If people keep telling you your mouth looks small when you smile
Your smile in photos looked unusually small and tight, so you opened a search bar wondering whether your mouth could be made just a little wider. I imagine that is how you got here. Lip thickness is easy to change with filler, but there is little clear information about width, and that may have been frustrating.
In more than 15 years of treating lips and the philtrum, I hear similar words in my consultation room all the time: "My mouth looks small," "Even when I smile, it doesn't look open." But when I actually measure, there are fewer people than you might expect whose mouth width is truly short.
There are three main reasons a mouth looks narrow: the mouth width itself is short; the width is enough but the ends of the lips are empty, so it looks short; or the shape of the mouth corners is the cause. When the cause is different, the solution is completely different.
So today, rather than how to widen, I want to start with what to check before widening. Getting the order wrong can lead to a choice that is hard to undo.
What exactly are narrow lips — the reference lines that define mouth width
To give you the conclusion first: narrow lips are a state in which the distance between the two mouth corners (mouth width) is short, or looks short, compared with the other proportions of the face. People often describe it as "a small mouth," "short lip length," or "a mouth that looks pursed," and in English search for narrow lips or small mouth. Surgically lengthening this width is called mouth widening surgery (lateral commissuroplasty) — also known as mouth corner lengthening.
For reference, there are commonly used guide lines. Seen from the front, if you drop a line straight down from the inner edge of each iris and the mouth corners sit near that line, the mouth is generally considered balanced. Mouth width also often looks harmonious when it is about 1.5× the width of the nostrils.
But these standards are only a reference. Some people have corners inside the line and like their mouth as it is; others sit right on the line and still want a more open smile. The same width can look completely different when smiling and when the mouth is closed, and the smile people want differs from person to person.
That is why, before any numbers on a ruler, I first ask what the person wants to change when they look in the mirror.
Numbers are only a tool to start the conversation.
3 things to check before widening — width, lip-end volume and mouth corners
The first thing I do in consultation is work out which of the three is making the mouth look narrow.
① Width — is the distance between the mouth corners itself short?
Here the distance between the corners is short for the face, so the mouth feels small both when closed and when smiling. Because nothing changes unless the point where the mouth opens is moved outward, this is the case where mouth corner lengthening is the direct answer.
② Lip-end volume — is the width enough, but the ends empty?
Here the width is enough, but the volume of the vermilion (the red part of the lip) is concentrated in the middle and thins out toward the ends. The lip then seems to end before the mouth corner, so the mouth feels shorter than it really is.
③ Mouth corners — do they droop or curl inward?
When the mouth corners droop downward or fold inward, the ends of the mouth sink into shadow and the mouth line looks short. A mouth that always looks pursed because the muscles around it are held tight gives the same impression.
It is not unusual for all three to overlap. In my experience, people like that are actually the majority.
📍 Bottom line: Surgery to widen the mouth is the direct answer only for ①. For ② and ③ there are ways to solve it without widening, and if several causes overlap, refining them together gives a more natural result.
What determines mouth width — why we look at it as three layers
In short, the mouth width we see is the combined result of three layers: the point where the mouth opens (the mouth corner), the corner muscles beneath it, and the volume of the vermilion. Changing just one layer may not give the smile you expected.
The first layer is the point where the mouth opens — the skin and mucosa of the mouth corner. Mouth corner lengthening works on this layer: it trims the tissue just outside the corner and moves the inner mucosa outward to create a new corner. This is the only layer where the width itself changes.
The second layer is the muscles that gather at the mouth corner. Several muscles meet at that single point to pull and purse the mouth. Even if the corner is moved, if the direction those muscles pull stays the same, the new corner may not move naturally when you smile. That is why I always review facial-expression videos with you before surgery.
The third layer is the volume of the vermilion. Even with the corners where they are, the mouth looks longer when volume continues to the ends, and shorter when it is concentrated in the middle. If the corner is moved outward without looking at this, the lip near the new corner can stay thin and look awkward.
So which method changes which layer? Side by side, it becomes much clearer.
