Softens vertical lip lines by relaxing the underlying muscle. Some caution is needed with dosing near the mouth to avoid affecting speech or the ability to purse your lips.
Lip Lines
Lines around the mouth go by several names: lip lines, lipstick lines, and the somewhat misleading “smoker’s lines,” since most patients we see with this concern have never smoked. These vertical lines can form on both the upper and lower lip, though the upper lip tends to show more pronounced lines than the lower.
How It Happens
Understanding
Lip Lines
Three factors drive most lip line formation. Smoking accelerates aging around the mouth by decreasing collagen production, and the repetitive muscle movement involved in smoking contributes directly to wrinkling. Sun exposure is responsible for the majority of skin aging, breaking down collagen and elastin so the skin becomes thinner and less elastic, particularly in this already-delicate area. And as we age, we lose volume around the mouth, whether from collagen and elastin loss or from the loss of supporting fat beneath the skin.
Lip lines typically stem from two distinct issues working together: volume loss and a decline in skin quality. Most patients benefit from addressing both, adding volume back to the area while also treating the skin’s surface texture.
Prevention
If you smoke, quitting is the single most effective step you can take, since it slows the loss of collagen, elastin, and volume that drives most lip line formation. Daily use of a high-quality sunblock protects this area from UV damage. Apply it consistently, even in winter and on cloudy days, since sun exposure accounts for the majority of aging in this area.
How We Treat Lip Lines
Botox
Relaxes the muscle around the mouth with the same precise, low-dose approach as Dysport, chosen based on which product your provider finds gives you the most natural result.
Restylane Filler
Restores lost volume and smooths lines directly, giving back fullness that naturally diminishes with age.
Juvéderm Fillers
A range of filler options tailored to lip volume and surface lines, chosen based on your specific goals.
Vivace Microneedling with RF
Increases skin thickness through new collagen production, recommended especially for deeper wrinkles around the mouth.
Chemical Peels
Shows modest improvement in lip lines and can improve how smoothly makeup applies over the area.
Erbium Laser Resurfacing
Full resurfacing gives the most dramatic results for lip lines, though it also comes with the most downtime of any option here.
Why choose Lazaderm
Related Concerns
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