As they age, many people notice vertical wrinkles above the upper lip - what to do in this situation, is it possible to correct the defect or at least make it less noticeable? The formation of wrinkles around the lips is an unpleasant phenomenon. They always show age and can change facial expression, which gives it a gloomy appearance.
Experts in the field of aesthetic cosmetology identify several types of wrinkles :
- so-called purse string – small, vertical and located around the lips;
- marionette wrinkles extending almost vertically from the corners of the lips towards the chin area;
- nasolabial folds , formations extending from the corners of the lips to the wings of the nose.
To know how to remove purse-string wrinkles above the upper lip or other types, you need to understand how and where they appear.
Why do wrinkles appear?
The first small defects in the area of the upper lip or around the mouth appear quite early, gradually their number and depth increase. Experts identify a number of reasons that provoke the appearance of wrinkles, and some of them can be influenced.
- Wrinkles are influenced by anatomical features. The orbicularis oris muscle is fixed directly in the dermis. Each muscle contraction stretches the skin; there is no fat layer and few sebaceous glands in this area. Therefore, restoration of the skin in this area is difficult with age. This creates the basis for the appearance of wrinkles. In addition, this zone depends on the level of estrogen in the body. As you age, collagen synthesis decreases, the skin loses its elasticity, and folds appear.
- Facial expressions and active articulation make a certain contribution. In people of certain professions (presenters, singers, teachers), wrinkles appear faster.
- Additionally, bad habits have an impact: pursing, biting lips, pulling them into a straw, drinking through a straw, frequent use of chewing gum and smoking. The latter affects not only the work of the lips, but also the action of nicotine on collagen fibers, skin and body cells. And knowing the reasons, it is important to determine how to get rid of wrinkles above the upper lip or in the corners of the lips.
Causes of wrinkles around the mouth
- Smoking – it’s not for nothing that one type of such wrinkles is called smoker’s wrinkles.
- Age-related causes that are aggravated by improper skin care.
- Excessive exposure to the sun, which has an extremely negative effect on this area.
- The habit of retracting and pursing the lips.
There are three different types of lines around the mouth that form as we age:
- Smile lines running from the lower corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth. They are caused by weakening of the ligaments, causing the skin to sag.
- Marionette lines are wrinkles at the corners of the mouth that make the face “unhappy.” Appear due to the breakdown of collagen protein.
- Vertical lines of the lips are “smoker’s lines.” Caused by constant lip movements, including those associated with smoking.
Only one type of wrinkle may appear, or all of them may appear at once. It depends on the skin type, triggering factors and the thoroughness of facial care.
Fighting wrinkles at home
If you are thinking about how to remove purse-string wrinkles around the lips, you should understand that completely getting rid of them is almost impossible. Moreover, it is dangerous and can disrupt the aesthetics and functionality of this area of the face. We need facial expressions, we need to talk and eat, all this uses the muscles of the mouth. But there are ways to make wrinkles less pronounced and less noticeable.
The first thing you need is to quit smoking once and for all. This is not only a way to combat lip wrinkles, but also improve the health of the whole body. You should also avoid chewing gum and drinking through straws.
Control of the face and lip area is important. Learn not to tense your lips, purse them or curl them. The tissues are maximally relaxed in a light half-smile, which also reduces the severity of wrinkles.
Skin protection from UV radiation is necessary. They dry out and accelerate the aging of this delicate area. Therefore, you need protection with an SPF of approximately 30-50.
Properly selected cosmetics are also important. For such a delicate area, masks and creams with fat-soluble vitamins, ascorbic acid, antioxidants and retinoids, collagen, peptides, and hyaluronic acid are needed. Moreover, you need to use cosmetics from the age of 25-30, for preventive purposes. For deep wrinkles, when the process has already gone far, the effectiveness of these products is low.
Face building can help, but you need to select the exercises very carefully so as not to put excessive stress on the perioral area.
Homemade masks are useful for moisturizing and nourishing - with cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, fruits and berries. When applying masks, a light massage along the lines from the lips to the chin is useful. You should add nuts, seeds, dairy products, and vegetables to your diet.
How to remove wrinkles above the upper lip yourself
To remove wrinkles above the lips at home, experts advise adjusting your diet, learning how to do proper lip exercises and massage. Home cosmetology methods will also help.
