the slant of your inner lip curve is 5°.

If you are born with full, pouty lips, we envy you. If not, welcome to our world. And the best part of belonging in our world, is that it’s possible to achieve that perfect pout. How so? Read on.

What is cupid’s bow surgery?

These days, it’s all about enhancing the shape of your lips and adding curves to where its needed, rather than volumizing the entire lip. While some of us have a pronounced M-shaped inner curve on our lips, others have just a flat, straight line across. The latter is, obviously, most desired.

Cupid’s bow surgery in Korea is all about contouring that V-shaped area in the middle of your upper lip. To give you that M-shaped lips. This is the best way to get pouty yet natural-looking lips, without that trout pout.

Do I need cupid’s bow surgery?

Well, it really depends on the type of lips and look you are going for. The reason why most Koreans get cupid’s bow surgery is mainly for aesthetics. It’s more of a want, not a need. So if you want pouty cherry lips, but lack that pout, Cupid’s bow surgery is for you.

And yes, it is a subtle change but comes with a significant impact on the overall shape of your lips, giving them a sexy yet more youthful appearance. But if you are unsure of how it will look on you, you can check out the other alternative for cupid’s bow surgery first!

How is cupid’s bow surgery in Korea done?

Cupid’s bow surgery in Korea focuses on accentuating your procheilon (V-shaped area in the middle of upper lip) to get a shapelier pout. Not to blow our own horns, but Hyundai Aesthetics is one of the most popular clinic which does lip surgery well.

Firstly, incisions are made on the inside of your upper lip. Then lip tissues are removed to create a more pronounced procheilon (lip bead), which results in the M-shape.

The deeper you want your M-shape to be, the more lip tissues are removed. And if your lips are not super thin, it can actually make your lips look fuller. However, if you have thin lips, you should think twice about cupid’s bow surgery. Unless you couple it with fat grafting for lips. We’ll do a writeup on it soon!

How long does the surgery take?

Cupid’s bow surgery in Korea usually lasts 1 hr and is performed under sedation anesthesia so you will not feel any pain.

When can I see results?

Major swelling and bruising for cupid bow’s surgery lasts up to 3 weeks and pretty accurate results are visible after 1 month. Final results can be seen after 6 to 12 months. It might be tough for you to eat on the first 2 days after surgery, but you will be fine after that. Just don’t open your mouth too big until it fully heals.

Do take note that the success of your cupid’s bow surgery not only lies in the hands of your surgeon but also how you well you recover after surgery. So learn how to properly care for your lips during the recovery period by reading our article on lip surgery aftercare and post-op instructions.

Actual recovery time vary among individuals, and is subjected to one’s health condition & healing response.

How long should I stay in Korea?

Cupid’s bow surgery in Korea is not considered a major surgery so hospitalization is not required. But do stay until your stitches are removed. And go shopping in the meantime!

Stitch removal

Stitches are usually removed 7 days after surgery.

Cautions on stitch removal

If you remove the stitches earlier then advised, your wound might reopen, causing an infection. And if you remove it too late, you risk further scarring and pigmentation.

Sometimes due to time constraints, you might consider having your stitches removed at the local hospitals in your home country.

Although that is possible (but not recommended), it depends on how well you have been healing and is also subjected to doctor’s approval.

Alternatives to cupid’s bow surgery

Yes, there is a non-surgical alternative to cupid’s bow surgery – lip fillers + lip corner lifting botox. Your lips are strategically plumped with fillers to define an M-shape while lip corner lifting botox will weaken DAO muscles, enabling a slight lift at your lip corners.

Unfortunately, these results are not permanent, and typically last 6~8 months. Plus the fact that you use your lips constantly, these fillers and botox will lose their effects faster. That said, there’s no harm in trying them out first to see if you would really like the results before getting your cupid’s bow surgery.

What other lip surgery complements cupid’s bow surgery?

1. Smile lift surgery

If you have downturned lips which make you look angry and depressed all the time, get a smile lift surgery to bring back the smile on your face.

2. Lip enhancement surgery

Lips that are too thin can make you look older than you really are. Thankfully, you can change that with lip enhancement surgery.

3. Lip valley surgery

Having a slight groove in the middle of your lower lips makes your lips look puckered and is actually sexy! Bet you didn’t know that. Find out more about lip valley surgery for that sexy touch.

4. Philtrum reduction

A long philtrum makes your face looks long and vice versa. Philtrum reduction surgery can help enhance your facial proportions.

5. Lip reduction surgery

Sometimes having too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to lips, is bad. Get that perfect size with lip reduction surgery.

Conclusion

Trout pouts and thick lips are a thing of the past. The real secret to pouty Korean lips lies in the cupid’s bow on the inner curve of the lips for a sexy yet natural-looking pout. And the best part is that you can achieve that look, with cupid’s bow surgery, and without visible scarring!

Just make sure that you get a professional plastic surgeon who is skilled and specialized in lip surgeries for the best results. Looks like its time to trade your lip fillers and lip liners for a cupid’s bow surgery for a smile lift!