Discover how the area around your lips will change with age and what can be done to help!
In this month’s Blog, our Clinical Director, Dr Emma Ravichandran BDS.MFDS, discusses how the lip (perioral) area ages and what we can do to slow down the process…Read on to find out more…
How Does The Lip (Perioral) Area Age?
We all lose collagen as part of the natural ageing process, which causes many changes to the area around your mouth. Collagen makes up 70% of the skin’s proteins, and from our twenties levels deplete by about 1% every year! This affects your skin and overall volume of the lips and they deflate.
The amount of UV light that we’re exposed to is another factor, which causes pigmentation and volume loss over time. Smoking can dramatically accelerate the signs of ageing in this region because of the direct heat and chemical damage. Repeated pursing movements of the lips as you smoke causes lines over time. This is why vapes won’t help! Finally, anything that causes excessive inflammation within the tissues – stress, poor diet, not drinking enough water, and external pollution – can cause ageing, as this accelerates collagen loss. You also need to take good care of your teeth, because losing tooth support ages you and can have a negative impact on the way your mouth looks – so, don’t skip your next trip to the dentist!
How Can We Slow Lip Ageing?
The first thing is to be aware and educated about what causes ageing and start thinking about how you can negate the damage. We need to use sunscreen, not only on the skin but on the lips themselves. Although we ideally say this should be done from a young age, it’s never too late to start the routine of daily SPF, and it’s essential for keeping our lips protected from UV damage. We also need to try and reduce stress in our lives, have a balanced diet with lots of antioxidant-enriched foods, and consider taking collagen supplements. This will give you the foundation elements for rebuilding skin collagen! You also need to ensure you’re keeping your skin hydrated in order to help it function well.
How Can We Reduce The Appearance of Ageing Lips?
At home, you can do plenty of lip nourishing treatments such as applying masks or balms to ensure you’re keeping them hydrated. You can also seek the advice of a medical practitioner to get access to prescriptive medical treatments, such as alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s), which can help accelerate the skin turnover. Medically trained and registered aesthetic practitioners will be able to assess and advise on the at-home topical skincare or in-clinic treatments available for you to tighten the skin, replace lost volume and rejuvenate the lip area.
Perioral Anatomy & Treatments
1. Cupid’s bow flattening
Loss of volume and shape
Treatment: Dermal fillers for volume replacement and reshaping
2. Cutaneous upper lip lengthening
The top lip elongates, leading to less tooth show
Treatment: Dermal fillers in combination with skin tightening energy treatments, or a surgical lip lift
3. Volume loss in lip body
Flattening or loss of projection and shape in the lip
Treatment: Volumisation using dermal fillers
4. Vermilion border weakness
Loss of definition in the lip border
Treatment: Dermal filler into the border of the lip to create a crisper edge
5. Vertical lip rhytids
Wrinkles known as barcode or smoker’s lines often caused by smoking, vaping or sun damage
Treatment: Topical or energy-based skin treatments in combination with dermal fillers and botulinum toxin
6. Flattening of the philtrum column
The two vertical pillars between the nose and the lip become flat
Treatment: Dermal filler to restructure
7. Oral commissure
Downturning of the lip corners
Treatment: Cheek fillers to lift corners, botulinum toxin to relax the down-pulling muscles and dermal fillers
8. Nasolabial folds
Deep lines develop from the nose to mouth
Treatment: Dermal filler for direct filling or cheek fillers to provide a lift
9. Marionette lines
Lines that run from the corners of the mouth down to the chin
Treatment: Dermal filler
INTERVIEW: Holly Carver | Beyond Beauty | Journalist
This article is reproduced with the kind permission of Beyond Beauty magazine. To download a .PDF of the article, click the link below.
To Find Out More…
If you would like to find out more or consider your options for your own anti-ageing concerns, you can arrange a one-to-one consultation with one of our expert medical practitioners. Simply click on the link below to book a convenient appointment, from the comfort of your own home.
Beyond Beauty Magazine
This article features in the Summer Edition of this new quarterly publication which is dedicated to helping consumers make more informed decisions, for anyone considering aesthetic treatments or cosmetic surgery, leading to safer and more effective results.
To read the Summer Edition or to subscribe visit:
Beyond Beauty | Summer Edition
For more information on Beyond Beauty visit: https://www.beyondbeautylive.com/
About Dr Emma
Dr Emma Ravichandran BDS. MFDS, the multi-award-winning aesthetic medicine specialist, is co-founder and Clinical Director of Clinetix and co-founder of the Association of Scottish Aesthetic Practitioners (ASAP). Emma initially trained as a paediatric dentist but has dedicated the last 12 years to pursuing excellence in the field of aesthetic medicine. Since its inception in 2009, the Clinetix brand has become established as one of the most ethical, pioneering and patient-focused clinical groups in the world.
Along with her husband, Dr Simon Ravichandran MBChB. MRCS, she also co-founded the Aesthetic Training Academy (ATA) in Glasgow, established to provide the highest quality medical aesthetic training to develop the best practitioners for the future. The ATA is the first and only training academy that is registered with governing body, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), working to improve educational standards and ultimately deliver better quality care across the industry.
Emma’s reputation and dedication to the highest standards in practice have led to guest lecturing, at venues such as the Royal College of Surgeons, Key Opinion Leader roles and articles in a wide range of publications.
Centre of Excellence in Aesthetic Medicine
Clinetix is a Centre of Excellence in Aesthetic Medicine. To find out more about Clinetix; our ethos, our services and our practitioners, visit www.clinetix.co.uk