A 1:1 consultation you can start right now
✅✅ We first identify whether the narrow look comes from width, lip-end volume or the mouth corners, then explain the differences between mouth corner lengthening, filler and other methods
✅✅ An honest opinion, whether or not you decide on surgery
📲 Chat icon at the bottom right of the Dr.Tak Plastic Surgery official website → live consultation
What each cause can change — mouth corner lengthening vs filler vs corner lip lift
The conclusion first: mouth corner lengthening is the method that actually increases width, while filler fills the lip ends and a corner lip lift raises drooping corners to make the mouth "look wider." So the answer depends on which cause you have.
| Comparison | Mouth corner lengthening | Lip-end filler | Corner lip lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it changes | Corner position (the width itself) | Volume at the lip ends | Corner height (droop) |
| Cause it fits | ① Width itself is short | ② Ends are empty and look short | ③ Corners droop and look short |
| Method | Incision outside the corner, mucosa moved | Small amount injected into the vermilion near the corner | Skin above the corner removed and lifted |
| Actual width change | Yes | No (only the visible length changes) | No (the mouth line shows, so it looks longer) |
| Duration | Permanent | Absorbed over months | Permanent |
| Scar | At the mouth corner | None | Above the mouth corner |
| Reversibility | Very difficult | Can be dissolved (hyaluronic acid filler) | Difficult |
| Biggest caution | Corner shape when smiling, scar | Too much makes the lips push forward | Over-lifting gives an artificial smile |
| When combined | Add volume if the lip ends are lacking | Often enough on its own | Consider with mouth corner lengthening if width is also short |
We have performed a great deal of mouth corner lengthening. Even so, the one cell in this table I always look at most carefully is "reversibility: very difficult." The more often you perform a surgery, the more protecting the result means first identifying the people who do not need it.
When, as in ③, the corner needs to move up rather than outward, I have explained it in more detail in how a corner lip lift raises the mouth corners and who it suits. And if the width is enough but the whole lip is thin and looks small, lip augmentation to make thin lips fuller may be the closer solution.
📍 Bottom line: Filler cannot increase the distance between the mouth corners. But if the ends of your lips are empty, filler alone can give you a real sense that "my mouth got wider."
When mouth corner lengthening is not right — I'll say it honestly first
This surgery is not right for everyone. There are certainly people for whom widening is not the answer.
✅ People whose width is enough but whose lip ends are empty — filling comes before widening, and that alone is often enough
✅ People whose corner-to-corner distance is already near the reference line — rather than the mouth looking bigger, the corners are more likely to look awkward
✅ People whose mouth looks short because the corners droop — lifting them up, not moving them outward, is the method that fits the cause
✅ People prone to scarring, or with frequent inflammation or herpes around the mouth corners — the corner moves constantly, so scar care is more demanding
✅ People deciding in order to follow a trendy smile shape — trends change, but the position of the mouth corners is hard to undo
I usually spend the most time on that last item. Every time the idea spreads that a wide mouth is attractive, consultations increase — and not a few people, after consultation, choose filler or simply waiting instead of surgery.
That choice is a perfectly good conclusion too.
If you choose surgery — the recovery course after mouth corner lengthening
If mouth corner lengthening has been judged right for your cause, recovery generally follows the course below. The mouth corner moves every time you talk and eat, so what to be careful about clearly differs by period.
| Period | Condition | What to be careful about |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–3 after surgery | Swelling and tightness are greatest | Avoid opening the mouth wide; avoid straws |
| Days 5–7 | Stitches removed | Avoid spicy and hot food, and the habit of rubbing the corners |
| Weeks 2–4 | Swelling goes down a lot and the corner shape appears | Avoid big yawns or opening the mouth too wide |
| 3–6 months | Scar redness fades and firmness softens | Keep up taping and scar care; protect from UV |
| After 6 months | Corner movement when smiling settles | Judge the final shape from this point |
The request I make most often to people after surgery is, "Don't judge the result within a month." While swelling remains, the corners look round and blunt and people worry a lot, but in most cases this shape settles over time.
Why choosing what fits matters more than widening
In narrow lips consultations, I do not rush to talk about surgery. First I look at the position and movement of the corners in front and side photos and a smiling video, and check the volume at the ends of the lips by hand. Then we talk thoroughly about what kind of smile you want. If filling or lifting fits better than widening, I tell you that first.
🏥 The grounds for saying this, briefly:
- As a lip and philtrum specialist clinic, we have focused on the mouth and mouth-corner area with over 15 years of experience
- 200+ Google reviews, 5.0 out of 5 — reflecting not only results but also how we explain and follow up
- We have consistently performed a great deal of mouth corner lengthening, and we decide by cause whether to move the corners outward, lift them up, or fill lip volume
- When surgery does not fit the cause, we do not suggest surgery
💬 "To make people smile." For anyone worried that their smile looks small, I believe finding out together why it looks small, rather than simply widening the mouth, is how we keep this promise.
Before & after photographs are on our official page
Dr.Tak Plastic Surgery complies with medical advertising regulations, so we do not place before-and-after photographs inside blog articles. Actual pre- and post-operative changes are collected on the official before & after page.
🔗 View before & after — Dr.Tak Plastic Surgery official page
Results may vary from person to person.
Dr.Tak 4S Patient Care System — focused on people, not procedures
We focus on people, not procedures.
