How to get rid of smoker’s lines: easy steps for smooth lips
What Are Smoker’s Lines?
Smokers’ lines are tiny vertical lines that form across the lip itself as well as the skin that runs from your upper lip towards your nose. They often stretch from one side of the mouth to the other, resulting in an uneven and cracked appearance that can make a person’s lower face look distressed and aged. While they are very small, they often appear in groups across a person’s lips, resulting in a wrinkled appearance that affects the entire mouth area. It is also common for lipstick to “bleed” and settle in the crevices that form, which can make the smokers’ wrinkles look darker, deeper, and more distracting than they actually are.
Usually, they begin to form at the age of 25-30 years. Such an early period for the appearance of wrinkles is due to the thinness of the skin in this area.
Why do smoker's wrinkles appear?
In addition to the aging process, a variety of unique factors cause mouth-lines to appear. Lip lines are worsened by factors like genetics, repetitive facial expressions, sun exposure, and, of course, smoking.
- Smoking and vaping
- Sun exposure
- Drinking from a straw or bottle
- Repeated facial expressions
- Pouting/smiling
- Playing musical instruments (like the recorder or harmonica)
- Genetics
- Lifestyle factors
Over time, our skin loses the resilience of our youth and those lines start to appear, even after we’ve stopped pursing our lips. The collagen degradation process is only made worse by external factors, UV rays being the biggest perpetrator. In fact, the sun contributes to 80% of visible skin aging—and since the lips often go unprotected, they’re particularly susceptible to developing fine lines. Another reason for the appearance of wrinkles around the lips is the anatomical features of the structure of the face. In the area around the lips, there is practically no fat layer and few sebaceous glands, so the skin here is characterized by increased dryness. As you know, dry and dehydrated skin often reacts with the early appearance of mimic wrinkles, which become deeper and become permanent over the years.
Vertical wrinkles above the lip may appear as a result of the removal of the front or side teeth. In this case, the tension vector of the skin around the mouth changes, and characteristic creases appear.
The habit of drinking drinks from a straw or from a bottle also contributes to the accelerated formation of wrinkles in the lip area. This also includes the habit of chewing gum for more than 5 minutes.
Effective Treatments for Getting Rid of Smoker’s Lines
It takes time to form smoker’s lines, and for the most part, it takes time to get rid of them, too. But if you’re determined, you’ll be able to ditch those lines for good with these simple means․
Moisturizing
As early as our twenties, collagen production in the skin begins to dwindle by about one percent each year. For our lips, this translates to a deflating effect, as the lips lose volume and creases become more apparent.
To make matters worse, the lips have no oil glands at all, and the oil supply of the rest of our skin greatly diminishes with age, too. For these reasons, it’s particularly important to moisturize the lips and surrounding area. In addition to giving off a plump, smooth, appearance, it staves off the dryness that leads to crinkles and folds.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are essentially a strong form of exfoliation that actually removes the top layer of the dermis, revealing a fresh, smooth layer underneath. It’s not only useful for all facial lines and wrinkles, but it can clear scars, dark spots, and acne as well. Peels are known to be especially effective for lip wrinkles, stimulating the skin’s natural healing process, improving texture, and buffing out fine lines.
A dermatologist’s office has access to strong, medical-grade peeling agents, and they know how to use them for maximum impact. Expect some redness and irritation with any peel you choose and know that it may take a few sessions before you start seeing a difference in your lip lines.
Dermal Fillers (Lip Fillers)
Like them or not, needles are considered the quickest fix for facial wrinkles. In the case of lip lines, neuromodulators like Botox are risky (one off-move and you could end up with a crooked smile for months).
So for this part of the face, dermal fillers are the injectable treatment of choice. Usually made from hyaluronic acid, a substance found naturally in the skin, fillers like Juvederm, Restylane, and Volbella can have a major smoothing effect on lip lines.
Morpheus8 Microneedling
This state-of-the-art skin remodeling treatment simultaneously provides skin-regenerating microneedling, while delivering deep radiofrequency thermal energy to stimulate natural skin rebuilding.
As the body’s production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid renewed, lip lines, and wrinkles are reduced or eliminated.
PDO threads for Smoker’s lines
Using a combination of threads placed under the skin smoker’s lines above the lip can be effectively removed and the skin can be visibly tightened.
PDO threads will reduce wrinkles and fine lines by lifting loose skin.
Get PRP Microneedling
The PRP Microneedling is a wrinkle treatment technique that uses your own plasma to stimulate the natural production of collagen in your cells.
While it may work better for full-facial results, it can certainly be effective on your stubborn lip lines.
Tips for keeping smoker’s lines away & maintaining smooth lips
Exfoliate Regularly
Routinely exfoliating your skin is one of the best ways to prevent wrinkles – and lip lines are no exception. But harsh scrubs and microbeads are things of the past.
Look out for modern treatments that contain fruit acids or hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAs) to gently exfoliate without damaging the skin.
Minimize Sun Exposure
And if you can’t do that, make sure you’re using sunscreen and SPF lip balm that offer broad-spectrum UVA/UVB coverage. Even the most diligent skincare aficionados often leave their lips in the dust when it comes to sun protection.
Don’t let them go unshielded – especially if you’re exfoliating or using face acids and retinoid products, as they can make your skin extra sensitive to sun damage.
Be Mindful Of Facial Movements
Easier said than done. But most often, the non-smokers with lip lines are those who tend to contract their lips a lot when they speak, and sometimes even when they sit still!
Because lip lines are so often rooted in our facial movements, the less you pout your lips, the smoother they’ll stay.
