Lip wrinkles are classified either as those occurring in the lips themselves or in the skin surrounding the mouth. Those that form in the surrounding skin begin at the base of the lips and travel up or down depending on the location. A person with excessive lip wrinkles can be hard to read emotionally because the wrinkles make it difficult to perceive facial expression.
Causes of Lip Wrinkles
As previously mentioned, the main cause of lip wrinkles is the natural aging process. However, there are other things we do that contribute to them. One good example is waxing of the upper lip. As unsightly as it may be for a woman to have hair on her upper lip, waxing is harmful to the skin and can even accelerate the onset of wrinkles. This is due to the fact that lip waxing stretches the skin violently as the wax is pulled away. This abnormal stretching is very likely to show up later in lines and wrinkles.
Another avoidable culprit in the formation of lip wrinkles is cigarette smoking. On the outside of the mouth, cigarette smoke dries out the skin and pollutes individual cells with carcinogens. This skin damage makes it harder for cells to be rejuvenated and re-energized during the sleep process. Cigarette smoking also makes it harder for the body to naturally exfoliate dead cells, especially around the mouth.
Furthermore, cigarette smoke depletes the body of vitamin C which then inhibits cell rebuilding, reduces the plumpness and firmness of the skin, and contributes to the loss of elasticity. Cigarette smokers are far more likely to develop lip wrinkles at an early age than non-smokers. Some scientists suggest that pursing the lips in order to smoke is another factor.
Preventing Lip Wrinkles
If you’re a smoker, the first thing you can do to prevent lip wrinkles is to quit smoking. Though it may sound remarkable, damage caused to the lungs and the skin by cigarette smoking can be healed by the body rather quickly. In fact, research shows that the body’s self-healing mechanisms begin to work on smoke damaged lungs and skin within 24 hours of quitting. Thirty days later some people don’t even exhibit any signs that they ever smoked.
Avoiding lip waxing, using lip balm in cold weather, avoiding long-term sun exposure, and maintaining a healthy diet are all things you can do to help reduce the onset of lip wrinkles. Topical creams which include collagen and vitamin C as key ingredients are another treatment method that works well. The combination of all these things should be enough for most people to prevent lip wrinkles from coming on prematurely.
