Treating Wrinkles Around Mouth: Vertical or Marionette

A lifetime of laughter and the unfortunate consequence of aging, wrinkles around the mouth are inevitable. Wrinkles everywhere are inevitable, eventually, if you live long enough, your entire body will be a mass of lines and folds and creases. Visible marks to show the passing of the time and coming on of years.

You don’t have to surrender that easily though. Here is a guide to understanding wrinkles (specifically around the mouth) and ways you can stave them off a few more years.

What causes them?

As we age, the ligaments around our mouth and chin to become loose. This makes the fatty tissues in our cheeks sag.  The collagen in our skin also begins to deteriorate. When this happens, the elasticity in our skin is reduced, which results in saggy skin and wrinkles.

Wrinkles around mouth and lips
Wrinkles around mouth and lips

 

Here are some things that make it worse:

Age and too much sun

Age is a natural consequence of time as is exposure to UV light rays from the sun. None are unavoidable except perhaps by dying a young recluse confined to the inside of the house.

As inescapable as time and the sun are, they both affect our skin negatively by breaking down the collagen and elastin in your skin, both of which support the layers of skin. When this support starts to break down, the skin sags forming lines and folds.

Using facial muscles

Also, unavoidable, unless you want to be a vegetable. Even then, you would still need to roll your eyes here and there. That along with any other action, such as squinting, frowning, smiling, questioning, all move the skin repeatedly in the same way and places causing groves to form and become deeper.

Smoking

Every smoker knows the negative consequences of smoking on their entire body, especially the lungs. Smoking also ages the skin due to the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes. Aside from these dangerous chemicals, even the act of huffing and puffing causes new wrinkles to form on your skin. This is because you constantly move your lips in the same motion allowing the folds and creases to settle in your skin earlier than they need to.

Types of lines around the mouth

Smile lines

Also known as nasolabial lines, that form as creases around the mouth when you smile or laugh. Perhaps a cruel joke by mother nature or a solid lesson in lack of vanity, something wonderful causes something a little less wonderful.

We smile to express happiness and joy, spreading that cheer to those among us. It has the ability to relive stress and keep you younger- at least mentally. Physically, smiling causes all sorts of creases and fold to form on your face. Most especially around the mouth as they begin from the lower side of your nose to the edge (corners) of your mouth.

Vertical lip lines

Surprise surprise, these are also unescapable. This is because they are caused by regular facial movements that can’t be avoided. However, the action of smoking forces the face in a shape that increases the depth of vertical lines on the face.

They form on the upper lip in vertical lines, or vertical fissures. They can be caused by excessive pursing of the lips. Both smokers and ‘kissy face’ lovers are in for this particular one sooner than the rest of us.

Marionette lines

These are the small vertical lines at the corners of the mouth. They make the lips almost seem like that are turned downwards, making you look distinctly displeased or upset all the time.

These lines are found over time for the same reasons as found above.

How to get rid of wrinkles around mouth  fast

It seems that there is nothing you can do, but there is. Remember though, that all of these are aimed only at putting off the inevitable as long as possible.

Take care of your skin

Invest in the correct cleansers, toners, creams, and masks that you can find. Make sure to protect your skin from the sun when you go out by wearing sun screen, sun glasses and a wide brimmed hat. It doesn’t hurt to look like a rich divorcee either.

The first thing to always remember though is to start early. The smartest way to get around something is to deal with it before it occurs. There are plenty of creams, serums, lotions, and skincare tips you can follow from a young age to maintain your youthful appearance even longer.

Korean anti-aging creams should be started at 25, and Koreans are the masters in fooling people about their age. People usually guess 5-10 younger than they really are, and if that’s not proof that it works, I don’t know what is.

Twenty-five may be a little young in your eyes or you may be well past that, whatever it is, the earlier you start, the better.

Retinol

Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that aims to stimulate skin cell production, unclog pores, fade scars and spots, and boost collagen production which reduces lines and wrinkles.

Invest in a retinol product and add a little to your regular skin care routine. You can mix it in with your serum or cream.

Stick to only one to avoid skin irritation.

RESULTS VISIBLE IN: 6 months

Home lasers

So nice that technology has advanced to the point that you can have your own laser at home, and it will help to reduce wrinkles.

Though these don’t burn through anything (sorry guys), they help to boost the production of collagen which as we know by now restores skin elasticity.

RESULTS VISIBLE IN: 4-6 weeks

Medical Solutions – quick results

Chemical peels and/or Microdermabrasion

Both of these procedures remove the upper layer of the skin. Sounds scary, but it is only to allow new, healthy skin to grow.

Chemical peels are chemical solutions that cause the skin to exfoliate and peel off eventually while microdermabrasion uses exfoliating crystals to sand down the skin.

The results are only short term because they target only the top layer of the skin.

RESULTS VISIBLE IN: Immediately.

Lip fillers

A quick fix to wrinkles and lines, you can get a cosmetic filler in your dermatologist’s office. It does exactly what its name suggests, it augments the lips and adding volume for a more voluptuous pout. The lip filler procedure us non-invasive and immediate.

However, the effects last only a few months. Although there are options that last up to 2 years such as Juvederm Voluma.

RESULTS VISIBLE IN: immediately

Botox

You may have heard horror stories and seem celebrity Botox go wrong, but used properly, they can be a viable option for reducing wrinkles.

However, it’s important to know what you are getting yourself into. Botox works by paralyzing the muscles around the mouth. This means that you may have less wrinkles, but your facial expressions would also be less animated.

The results however last only 4-5 months as well.

RESULTS VISIBLE IN: immediately.

Face lift

If you are looking for a long-term solution, then a face lift is your surest bet. It does exactly what it claims to as the procedure works to lift the face where sagging has occurred.

An age reversal procedure, it helps patients look years younger. However, there is always a price to pay. Face lifts rarely look natural and always leave scars. They also require a recovery time of about 2 weeks, while the remaining swelling and bruising takes up to a full year.

RESULTS VISIBLE IN: a few weeks

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.siobeauty.com/blogs/news/smile-lines
  2. https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/erasing-lines-around-your-mouth
  3. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/a35674/how-to-get-rid-of-frown-lines/
  4. https://www.livestrong.com/article/99829-deep-wrinkle-remedies/
  5. http://stylecaster.com/beauty/what-does-retinol-

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