How To Get Rid Of Upper Lip Wrinkles

Brigitte Bardot smoking. Image: Getty

I have had several clients complaining about fine lines on their upper lip this week. The first question I often get asked is, "Why do I have smokers' lines when I've never smoked?" The next thing everyone wants to know is how to stop them getting worse and if I have a "magic wand" to get rid of them.

Lines around the mouth are formed in much the same way as lines around the eyes or forehead, in that they are mainly caused by muscle movement. You will notice that people with very expressive or animated faces tend to have more wrinkles in these problem areas. We call these "dynamic" wrinkles. Each time the muscle in question contracts to form an expression, the skin attached concertinas. This repetitive movement can result in a permanent line that, over time, can become a deeper wrinkle.

Smokers' lines develop around the mouth because of the puckering of the lips, caused by sucking on the cigarette. However, smoking is not the only time our mouths make this movement. I used to joke that it's down to too much kissing, but now I will tease that too many pouting selfies are to blame! Joking aside, you can often tell who is going to be more prone to these types of lines by the way they talk or eat. If your mouth moves in a pronounced way when you speak or chew, you could develop smokers' lines without ever having puffed on a cigarette.

So other than talking like a ventriloquist what can actually be done? This is a really tricky area to treat. With these types of dynamic wrinkles, the ideal solution is to slightly relax the muscles, build up a little volume in the area and stimulate collagen to thicken and repair the skin.

It is widely accepted that the best thing for relaxing muscle movement is Botox injections, however, the mouth is an unpredictable area to inject and I have seen quite a few cases of droopy mouths and even dribbling as a result of treatment for mouth lines. Although the effects do wear off after about three months, that is a very long time to be dribbling, so the most important thing to remember is to go to someone who is experienced in injecting in this area.

Another option for muscle stimulation is a treatment like CACI. In experienced hands, this treatment can be used to elongate the muscles, relaxing them out. There are no negative side effects from this treatment but the results will be subtle and can take some time to achieve, meaning you will often require a course of treatments.

To smooth out the lines around the mouth, one of the most popular options is dermal fillers. These are hydrating and/or volume-building fluids that are injected under the skin using a tiny needle. This works well for very fine lines that just need some hydration, but as soon as you start adding a lot of volume it can start to look unnatural. I cannot stress enough the importance of finding an experienced practitioner who is trained in the latest cutting edge-techniques and is focused on natural-looking results.

The final thing you can do to minimise smokers' lines is to have treatments that stimulate and help to build your own natural collagen in the area. These types of treatments include lasers, peels or needling, and involve causing injury to the skin to stimulate the wound healing response. The stronger the injury to the skin, often the more dramatic the result, however, be careful of this. I have seen some people who had very strong peeling (chemical or laser) that left the skin wrinkle free but with an almost waxy, plastic-like appearance, or left the skin very sensitive and red.

My solution is to do a few milder treatments that build up an accumulative effect, rather than opting for a super-strong one-off treatment. I combine several lasers over multiple sessions to get the best, low-risk results. These effects are natural and subtle, but can be maintained long term. Some treatments have no immediate after-effects so, within a couple of hours, your skin looks normal. Some are a little more aggressive, so you can be red or flaky for several days after. When you talk to your laser provider, make sure you ask about possible side-effects and if there are any. Book your treatment when you know you have time to manage the after-effects without worrying.

None of the above treatments are a miracle cure but they are part of the ongoing maintenance that comes with trying to look as good as possible as we age.

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