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July 26, 2022
mbg Beauty and wellness editor
By Jamie Schneider
mbg Beauty and wellness editor
Jamie Schneider is the beauty and wellness editor at mindbodygreen and focuses on beauty and wellness. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has been featured in Coveteur, The Chill Times and Wyld Skincare.
takeaway food July 26, 2022 Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you buy something mentioned in this article, you can earn a small commission. We sincerely believe that lines and wrinkles are part of a beautiful and expressive life well lived. However, at the same time, we understand that many flock to topicals and treatments to maintain a smooth, supple complexion. Improve your skin's texture and embrace the natural aging process.they don't have to be mutually exclusive!
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So, in the case of lip lines, you don't have to approach them at all if you don't want to. Live your life! But if the etchings bother you, dermatologists have some pretty solid advice on what to do about it. Let us guide you through its recommendations.What are lip lines?
Lip lines refer to the vertical lines above the upper lip (note: not the tiny chapped ridges or cracks on the lips). Technically, they're a kind of frown line: "We have a muscle that surrounds our mouth, which when contracted allows us to open and close our mouth. The direction of the muscle runs along the whisker line," he says.Rachel Westbay, MD, dermatologist certified inmedical marble🇧🇷 "So the wrinkles created are perpendicular to that and become lines that go up and down around the mouth."
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Causes.
Just as constantly frowning can lead toforehead lines(or commonly known as "the eleven"), frequent lip puckering, such as when drinking through a straw or pursing your lips around a toothbrush, can lead to lip wrinkles over time.
When you're young and your skin is packed with collagen, those lines tend to fill in quickly. However, as your natural collagen levels begin to decline, your skin is unable to recover from these movements. "Over time, the lines etch and are present at rest. You've wrinkled your clothes, so to speak, and created 'lip lines,'" adds Westbay.
Although lip lines appear naturally as we age, "these lines tend to be particularly prominent in smokers," says a board-certified dermatologist.Hadley King, MD"They are sometimes called 'smoker lines'." You see, when you smoke, not only do you purse your lips constantly, but you also expose your skin to free radicals, which can lead tooxidative stressand accelerated skin aging. In other words: you'll start to see the natural effects of aging (like lip lines) much, much younger.
How to get rid of lip lines.
Nobody can avoid lip lines forever, but you can delay their appearance for as long as possible. Find the best derm-endorsed strategies below:
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1.
Keep them hydrated.
Like any type of wrinkle, keeping the skin well hydrated can improve the barrier function, which protects the skin against external aggressors that contribute to oxidative stress. (This is why inadequate hydration can lead to premature aging.)
In addition, moisturizing moisturizers can help to “grease” the skin and soften the appearance of lines, especially in the lip area. Specifically, look for a lip balm with hyaluronic acid: "You can use products with hyaluronic acid to plump your skin," Nicole Hatfield, Certified EstheticianPumpand founder ofRadiant Beings Wellness and Beauty Coaching, previouslytold us🇧🇷 So, to ensure that all the moisture stays in, opt for formulas with shea butter, antioxidant-rich oils (like moringa and sunflower seed),Vitamin Eand vegan waxes.
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2.
Exfoliate.
"A gentle exfoliation with alpha hydroxy acids can also help," says King. aha (likelactic acidand glycolic acid) are both exfoliating and moisturizing; actually they wereshown to1increase skin cell turnover, improve skin moisture content,yreduce the appearance of fine lines.Glow Lip Pop lip balm by Glow Recipe, for example, contains flower-derived AHAs to gently plump the skin without breaking the barrier (in a petal-pink hue, for starters).
3.
Use retinoids.
"If you can tolerate aretinoidin that area, it will help with fine lines and very superficial wrinkles, smudging and thickening the skin," says Westbay. It may not erase those deep etched lines (topical methods rarely can; more on that later), but it certainly can speed up cell turnover , stimulates collagen production and prevents the appearance of future lines.
Just know your limits here. The skin around the lips is one of the thinnest regions on the entire face (apart from the delicate under-eye area), which means it can be more sensitive to intense actives. Retinoids can easily cause irritation in the area and people oftenconfuse flakes and tendernessfor the medium winter cap. Pro Tip: Rub aeye creamaround the lip area before applying the retinoid, and will dampen the active without sacrificing its potency.
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4.
Protect your lips from the sun.
“Protecting your lips from the sun is as important as protecting your face,” says the beautician nurse.Shawna Jones, PA-C,aboutHow to Keep Lips Plump and Soft🇧🇷 Since the lips are already so thin, they are quite vulnerable to harmful exposure to UV rays.
Those ultraviolet rays can also dehydrate that delicate skin: "The sun can dry out the lips and compromise the ability of the lips to retain water and hydration."Michelle Henry, medical,fundador da Skin & Aesthetics Surgery of Manhattan, anteriormenteshared with mbg🇧🇷 And as we discussed above: inadequate hydration can lead to premature aging of the skin. One more reason to invest in a moisturizerSPF lip balm.
5.
Watch your movements.
Repeated contraction of the lip muscles can lead to these frown lines over time, so experts say to avoid constantly puckering or frowning. That's not to say you'll never be able to drink through a straw again, but if you really want to avoid those lip lines, drink through the rim more often.
Also: Stop smoking if you currently do. It's one of the best things you can do for your skin (and overall health).
6.
In-office treatments.
Topical and lifestyle methods are great for smoothing out fainter lines and keeping those marks in check, but if you're dealing with deeper lip lines, you may have more success with in-office treatments. "You want to focus on filling out the skin so it's less thin, brittle, and more prone to wrinkles," says Westbay. "For that you can do laser andmicroagujas, which work very well.” Depending on your preferences, skin type and lifestyle, your dermatologist may suggest a different route in the office, so you should always consult with a professional you trust.
takeaway food
The skin around the lips is one of the most sensitive and fragile parts of the face, which means it's common to see signs of aging (like lip lines) sooner than you'd like. Of course, aging skin doesn't just produce fine lines, lips do too.they lose volumeycoras you age, but just like lip lines, there are some ways to slow the process down.