How To Get Rid of Wrinkles Above The Lip

If you have them then you’re probably trying to figure out how to get of wrinkles above the lip. Like all wrinkles, they can dramatically alter your appearance and add years to your face but those upper lip lines in particular tend to be even more unsightly than most.

Unfortunately, there’s no painless magic wand that can make them disappear instantaneously but there are some relatively simple and inexpensive ways to help improve their appearance and some other pricier options for those who don’t mind a bit of pain or discomfort and a little bit of healing time.

What Causes Them

There are many different things that can cause lines above the upper lip and while sometimes it’s just a simple case of aging, there are other factors that can bring them on much earlier. These include smoking, dehydration, genetics, too much sun exposure or even constantly drinking through straws or any other motion for that matter that makes you repeatedly purse up your lips. This repetitive pursing can eventually lead to permanent lines and wrinkles which I’m pretty sure most of us would rather avoid for as long as possible.

I unfortunately am guilty of a few of these including smoking in the past (I know, I know), sipping my morning smoothies through a straw and exposing myself to way more sun than I know I should and as a result I’ve started to notice a few fine lines and one not so fine line appearing above my upper lip. This has pretty much sent me on a crazed mission looking for fixes so here are just a few ideas of things you can do to help improve their appearance.

Facial Exercises

Facial exercises are becoming more and more popular and these are currently one of my favourite things to try out. There are so many different types for each area of the face and despite that fact that you can look pretty ridiculous doing them, they are relatively easy to do and they take very little time to complete. Just remember to find a spot where no one’s watching you because they do tend to bring out the comedian in your friends and family if they spot you doing it.

There are quite a few online that you can try including this one which involves placing all four fingers of both hands on the skin above the upper lip and pressing down gently to hold the muscle in place. With your mouth slightly open, bring your upper lip down and tuck it under your top teeth for a second or two then release (I bet you’re doing it right now as you’re reading this, don’t worry, I did the same thing as I was writing it :).

Try to aim for fifty of these once a day but if you can manage twice a day then that’s even better. I’ve also just purchased Cynthia Rowland’s Facial Magic which I’m eagerly waiting to arrive and this is a complete facial exercise system for numerous areas of the face including the upper lip. I’ll probably have to do an entire write up about it once I’ve tried it so let’s hope that it’s effective (I hope it is because it wasn’t cheap).

There is one drawback though and that’s how long it can take to see any kind of result. Much like regular exercise, results cannot be expected overnight so some perseverance is required. Unfortunately us human folk do have a tendency to give up on things when we don’t see results as quickly as we would like to so it’s worth keeping that in mind.

Moisturisers

Moisturise, moisturise and moisturise! This is probably one of the most important things when it comes to keeping wrinkles at bay because dryer skin always has a tendency to look more wrinkled than skin that is well moisturised. You could also invest in a cream or serum that contains Hyaluronic Acid as its main benefit is its ability to plump up the skin with lots of moisture which smooths out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in the process.

Another option is to invest in creams or serums that contain ingredients that stimulate collagen production such as Retinol and Vitamin C. Both are extremely beneficial skincare ingredients that are well known for their anti-aging benefits and a combination of both a good vitamin C serum and a good retinol serum added to your skincare inventory can make a significant difference in your skin’s appearance.

You could also consider adding AHA’s or BHA’s to your skincare inventory if you don’t already use one. AHA’s and BHA’s are chemical exfoliants that help exfoliate the uppermost layers of the skin and in the process, promote new skin cell turnover which can help lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and leave your skin with a smoother appearance.

Avoid Making Them Worse

If you’re continuing to do things that make the problem worse then you really should consider breaking some of those habits. There is a saying, prevention is the best medicine so with that in mind, if you smoke, you may want to think about trying to give up not only for the sake of your health but also for the sake of your skin health too.

Limiting your sun exposure is extremely important when it comes to keeping your skin healthy and always remember to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen and lip balm with SPF whenever you are out and about even on cloudy days. Also, try increasing your water intake to avoid not only dehydrating your body but also dehydrating your skin too.

Fillers or Lasers Resurfacing

So this is when things start to get a little more drastic. If all else fails then you may want to consider taking the more drastic root of fillers or lasers. Fillers are used to literally fill the area under the skin to smooth out the fine lines and wrinkles whereas laser resurfacing removes the upper layers of skin so that newer healthier skin cells can grow and replace them.

Both are fairly quick treatments especially fillers but they can come with their own set of side effects and although fillers are not as expensive as they once were, laser resurfacing can be quite an expensive procedure. Laser resurfacing also requires a bit of healing time but both procedures are the quickest and most effective way to treat wrinkles and fine lines on all areas of the face including above the upper lip area.

Final Thoughts

There are a few different things that you can try to help improve the appearance of wrinkles above the lip and although the last two are considered the most effective, they’re also what I’d consider the last resort too if all else fails (for me at least). Depending on the severity of the problem, topical creams and serums can help in reducing the appearance of these lines especially if they’re well-formulated products.

There are also people out there that swear by facial exercises and insist that they can eventually give the same results without the need for fillers or laser treatments. The only issue is that it’s definitely not an overnight solution by any means so it all depends on if you have the patience to wait it out to see if the results (if any at all) are as significant as these people say they are.

Have you used a product or treatment on the area above the lip that you found more effective than others? Do feel free to tell me all about it in the comments section below.