"Menu" for skin
As a result of research, cosmetologists and nutritionists have come to the conclusion that proper eating habits are the key to healthy, smooth skin. Including the skin near the lips. Experts have compiled a list of products that should be in the diet of a woman who monitors the condition of her facial skin and her health. This is the first and main weapon in the fight against age-related skin changes at home. What does the “anti-wrinkle” menu look like?
- Milk, cottage cheese, beef. And also liver, fish oil, carrots. These products are rich in vitamin A, which keeps our skin soft and silky. Include these ingredients in your diet at least two to three times a week.
- Citrus fruits, spinach, kiwi. And also seaweed and rose hips. Known sources of vitamin C help the production of collagen and, accordingly, maintain the elasticity of the epidermis.
- Beans, peas, chickpeas, greens. These products are high in vitamin B, which has a moisturizing effect on the skin.
- Nuts, vegetable oil. And also cabbage, onions, oatmeal, flax seeds. They contain large quantities of vitamin E, which promotes cell regeneration, tightens the skin, and ensures a healthy complexion.
To make your skin glow and stay firm longer, you need to limit your intake of certain foods and drinks. This applies to coffee and cocoa (replace with green tea, water), sugar and sweeteners, flour, sausages, margarine, mayonnaise, fast food, soda, alcohol.
Anti-tension massage
Take the time to spend five minutes in the evening massaging the skin area around your lips - this is a very effective method. When carrying out the procedure, do not smooth or rub the skin under any circumstances, but only lightly pat it with your fingertips.
A regular toothbrush can be a tool for a good massage. Pre-treat the area around your lips with cream, then move in a circular motion along a path from the corners of your lips to the center, as well as from the corners of your mouth to your nose.
Video on the topic Facial gymnastics will help remove wrinkles around the lips
Beauty gymnastics: 12 simple exercises
You can prolong the youthfulness of your facial skin with the help of gymnastics, which will help tighten the oval of your face, “invigorate” it and restore a healthy appearance.
Cosmetologists recommend 12 simple but effective exercises.
- Tube. Pull your lips forward, then immediately return to their original position.
- Gritting my teeth. With your jaw closed, lower your lower lip to expose your teeth and gums.
- Feather. Tilt your head back and blow upward, as if you were trying to gently blow away a light feather.
- Air in a circle. Puff out your cheeks and roll the air in your mouth in a circle.
- Long "O". Pull out your lips and say a long, “Oooh.”
- Hide and seek. Extend your lips and hide the lower one under the upper one, and then vice versa.
- Pat. Smile slightly and tap the center of your lips with the pad of your index finger.
- Accent "P". Rhythmically close your lips while pronouncing the sound “P”.
- Hiding smile. Pull your lips in and smile.
- Balls. Blow up a balloon a couple of times a day.
- Like a hamster. Take a deep breath, hold your breath for a second, puff out your cheeks, then exhale sharply.
- Right left. Clench your teeth, take a deep breath through your nose, and then exhale slowly through the slightly open corner of your mouth. First through the left, then through the right.
It is recommended to perform these actions in front of a mirror to monitor the correctness of lip movements. Frequency: at least two to three times a week. Each exercise requires five to ten repetitions.
Video on the topic Egg yolk mask will help remove wrinkles around the lips
Cosmetology procedures
There are many options to reduce the severity of wrinkles around the mouth, smooth the skin, and rejuvenate this area. Fillers with hyaluronic acid can help eliminate purse-string and other types of wrinkles. They help fill wrinkles and smooth the skin, but such correction has a temporary effect. The injections will need to be repeated regularly.
Biorevitalization with compositions based on hyaluronic acid can also help. The procedure moisturizes the skin, corrects fine wrinkles, and gives a rejuvenating effect.
Mesotherapy is used with compositions containing collagen, elastin, a complex of vitamins and minerals. The effect is slower, but stable, slowing down the aging process.
Botox injections help eliminate muscle spasms, remove purse-string wrinkles, and lift the corners of the mouth.
It is possible to place mesothreads; they are placed along the contour of the lips; as they dissolve, a frame is created based on collagen fibers, which help strengthen the skin and smooth out the wrinkle area.
Laser peeling using fractional modern lasers helps stimulate collagen synthesis processes, exfoliate the top layer of skin, rejuvenate, and smooth out wrinkles.
