How to Treat Lip Lines

 There are many individuals who form “smokers lip lines”, or vertical lip lines, and often occur in nonsmokers.  These dynamic or static lip lines are a very aging feature to the face and prevention is key. They almost exclusively occur in women but can be seen in men also. There are many treatment options including skin care, retinols, Retin-A, lasers, dermal fillers and Botox. Habits can also be modified such as smoking, whistling, straw drinking and lip pursing. Our lips are a very hyperdynamic muscle and as we age, we begin to see collagen loss, bone loss, and fat loss around the mouth. Dr. Rajani describes the stages lip line formation and solutions you can do at home and in the clinic for prevention and correction. 

Lip lines occur in 2 stages:

Stage 1: The flashing stage – In this stage, you begin to see lip lines form only during talking, chewing, or whistling.  You don’t often see yourself in the mirror during movement and prevention during this stage is key. We have several options for treatment during this stage which includes skin care and modifying our habits.  

Stage 2: At this point, lines are already ingrained or etched into the skin – during this stage, lip lines can be very difficult to get rid of.  However, they can be reduced but it can be costly. There may also be a risk of creating an unnatural look if there is no patience with the corrective process and treatment in this stage.

Tips to prevent lip lines at home:

1. Use a Retinol/Retin-A to improve collagen and dermal thickness
2.  Apply a topical Vitamin C
3. Applying SPF for sun protection and prevention of wrinkles
4. Habits can also be modified such as smoking, whistling, straw drinking and lip pursing.  The natural pursing of these hyperdynamic movements can cause lip lines to form, and this is due to a lack of structural support and collagen loss.  

Clinic treatment options include radiofrequency, microneedling, lasers, and injectables such as neuromodulators and fillers.  

1. Neuromodulators are a great option to prevent smokers lips lines that can be performed during both stages of line formation.  Neuromodulators, or Botox like products can be used along with fillers. Typically, 6 units of Botox is a great starting point for treatment of these lines and is a very cost effective treatment.   

• Fillers are also another option for treatment.  Fillers that can be used include Restylane, Juvederm, Bellafill, Refyne, and Belotero. Permanent fillers such as Sculptra should not be used in the lips nor should calcium fillers.  Overfilling should be avoided. If overfilling, a hyaluronic filler should be used so it can be removed if need be.  

To learn more about Botox and our other Neuromodulator Treatments visit our page – click here 

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