What Causes Lip (Smoker’s) Lines and How Can We Improve Them?

Lip lines. Smoker’s lines. Lipstick lines. Whatever you call the vertical lines that develop above your lip as you get older, you probably aren’t too keen on them. 

At Hanami Medspa in Fort Worth, Texas, Elaine Phuah, DO, MBA, FACOI, and our team can help you smooth those lines and restore youthfulness to your mouth. With specially formulated fillers, Dr. Phuah targets those folds and gets rid of them for you. 

Beyond that, though, we want to help you understand these lines and what you can do to avoid more of them in the future. 

Why we get lip lines

The skin around your lips is particularly fragile, which makes it susceptible to aging more quickly. As you get older and your body makes less collagen — the protein that keeps your skin plump and elastic — you might notice more wrinkles and folds forming, including lines around your lips.

We can’t chalk all lip lines up to aging, though. Certain choices contribute to these wrinkles.

As the name suggests, smoker’s lines can be caused by smoking. The continual motion of pursing your lips to smoke can speed wrinkling around your mouth. Similarly, using a straw regularly can leave you with more vertical lip lines.

Some of these lines form not because of what you do, but what you don’t. Sun damage contributes to wrinkling, and people often forget to spread sunscreen above their lips. Dehydration can also put you at a greater risk for these wrinkles. 

Long story short, a lot of factors come into play to create lipstick lines. 

How to get rid of them

Now, here’s the good news: Dr. Phuah offers an easy way to get rid of these pesky lines. Specifically, she has several FDA-approved injectable fillers that can smooth the skin above your lip, including:

• Restylane® Silk 
• Juvéderm® Ultra XC 
• Juvéderm VOLBELLA® XC 

With these cosmetic injectables, Dr. Phuah applies hyaluronic acid, something your body already makes naturally. The hyaluronic acid plumps the area, eliminating your lines and helping your upper-lip skin to look more youthful. 

Getting rid of your lip lines takes just minutes and you don’t have to fuss with any downtime afterward. The results from these treatments usually last about a year. 

Beyond that, Dr. Phuah offers other options for smoothing lip lines, including:

• Injections with neurotoxins like Botox® to relax lip lines
• NanoFractional radiofrequency resurfacing to increase collagen production in the area
• SkinPen® microneedling to increase collagen production in the area

Talk with Dr. Phuah so she can recommend the right treatment option for your cosmetic goals. 

Preventing future smoker’s lines

After Dr. Phuah smoothes your lip lines, you can take steps to reduce your risk of developing future lines. 

Specifically, you should:

• Quit smoking
• Minimize your use of straws
• Protect the area from the sun (use sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater)
• Keep the area (including your lips) moisturized and drink plenty of water

Whether you call them lipstick lines, smoker’s lines, or something else, you can get rid of them. To get started, call Hanami Medspa or make an appointment online today.