Fractional laser resurfacing
According to patient reviews, laser resurfacing is comparable in effectiveness to surgical correction of purse-string wrinkles, while it is easily tolerated and does not carry the risk of serious complications. With fractional laser rejuvenation, the effect is on the deep layers of the skin. Moreover, unlike continuous resurfacing, the laser beam removes small microtubules of the skin only in certain areas. The result is the same as with continuous exposure, but the risk of side effects is reduced and recovery is accelerated. Modern equipment makes it possible to accurately dose the impact for the best result. After laser resurfacing:
- regeneration processes are activated in the deep layers of the skin;
- fibroblasts are activated;
- stimulates the production of your own elastin and collagen;
- metabolic processes in the skin are activated.
All these processes continue for another six months. The recommended course is 3-4 procedures, they are carried out under local anesthesia, the recovery period is 5-7 days. Laser radiation is safe for humans and does not have even remote consequences.
More invasive techniques
If the wrinkles are deep enough, there are many of them, and a more radical solution to the problem is important, more serious, invasive correction methods may be required. For them, it is necessary to carefully select a clinic and specialists; the methods have certain limitations and a rehabilitation period.
Lipofilling is the filling of wrinkles and folds of skin in a problem area with one’s own fat tissue, taken from another area and specially prepared. The technique helps eliminate wrinkles, add volume to the lips, and rejuvenate them.
Thread skin lifting helps get rid of nasolabial folds and marionette wrinkles. It is used for a comprehensive solution to facial problems.
The SMAS lift uses targeted ultrasound to tighten connective tissue and muscles, helping to reduce the deepest lines around the mouth. Marionette lines
Prices for procedures
When considering eliminating defects at home, the price depends solely on the product chosen.
The most expensive will be lifting creams, the cost of which ranges from 150 to 2,000 rubles. In beauty salons, prices for some services are quite high:
- laser peeling - from 3,500 rubles;
- chemical peeling - from 1,500 rubles;
- dermabrasion - from 400 rubles;
- plastic surgery - from 50,000 rubles;
- thermolifting - from 4,000 rubles;
- microcurrent therapy - from 500 rubles;
- Botox - from 3,000 rubles;
- lipofilling - from 20,000 rubles;
- contour plastic surgery, mesotherapy, biorevitalization - from 7,000 rubles (depending on the condition of the skin and the filler used).
Contraindications, possible negative consequences
The issue of contraindications is relevant mainly for cosmetic procedures. For most of them, this list is quite long. During the consultation, the cosmetologist will definitely ask you all the necessary questions, which must be answered as accurately and, of course, truthfully. It’s much easier with massage and gymnastics. They are prohibited only if there are wounds, abrasions, scratches on the skin and if there are problems with the facial nerves.
General contraindications for cosmetic procedures:
- carrying a child or breastfeeding;
The body of the expectant mother is undergoing radical hormonal changes, so it is impossible to predict how it will react to any outside intervention and how this will affect the health of the fetus.
- decreased blood clotting or the need to regularly take anticoagulants;
- a course of antibiotics or hormonal drugs that cannot be interrupted;
- autoimmune diseases;
- pathologies of the cardiovascular, bronchopulmonary, endocrine systems, problems with the liver and kidneys;
- any chronic disease in the acute stage;
- oncology (even at an early stage of development), large moles or birthmarks on the face;
Large moles and birthmarks on the face may indicate developing cancer
- dermatological diseases that appear on the skin of the face;
- skin hypersensitivity, tendency to form keloid scars;
- any mechanical damage, burns that have not fully healed;
- inflammatory process in the body, infections that provoke an increase in body temperature (even a cold);
A common cold or even just poor health is a reason to postpone any cosmetic procedure
- recovery that has not ended after another cosmetic procedure or plastic surgery on the face.
When planning to apply a new cosmetic product to your face, remember that any ingredient, no matter organic or synthetic, is a potential allergen. Be sure to test it on the skin of your forearm first by rubbing lightly. A negative reaction, if any, occurs within a maximum of an hour. Swelling, rash, skin irritation, severe itching, and a burning sensation occur. Any antihistamines can cope with such symptoms. Of course, this product cannot be used for facial care.
Both store-bought and homemade cosmetics can cause an allergic reaction.
Experts' opinion
The opinions of experts regarding the optimal ways to get rid of purse-string wrinkles do not always agree.
Nelly Mezerya (Cosmetologist):
To correct wrinkles in the perioral area, it is advisable to use several methods. A good effect can be observed with a consistent combination of peelings, mesotherapy and contouring. Since the procedures are quite expensive, it is necessary to take preventive measures as early as possible. This is especially true for smoking patients.
However, cosmetologists unanimously note how complex the procedure is.