Upper Lip Lines Treatments

Lines that appear on the upper lip have been given a host of names, for example "smokers" lines” or "barcodes”.

The official name for them however are perioral (around the mouth) rhytids (skin creases).

Whatever they are called, most people dislike them and seek ways to reduce their appearance.

In order to effectively treat upper lip lines, firstly we need to establish what causes them in the first place.

There is a circular muscle that runs around the entire lip called the orbicularis oris muscle. This muscle is responsible for pursing the lips and to some degree, smiling. This muscle is important for actions such as whistling, sucking, and blowing so you can see it is pretty useful.

Problems arise when this muscle become overactive or in the case of more mature people, has been busy for many years. There are 2 types of upper lip lines, so in order to treat them effectively we need to understand which type is which.

Firstly, there are the lines that appear only when the muscle is engaged (such as whistling) but there are no lines visible when the muscle is at rest. This generally isn"t a problem, however, this muscle action can be soften slightly but gently injecting small amounts of Botulinum toxin (AKA Botox) around the muscle to lessen its action. This will also help delay the development of deeper lines further down the road.

The lines that generally cause the most irritation for many people are the lines that remain on the skin even when the muscle is at rest (static lines).

As previously explained, these usually develop as we age, and is due to many years of muscle contraction in addition to collagen loss as the skin ages. This is much more likely in women as collagen production dramatically reduces as we age.

Static lines require a different approach which generally involves the strategic use of dermal fillers to fill and soften the appearance of lines. As this area of skin is relatively thin, this type of treatment requires skilful care to ensure the healed results are indetectable.

We may also recommend a combination treatment of both dermal fillers and Botox to achieve the desired result.

As collagen reduction is a contributing factor to the appearance of upper lip lines, the importance of skin care in optimising skin quality cannot be underestimated. In order to achieve long term improvements, stimulating natural collagen with micro needling may be recommended. Whilst Botox and fillers are more of an instant fix, regular micro needling sessions will help to prolong the results in addition to help prevent the development of more lines in the future.