Smokers lines, or lip lines, refer to wrinkles that occur between your nose and upper lip. Several factors can lead to the development of this facial concern but it is most likely caused by the age-related decline in essential skin proteins such as collagen and elastin. Collagen is essential for maintaining the structures of your skin while elastin provides elasticity. With decreased production of these proteins, wrinkles start to get more prominent in your upper lip and other facial areas.
While smokers’ lines are harmless, they can make you look older and tired. To address this condition, there are certain cosmetic procedures available that you can choose from. Professional Skin Care products can also help prevent early wrinkles and slow the ageing process.
Dr Jeremy Hunt is Specialist Plastic Surgeon with cosmetic clinics in Sydney and Wollongong NSW. He has performed hundreds of facial rejuvenating procedures in over 20 years of practice. His nurse injectors and clinic team offer a variety of solutions for upper lip wrinkles and smokers lines.
The most common causes of smokers’ lines are the following:
If you have upper lip wrinkles or smokers lines, you may benefit from the following treatments:
This treatment makes use of a neuromodulator, a substance that relaxes the tiny muscles of your face by inhibiting signal transmission in the area. Without the signals, the muscles cannot contract and will start to relax. As a result, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles are significantly reduced. Anti-wrinkle injections can help smooth out smokers’ lines by relaxing the muscle of your upper lip. Anti-wrinkle injections can also prevent new wrinkles from forming and reduce the worsening of existing wrinkles. The treatment can address fine lines and wrinkles in the different parts of your body such as your eyebrow, forehead, nose, mouth, lips, cheeks, and neck. After the treatment, you can resume your work and daily activities but you need to wait 4-10 days for the results to become noticeable. The duration of the results of the treatment can last around 3-4 months so you will need another session to maintain your lips.
This treatment makes use of a naturally-occurring substance in your body that is essential for keeping your skin hydrated. When injected into the area where smokers’ lines are located, the substance literally fills in the area and draws water. As a result, the treated area becomes more voluminous and fuller. This significantly reduces the appearance of a broad range of skin conditions such as fine lines, wrinkles, scars, and depressions in the treated area. Dermal fillers produce immediate results and can add volume and fullness to different body areas such as your brows, cheeks, forehead, hands, jaw, lips, mouth, temples, and under-eye area. The results of dermal fillers can last from six months up to a year depending on the type of filler, skin condition, and skincare regimen. While the treatment can help restore lost volume and fullness to the target area, you will need to undergo touch-treatments once the signs of ageing start to reappear.
A chemical peel is a procedure that involves the removal of the top layer of your skin so that new, healthier skin cells replace the old and damaged cells, new skin. The treatment can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in your upper lip. It can also address other skin concerns such as acne scars, age spots, dark spots, freckles, rough skin, and sun-damaged skin. Depending on the type of chemical peel, you can expect the results to last 2-6 months. There are 3 types of chemical peel: 1. Light chemical peel (removes outer skin layer), 2. Medium chemical peel (removes skin cells from the middle skin layer), and 3. Deep chemical peel (removes skin cells from the deeper skin layer). After the treatment, visible skin peeling is normal and is part of your body’s natural skin rejuvenation process. Once the treated area has completely healed, your skin will appear, smoother, radiant, and healthier.
This treatment is a facial rejuvenation procedure that involves the use of a laser to improve the appearance of your skin. Laser resurfacing can be done using an ablative laser which removes the thin outer layer of your skin while heating the underlying skin. Laser resurfacing can also be performed using a non-wounding laser known as a nonablative laser. This decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in your upper lip area by stimulating the growth of collagen and elastin. Laser skin resurfacing can also be performed to treat other skin concerns such as age spots, uneven skin tone or texture, sun-damaged skin, and mild to moderate acne scars. After the treatment, your skin will appear swollen and can become itchy but this can be easily managed by the application of a special ointment.
This is a skin-resurfacing procedure that makes use of a rotating instrument to remove the outer layer of your skin. During the procedure, you usually have local anaesthesia or sedation to minimise discomfort. Once your skin is numb, the practitioner will scrape away the outermost layer of your skin using a rapidly rotating instrument until the safest level that will reduce wrinkles is reached. After the procedure, the treated area will be covered with a moist dressing to protect it. The treated area will likely appear reddish and swollen after the treatment and you will feel some burning, tingling, or aching. After a week, the swelling will resolve but you will need to wait 3 months to see the final results of the procedure. Once the treated area starts to heal, you will notice that your skin becomes healthier, smoother, radiant, and tighter. The results of dermabrasion can last more than a month.
This is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that is used to treat fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, dark spots, large pores, stretch marks, and sun-damaged skin. Also known as CIT collagen induction therapy, microneedling works by stimulating the production of more collagen in the treated area. During the procedure, the practitioner makes small pricks under your skin using a pen-like device. This technique stimulates the body’s natural wound healing process and results in the production of new collagen-rich tissue. A numbing cream is usually applied before the procedure so you will feel less discomfort. Depending on the area being treated, the entire procedure usually takes 30 minutes to complete. After the procedure, you may experience skin irritation and redness within the first few days but this is normal as your skin undergoes the regeneration process. You may resume your daily activities after the procedure but you will need to wear sunscreen as your healing skin will become more sensitive to the sun. The final results of microneedling usually become noticeable after 4-6 weeks. This is the time required for your body to produce new, strong, healthy collagen.
This procedure makes use of a portion of your own blood known as platelets to promote soft tissue healing. Use of a platelet-rich plasma mimics your body’s natural response to injury by activating the platelets. After being processed in the laboratory, the activated platelets are prepared and injected into the damaged or abnormal tissue. This in turn stimulates the release of substances that are necessary for wound healing known as growth factors. These growth factors stimulate increased blood flow to the target area. In addition, the treatment stimulates the production of collagen and elastin in the injected areas. As a result, your skin undergoes a regenerative process that eliminates or improves the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Because the treatment uses your own blood to rejuvenate your skin, it produces natural-looking results with a lower risk of complications. Platelet-rich plasma therapy can be used for all skin types. After 6-9 months, you may need another treatment.
Deep lines around your mouth can be addressed by non-surgical treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, microneedling, and platelet-rich plasma therapy. For severe cases of skin sagging, you may need facelift surgery.
It is difficult to prevent smokers lines but you can help delay the appearance of deep lines around your mouth by:
Dr Jeremy Hunt is specialist plastic surgeon performing breast, body, face and nose surgery in Australia. He is a member of FRACS & ASPS and has over 20 years of experience providing plastic surgery in Sydney.
Careful, considerate and honest, Dr Jeremy Hunt works with you to find a solution that is optimal for your body and your lifestyle. Every patient is unique and, through his guidance, can achieve good results.
Dr Hunt’s personal, one-on-one service and attention to detail has given thousands of women and men from the Sydney & Wollongong NSW area and across Australia the aesthetic results they desire.
Dr Jeremy A Hunt MBBS FRACS graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine degree from Sydney University in 1990 and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and member of ASPS – the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. He completed a Fellowship at the prestigious University of Texas in the United States, where he learnt from some of the world’s very best plastic surgeons.
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