Pucker Up! Lip Lines Disappear with Botox
July 27, 2012
Vertical lip lines, smoker’s lip, lip stick lines! Those pesky wrinkles above, and sometimes below the lips, continue deepening over time. There is help!
Many patients have lessening of the depth with just a few units of Botox. Botox relaxes the muscle that forms a circle around the mouth. A topical numbing cream is applied for a few minutes to relieve discomfort and the procedure is completed in 30 minutes or less. Within 3-7 days, Botox relaxes the muscle relaxes partially and creases lessen. Commonly, the upper lip will lift and appear slightly fuller as an added benefit of a Botox treatment.
Other treatment options that help the lip lines include collagen stimulating products such as SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum, Clarisonic Cleaning system with exfoliate face brush, and Juvederm Ultra, a dermal filler for more pronounced lip lines. Make sure a GOOD sunblock is used on the upper lip daily to avoid free radical damage and sunspots, which give a mustache appearance (or a chocolate milk mustache)!
In addition to products, like Botox, that will improve the appearance of your lip lines, reduce the muscle strength of the mouth area by avoiding smoking, whistling, and using drinking straws, which make the mouth pucker and create lip lines.
Paula Aman at Ness Plastic surgery is available for consultations in our Plymouth plastic surgery practice on Mondays and Thursdays so you can learn more about Botox and other options for lines and wrinkles of the face.