Solution — 1:1 master plan with Chief Director Dr. Tak Seung-wan
- Sincere empathy and communication: your wishes fully reflected in surgery
- Precise facial golden-ratio analysis (personalised): measuring whether the mouth looks narrow because of width, lip-end volume or the mouth corners, and designing the smile you want together
- Simulation of expected post-operative changes
Support — Global 1:1 dedicated coordinator
- A dedicated coordinator for each country (no language barrier)
- Accompanied through every step from consultation to surgery and aftercare
- 100% advance booking (private clinical environment)
Scar Care — 6-month intensive scar management
| Care item | Period | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Control taping | 3–6 months | Prevents the scar from widening |
| Scar-softening injections | 6 months (once a month) | Softens raised scars |
| Laser treatment | 6 months | Reduces redness at the surgical site |
Service — 1-year free A/S guarantee
- Free A/S within 1 year after surgery
- Care through to the very end
- ※ If sedation is used, a basic anaesthesia fee may apply
Want to know more? — Official channels
🌐 The Dr.Tak Plastic Surgery official website has detailed guides for each lip and philtrum procedure
📝 The blog collects articles by procedure, including corner lip lift, lip augmentation and lip asymmetry correction
📹 Videos show the surgical process and the recovery course
Five things to sort out before your consultation
✅ Does your mouth look narrower when closed or when smiling? — If only when smiling, the corner shape is the more likely cause
✅ In a front photo, where do your mouth corners sit compared with the line down from the inner edge of the iris? — This is only a reference, so don't treat it as the right answer
✅ Do your mouth corners droop or curl inward? — If so, lifting may come before widening
✅ Are the ends of your lips clearly thinner than the middle? — If so, filling without widening comes first
✅ Do you want "a bigger mouth" or "a smile that looks more open"? — The two can call for different solutions
You do not need answers to every item. Anything you are unsure of, we can check together in consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
We have gathered the questions Dr.Tak Plastic Surgery hears most often.
Q1. Can filler make my lips longer horizontally?
Filler cannot increase the distance between the mouth corners itself. Filler is a material that adds volume, so it cannot move the point where the mouth opens outward. However, when the ends of the lips thin out and make the mouth look short, a small amount placed in the vermilion near the corners can make the lip appear to continue all the way to the end, and many people are fully satisfied with that alone. In these cases I place very small amounts divided at the ends rather than the middle, because adding more makes the lips push forward rather than making the mouth look wider.
Q2. Will mouth corner lengthening leave a visible scar, or look obvious when I smile?
I know that worry is the biggest reason people hesitate over this surgery. To be honest, a scar does remain at the mouth corner, and for several months after surgery there is redness and firmness. The mouth corner moves thousands of times a day, so the scar takes longer to settle than in other areas. That is why, before surgery, I spend more time on whether the new corner will be in a position where it can move naturally when you smile than on the scar itself. When the position is right, the scar hides in the corner crease and is less noticeable; when the position is off, the expression looks awkward before the scar does.
Q3. How can I tell if my mouth is really narrow? Is there an average?
Mouth width varies with height and face size, so rather than comparing with a single average number, it is more accurate to look at the proportions within your own face. In a front photo, you can use as a reference whether the corners sit near the line dropped from the inner edge of the iris, and whether mouth width is about 1.5× the width of the nostrils. But these standards are only a reference — with the same proportions, some people are happy with their mouth and others want a more open smile. So in consultation, along with the numbers, I always ask what kind of smile you want. When we actually check, it is not unusual to find that width is within the normal range and the cause lies in lip-end volume or corner shape.
Q4. How is the cost decided? Who is not a good fit for this surgery?
An exact figure is hard to state; the range depends on whether it is mouth corner lengthening or filler, whether both sides are treated, whether other mouth corrections are combined, and whether sedation is used. There are clearly people it does not suit. For those whose corner-to-corner distance is already sufficient so that widening further would make the mouth look awkward, those whose lip ends are empty rather than the width being short, and those whose mouth looks short because the corners droop, a method other than mouth corner lengthening fits the cause. People whose scars tend to swell or who often have inflammation at the mouth corners also need careful judgement.
Q5. If I don't like the result after widening, can it be reversed?
I think the people who ask this question before surgery are the wisest. Mouth corner lengthening is a surgery in which it is very difficult to narrow the widened corners back to how they were. Corrections to refine the corner shape are possible, but you should not think of it as surgery that returns you to your original mouth. That is why I do not get greedy about how much to widen, and I often recommend first experiencing the change with a reversible method such as filler. The less reversible a choice is, the more it is worth taking your time.
Dr.Tak Plastic Surgery | Korea Face Lifting · Lip · Philtrum Specialist Clinic
"To make people smile"
