Upper Lip Wrinkles: A Science Backed Approach

While most facial wrinkles stretch horizontally across parts of the forehead or out from the corners of the eyes, it is the ones that look like a vertical fence post along our upper lip that can add the most years to someone’s face. Learn how to get rid of forehead wrinkles , under eye wrinkles , or continue reading to combat upper lip wrinkles with tips from Dr. Yuan.

Upper lip wrinkles, which are often called lip lines, lipstick lines, or smoker’s lines, can crop up as early as your 40s if you are a smoker, frequently purse your lips, or spend lots of time out in the sun. And unlike dark circles under your eyes or age spots, hiding upper lip wrinkles with makeup products is close to impossible.

The good news is that there are skincare products you can use from companies like PROVEN Skincare to improve their appearance and prevent them from even appearing in the first place.

Here are some common causes of wrinkles

Aging

The primary reason upper lip wrinkles are unavoidable: aging. Natural aging affects a person’s bone structure including the upper jaw which supports your lips. As a result, your lips begin to look thinner and flatter as you get older. After age 20, a person’s collagen production begins to decrease about 1% each year. Your skin becomes thinner and less stretchy.

Gender

Upper lip wrinkles typically affect women far more than men as women have up to 25% less dermal thickness than their male counterparts and this percentage only gets worse after menopause.

Skin type

Although people of all skin types can get upper lip wrinkles, they are particularly common among individuals who have fair skin. This is because those with fair skin may be more prone to photodamage from UV exposure, which can lead to fine lines and wrinkles, especially in the area around the mouth.

Sun exposure

Apart from natural aging, sun exposure is the biggest culprit behind upper lip wrinkles. Continued exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can cause irreparable damage to facial skin. Whenever you will be outdoors for more than a few minutes, take the time to use at least a 30 SPF sunscreen on your face, including your upper lip. There are even lip balms out there with SPF protection.

Cold exposure

While not as damaging as the sun, exposing your lips to cold weather can also damage your skin. Make sure to use lip balm on cold, windy days and use a scarf to protect your lips from freezing temperatures.

Smoking

The personal habit that causes the most damage to your skin is smoking. Smoke is a carcinogen that produces free radicals throughout your body that rob your skin of oxygen and other important nutrients. Smoking delivers a one-two punch particularly to a person’s mouth. Smokers use certain muscles around their lips to hold a cigarette in place which over time creates significant wrinkles that nonsmokers do not have. Secondly, the thousands of chemicals found in cigarettes deplete the elasticity in a person’s skin, particularly around the lips.

Facial Expressions

Over time, daily lip movements contribute to upper-lip wrinkles. The orbicularis oris, which is the muscle that surrounds the mouth, works like a purse string. When a person habitually purses their lips or pouts, it results in fine lines along the upper lip area.

If upper lip wrinkles are a major concern, you may want to make an appointment with a qualified dermatologist who can share with you the variety of options available to improve how you look. Consider what you are hoping to accomplish, how much it will cost, whether the treatment is minimally invasive, and how long the procedure’s effects will last.

Dermal fillers

A dermal filler is a solution typically containing hyaluronic acid, such as Restylane or Juvederm. The solution is injected directly into the lips and the surrounding area. A new product called Volbella is a dermal filler specifically designed to improve wrinkles around the lip lines. The temporary hyaluronic acid filler corrects fine lines around the lips and enhances the lips in general. The effect of a dermal filler can last anywhere from 3 months to 2 years depending on the type of product used and where it is being injected. The average cost in the United States for a single syringe of dermal filler is $500 to $800.

Chemical peels

Chemical peels use a solution to remove the top layer of skin and replace it with a new, younger-looking layer. This facial treatment is well-suited for the upper lip area. Studies have shown that a chemical peel can continue stimulation of new collagen for up to 8 months after a single application. Since the mouth is one of the most active areas on a person’s face, it is often one of the first to start showing lines. The average U.S. cost for a chemical peel treatment was $669 in 2018. Whatever type of chemical peel your doctor recommends, you will likely need to take some time off from work for your recovery.

Laser resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is done by a plastic surgeon or dermatologist. It is an outpatient procedure which means you will not be required to stay overnight. The doctor will numb the areas to be treated with a local anesthetic and may also sedate you. Treating just parts of the face, such as the upper lip area, takes about 30 to 45 minutes. After the procedure, the doctor will bandage the treated areas. You will need to clean the treated areas four to five times a day and then apply an ointment such as petroleum jelly to prevent scabs from forming.

The procedure stimulates new collagen and skin regeneration. Patients and doctors often describe the sensation felt during laser treatments to a rubber band snapping against the skin.

However, what laser resurfacing really feels like will depend on the type of laser used, the depth of treatment, what part of the face is being treated, and a person’s own tolerance to pain. Ablative laser resurfacing involves the actual removal of outer layers of skin and may require local anesthetic injections or intravenous sedation.

Other laser resurfacing treatments are non-ablative, meaning the laser passes through the skin without removing any layers. This type of procedure requires just a topical numbing cream and very little, if any, pain. The average U.S. cost for ablative laser skin resurfacing in 2018 was $2,071 and the average non-ablative resurfacing was $1,144.

Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is similar to a light chemical peel but uses abrasive materials on a rotating brush instead of chemicals. The procedure is done under sedation and may require more than one treatment. The average U.S. cost for dermabrasion in 2018 was $131.

Microneedling

Micro needling involves the use of a roller covered with tiny needles that puncture the skin and, by doing so, stimulate collagen production and tightening of the skin. The process typically involves three to six treatments spaced out two to six weeks each with the average cost per session being $200 to $700.

Botox injection

Injecting small amounts of Botox into the lip area is another way to reduce lines and wrinkles in the upper lip area. The treatment relaxes the orbicularis oris muscle, which surrounds the mouth, without weakening actual mouth movement. One round of injections typically lasts about three months and costs an average of $397 in the United States, according to 2018 figures.

Platelet-rich plasma

Platelet-rich plasma or PRP injections are increasingly being used to help treat sports injuries and help wounds heal after surgery. However, doctors continue to conduct research on the effectiveness of PRP in reducing wrinkles. The process involves drawing blood from the body and using a machine to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood. The doctor numbs the area to be treated with PRP prior to the injection. The platelets help release growth factors which are compounds that contribute to human cell repair and renewal. PRP treatments done on the face are sometimes called “vampire facials.” However, the jury is still out on whether facial PRP injections consistently improve signs of aging. PRP treatments are either done as a solo procedure or in combination with microneedling.

Unlike wrinkles on other parts of the face, upper-lip wrinkles or smoker’s lips are more difficult to deal with. However, the best way to deal with upper-lip wrinkles is to strive not to get them in the first place. Doing so likely will require you to quit smoking if you haven’t done so already and to commit to protecting your skin from sun damage anytime you go outdoors.

Furthermore, you can treat and prevent upper lip wrinkles from forming with a comprehensive and custom anti-aging skincare routine from PROVEN Skincare.

Perhaps the best possible treatment for upper lip wrinkles is simply an anti-aging skincare routine. Incorporating beneficial ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides into your skincare routine can really work wonders. These are just some of the ingredients offered by PROVEN Skincare when you take the revolutionary Skin Genome Quiz. After taking the skincare quiz, you will receive a personalized cleanser, moisturizer, and night cream to fit your unique skincare needs.