Lip Wrinkles Reveal Your Age & Much More-Here Is How To Fix Them

It is not right to blame your age for those lip wrinkles and lines. There are a variety of reasons behind your undesirable ageing lip creases and even more ways to address your issue. Here is how!

Your Lips Are Your Identity!

Your lips, just like your fingers, have prints that are unique to you. No two pairs of lips are the same! Not only are they unique, but they also vary in shape, size and color from person to person. So, if you desire Kylie’s lips, you must know that they may not suit your facial features.

The Tale Of The Average Lips

How Do Lips Age With Time?

Our lips are particularly vulnerable to showing signs of age. They have an especially thin outer layer, which gets even thinner with each passing year.

Our skin’s structure gradually breaks down as we age. While this process occurs all over our body (giving us wrinkles, frail skin, and ultimately visible sagging skin), it’s particularly noticeable on our lips.

 The structures that give our lips their full, plump shape begin to wear down over time. This often leads to the corners of our mouths drooping down in a permanent frown, the upper lip losing its distinctive V-shaped area (called Cupid’s Bow) and our lips losing their fullness and definition. Additionally, vertical lines can often appear, even among non-smokers.

What Are Lip Wrinkles?

Lip wrinkles, which are sometimes called lip lines, lipstick lines, or smoker’s lines, are the little vertical lines that form on the lips of older adults. These lines are notoriously difficult to conceal. Getting rid of your lip lines, rather than trying to cover them up, can easily take 10 years off your face.

Who Gets Vertical Lip Lines?

Lip wrinkles, like other kinds of wrinkles are quite common and can happen to anyone in their 40’s and afterwards. These are usually characterized as one of the first signs of ageing. 

Also, vertical lip lines are seen more in mature women than men. This happens because women tend to have relatively delicate skin and with constant muscle action coupled with other factors, they develop these lip lines earlier and deeper.

• Smokers

• People who skip sunscreen when they go outdoors

• Ageing individuals especially in their 40’s and onwards

• People who use their mouth muscles frequently such as sipping from straws or drinking from bottles.

• People who usually sleep on their sides by putting pressure on their face

5 Most Common Lip Wrinkles Causes That You Didn’t Know About

No matter what kind of wrinkles you have, they did not develop overnight. While some fine lines and wrinkles may be caused by your genes, many a time, these are caused by a combination of factors. Read on to find out the most common reason for lip lines. 

1- Damaging Habit of Smoking

Did you know that the vertical lip lines are also known as “smoker’s lines”? Why? The repetitive motion of taking a drag from a cigarette and the free radicals caused by smoking can contribute to the development of fine lines around your lip area. 

As if this was not enough, your continued bad habit, repetitive pursing of your lips, ageing can eventually deepen your lip lines. Thus, leaving you with a pinched and puckered look.

2- Your Lips Are Ageing with You

Your skin’s collagen is what keeps it youthful and bouncy, but it is not your lifelong partner. According to Cosmexperts, your skin slows down its collagen production by as little as 1% after the age of 20.  

Therefore, as your collagen production decreases, your already delicate skin becomes thinner and less elastic. Lips are also one of the first areas that show signs of ageing, so when they lose volume and support, fine vertical lines can begin to form on top of our lips.   

 

3- Sun Damage

Do you use sunscreen whenever you step out? Yes? Good! Do you also protect your pout and the skin around them when you leave home? Yes? No? Maybe?  

The sun’s rays are powerful enough to not only deplete your skin’s collagen and hyaluronic acid but also cause skin cancer. UVA rays, in particular, can damage the unprotected area and break down collagen, thus speeding up the ageing process.

4- Not Hydrated Enough

Ageing plus dehydration equals an inevitable network of fine lines and wrinkles around your face and lips. As mentioned earlier, mature skin tends to lack moisture; therefore, your poor hydration levels can reflect on your face, particularly your lips. 

Moreover, too much caffeine intake, as well as alcohol consumption, can cause your skin to dry out with time! This is especially damaging if you are in your mature years, where your skin’s ability to heal itself is slowed down. 

5- Repetitive Movements and Expressions

You smile, you kiss, you pose, you pucker, and you do this every day! It is simply impossible to avoid these expressions and movements, and so, this routine ultimately leads to lip wrinkles. 

Think of folding the corner of a piece of paper and then unfold it and smooth it out. You may still be able to see a crease left behind. The delicate skin around your lips acts in the same way over a period of time as it develops those vertical upper lip wrinkles.

7 Top Treatments For Lip Lines And Lip Wrinkles

Lip lines are not desirable and are one of the early signs of ageing too. Moreover, they are caused by a number of factors such as smoking, sun damage, dehydration etc. But the good news is that there are multiple effective treatments to address the issue:

1- The Ever So Popular Dermal Fillers

Facial fillers are not only used to give luscious lips and high cheekbones, but also help to fill in fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth. This method significantly minimizes the appearance of your unsightly upper lip wrinkles.

Lip Wrinkles Before and After

2- Laser Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is one the most favorite lip lines erasing techniques of many aestheticians because it involves removing the top layer of your skin. The aim is to stimulate collagen production and make room for younger looking skin.

Laser treatments have also benefited many people against ageing especially for areas around the nose, mouth and eyes. Moreover, the results are long-lasting and visible.

3- Top Wrinkle Reducer-Botox

Botox injections are famous for addressing facial wrinkles and fine lines by relaxing the target muscles. Similarly, a trained practitioner can use Botox treatment to smooth out lip lines and reduce the appearance of upper lip wrinkles.

Moreover, the results are relatively visible and quick and get even better when combined with dermal fillers. But this gold standard approach requires the services of a skilled injector.

4- Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are particularly well suited for upper lips, where it helps to remove the top layer of skin. The top layer of your skin may contain fine lines, light scarring or blemishes. Moreover, there are a variety of skin peels that vary in intensity as well as strength that a skin specialist must prescribe.

5- Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is also one of the most highly in-demand cosmetic procedures for skin renewal. Though it produces an effect similar to that of chemical peels by removing the top layer of skin, its process is quite different.

The procedure involves using a rotating brush to buff the skin cells away. Next, the skin is dressed to keep it moist and free from infection. The result is a diminished appearance of wrinkles.

Microdermabrasion is a gentler version of dermabrasion, often performed by estheticians. Moreover, you may need several sessions to get the results you desire.

6- The Versatile Anti-Ageing Tool- Microneedling

Microneedling, also known as Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT), is a popular procedure that promotes collagen production to reduce ageing signs on your face. Moreover, it is also an effective skin tightening technique with an immediate plump skin effect!

The procedure is quite simple and involves using a skin roller with tiny needles that penetrate your skin, creating ‘micro wounds. This ultimately triggers collagen and elastin production and improves the look of wrinkles and fine lines on your upper lips.

7- Platelet-rich plasma

Platelet-rich plasma, also known as ‘Plasma Facial’ or ‘Vampire Facial’, is another collagen stimulating procedure. It is basically aimed at rejuvenating and repairing scarred and wrinkled areas of your face.

Platelet-rich plasma procedure involves using your own blood plasma to heal troubled skin, scars and fine lines, wrinkles and even sun damaged skin. The result is a healed skin with a minimized look of ageing signs, especially around your lips.

The Duo Of Botox + Dermal Fillers Against Lip Lines

Lip lines can be tricky to treat. This is because these are formed due to the combined effect of your mouth muscles and loss of skin’s collagen and elasticity.

 Most people rely on moisturizers that can help minimize the look of your upper lip wrinkles. Nevertheless, aesthetic treatments can effectively address the issue. 

Botox is indeed a go-to treatment for treating fine lines and wrinkles in aesthetic medicine. However, combining it with dermal fillers has shown to deliver optimal results. Therefore, many experts recommend the “Gold-Standard Approach”, a fusion treatment of Botox and facial fillers.

Botox + Dermal Fillers – [Relaxes overused muscles causing wrinkles + Fills in the fine lines and areas with collagen loss] 

Lip Wrinkles Treatment Before And After Transformations

Is There A Way To Prevent Lip Wrinkles?

So what if you do not have lip lines or lip wrinkles at the moment? Always remember that prevention is better than cure! As you reach 30, your skin starts to lose its firmness and elasticity. Thus, your skin stands at risk of lip wrinkles.

The best way to fight ageing is to take care of your skin’s health before it becomes visible. The good news is that there are a variety of practical ways to prevent the major ageing signs.

• Slather On The Sunscreen

Sunscreen is an absolute necessity for an optimal skincare routine and a powerful anti-ageing weapon. While we often apply sunscreen to only accessible areas of our face, many of us overlook areas such as upper lips, chin, ears and even neck.

So, next time you apply sunscreen, do not forget to provide a shield to your lips and the skin around them. Remember to reapply the product every 2 hours when you are outdoors.

 A gel based sunscreen is an ideal option for you if you want a lightweight sun protection without the unnecessary white cast on your face.

• Avoid Lip Wrinkles By Avoiding Straws And Bottles

Drinking from straws or bottles may sound like a harmless habit, but did you know that this very habit can actually cause lip lines and upper lip wrinkles?

Our Cosmexperts are convinced that repeated drinking from bottles and straw sipping may cause you to purse your lips frequently, eventually leading to the formation of wrinkles around your mouth.

Therefore, you may sip from a straw or drink from a bottle occasionally, however, do not make it a daily habit. Also, it is best to drink from a glass or a cup whenever you can.

• Break Away From Smoking

Lip lines, also known as ‘smoker’s lines’, can also result from smoking cigarettes, and since women’s skin is tender than that of men’s, lip wrinkles appear earlier and deeper. The reason is that regular pursing of lips to draw from cigarettes causes a gradual lip wrinkles formation.

The best way to avoid or prevent these ageing lines to become prominent is to quit smoking altogether. This is not only good for fighting ageing but also great for your overall health.

• Avoid Repeating Same Facial Expressions

You do not have to have a ‘poker face’ to avoid wrinkles and fine lines. However, repeated facial expressions such as smiling, pouting, or frowning can lead to those ageing lines. This happens because constant muscle motion can cause the rapid breakdown of collagen and elastin.

• Moisturize Those Lip Lines Away!

To keep your face hydrated, you may use a good moisturizer, and if you want to moisturize your lips, a nourishing lip balm is ideal. However, you also need to moisturize the delicate skin around your lips. 

It is advised to use an anti-ageing moisturizer and an antioxidant serum to support the skin’s health. Our Cosmexperts recommend a retinol based moisturizer after topical Vitamin C serum application for optimal results.

Our Cosmexperts Can Help With Lip Wrinkles

Do not let your lip wrinkles bring your confidence down and give you an aged look. While ageing may be one of the factors behind your upper lip wrinkles, it is also essential to adopt a healthy lifestyle and use sun protection. 

So, whether you are a man or a woman, lip wrinkles look unattractive. However, they can be effectively corrected using a dual action of Botox and Dermal Fillers. Moreover, Cosmedoc’s Peel to Reveal is a great option to tackle the ageing lines and help you take years off your face! 

Our skincare experts at Cosmedocs will provide you with unique skincare advice, and qualified injectors will use tailored injection strategies to soften your upper lip wrinkles without any unnecessary hassle. 

Visit us and talk to our experts for more guidance.