The lips often start to see the first signs of aging with lip lines forming above the lips and at the corners. Sometimes they can be so severe they give the impression of a slight frown. But as they say we can turn that frown upside down with a few choice procedures.

How do we get these lines in the first place? We have already mentioned natural aging which causes the underlying muscles around the mouth to thin out and diminishing the fuller pout. The lines can be accelerated by smoking, not using sunscreen, not drinking enough water, drinking too much alcohol and using straws! Yes all that puckering can train the mouth into creating lines. But there is always good news!

Neurotoxins injected very conservatively can immobilize the muscles causing them to stop moving as much and gently reducing the wrinkles. This dramatically smooths out the upper lip. Adding subtle amounts of dermal filler to those marionette lines (that start from the corner of the mouth and down to towards the chin) will improve the frowning look. If this is severe and my patient prefers, I will suggest PDO threads to lift the area around the lower mid face to tighten the nasolabial folds (which start from the corner of the nostril down towards the mouth) and marionette lines.

We can also take another combination approach here, which is using fillers, neurotoxins and adding chemical peels. Or CO2 fractional laser around the mouth. These two alone will advance the skin renewal process and stimulate collagen. Plasma injections can plump up fine lines and wrinkles and use the body’s own growth factors to stimulate collagen too and of course there is also microneedling using SkinPen®.  Both these treatments are great at long term collagen induction, they don’t just work for the immediate term, but in the long term too. Now just because you have got a perfect pout (with a little help from your friends) it doesn’t mean the basics of skin care should be avoided! It’s time to ditch the straws and pucker up for kisses instead!