Anguis

HOW TO GET RID OF LIP LINES
If you already have deep lines around your mouth, there are many cosmetic lip line treatments that can help reverse the appearance of these pesky creases. Before deciding to pursue a more aggressive treatment for lip lines, be sure to chat with your doctor about the risks of cosmetic surgery.
1. Use a Lip Serum
Applying a wrinkle serum to your lip lines is the gentlest way to reduce the visual appearance of fine lines. When combined with a normal skin care routine, it can actually be quite effective for women with mild-to-moderate wrinkles. Because the skin around both your lips and eyes are similar in their delicacy, you’ll often find serums that are used to hydrate and plump both areas of your face.

When searching for the right wrinkle serum, there are a few key ingredients to keep in mind. Hyaluronic acid may sound scary, but it’s actually a major player in maintaining hydrated skin. Vitamin C is also used to boost the creation of collagen in aging cells, giving your skin a plumper, more natural look without ever having to go under a needle.

For the best results, use a wrinkle serum right after cleansing your skin at night. That way the serum has several hours to sink into your skin and work its magic. The beauty of serums is that they come in such high concentration that you only need a few drops to apply an effective coating to the upper lip, ensuring you don’t have to run to the drug store every week for a new bottle.

It’s also important to select a formula that works best with your own unique skin no matter how much your friends or internet bloggers talk up a certain product. Is your face typically oily, dry, acne-prone, or all three? Based on your complexion, choose a serum that will work well with your skin’s natural tendencies—you don’t want to fix one problem by creating another.

2. Lights, Peels, & Lasers: The Trifecta
Are lip line serums not doing it for you? The next step up is to try a combination of laser treatments and facial peels that treat the uppermost layer of your skin. This style of treatment is typically painless and doesn’t involve any sharp needles. The downside? There’s often some recovery time, typically a few days, where you might experience redness or irritation.

Laser treatments use concentrated beams of heat to remove dead skin cells and promote the growth of healthy, new cells below. Depending on the depth of your lip lines, you might need to go back for multiple treatments or opt for a more aggressive, one-time procedure.

Chemical peels and dermabrasions scrape away the epidermis and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin in the newly revealed cells. These are usually good methods for blurring fine lines and energizing dull skin, but aren’t typically the best option for deep creases.

Microneedling has become an increasingly popular treatment because it utilizes the body’s natural healing processes to banish mouth wrinkles. For all you needle-phobes out there, this process is relatively painless and uses tiny needles that are only one millimeter long. A dermaroller tool punctures hundreds of microscopic holes in your skin to kick your body into healing mode, spiking the production of collagen in wrinkled skin.

While some of these treatments are possible to perform at home, it’s highly recommended that you go to a professional to get them done. If you have an active acne breakout or experience eczema, these techniques could inflame your symptoms and are probably not the best lip treatment for you.
3. Try Wrinkle Fillers
If you’ve tried every face peel and laser procedure under the sun and still can’t get your lip lines to go away, it may be time to try wrinkle fillers. This treatment uses a needle to inject hyaluronic-acid based dermal fillers to plump up your skin and smooth out those deep wrinkles. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, hyaluronic-acid based dermal fillers are FDA approved.

This technique works especially well for older women because aging cells are incapable of producing the necessary amount of hyaluronic acid to stave off lip lines. There are many different types of wrinkle fillers, so it’s critical to do extensive research and consult an experienced cosmetic surgeon before opting for this treatment. Learn more about the FDA’s stance on wrinkle fillers.

You’ll see immediate results after most fillers. For most patients, lip fillers will last for about six months before they have to return for another treatment. Fillers can be an extremely effective way of reducing lip lines, but they’re also rather pricey and can look unnatural if done incorrectly.

WHAT ARE PEPTIDES?
This term likely brings you back to your high school biology class. In the most basic sense, peptides are the building blocks that make up protein. When amino acids link together, the chain they form is called an amino peptide. When peptides link together, they become the basis for all protein. The most vital protein within your skin is that magic buzzword, again: collagen.

peptides-for-skin

Collagen lies beneath the epidermis (outer layer of your skin) in what’s known as the “dermis”, a layer made of nerves, blood vessels, fats, elastin (that’s what makes your skin stretchy), and — of course — collagen. Lots of collagen, in fact. Collagen peptides for skin make up about 80% of your dermis. It helps your skin look firm and smooth, cultivating that youthful, radiant glow we all strive for. When you’re young, you produce collagen at a very high rate.

However, as you age, that rate begins to slow. After age 20, your body produces an average of 1% less collagen peptides for skin each year, stopping production entirely around age 40. Not great news. What’s more: your existing collagen begins to break down, known as “fragmenting”. This occurs due to a number of reasons, some of which we can control — and unfortunately, some that we simply can’t.

The most prominent reason for collagen breakdown: aging. Every birthday that passes sees a higher level of fragmenting, and wishing your hardest when you blow out the candles unfortunately can’t stop this process.

However, there are behavioral and environmental reasons your collagen might break down — and these are things you can control. Exposure to UV radiation — whether that be a result of tanning beds or simply leaving the house without donning sunscreen — can break down collagen. Smoking can also lead to its deterioration (as if you needed another reason to quit that habit).

Bottom line: As your skin continues to stretch, new collagen isn’t available to maintain the firm, smooth look it once had. That’s where wrinkles come from.

The moral of the story: peptides = proteins like collagen = anti-aging defense. Without peptides, there’s no collagen, and without collagen, there’s no defense against aging.