Your lips are one of the thinnest areas of skin on your body. The visible blood vessels, through the thin layer of skin, are what gives them their pink or reddish tint. Lips also lack oil glands, so it is especially important to keep them supple and moisturized regularly. A lot of different things can affect how healthy our lips are and how happy we are with the way they look. Some concerns we hear about often are seasonal dryness in winter months, the loss of fullness from aging, dark or wrinkled lips from smoking, or having uneven or naturally thin lips. So what can you do about these things to get beautiful, healthy plump lips?
Seasonal
We’re finally here in the dead of winter. Humidity is low and the dry air is sucking all the moisture from your skin. Just like a sponge, your lips are also becoming dehydrated and shrinking from the lack of moisture. You may even be experiencing painful cracking, peeling, and flakiness. Not only the weather can dry out our skin, but central air also doesn’t do it any favors. Central air further evaporates the moisture from our skin leaving it with a parched and dull appearance. Typically this type of dryness can be taken care of with lip balms and lip treatments. They even make vitamin-enriched lipsticks to help coat your lips with vitamin A, C, and E while not interrupting your normal makeup routine. Just a warning, mattes can leave your lips extremely parched, so it’s best not to use these types if you’re trying to heal.
Aging
Everyone gets older. There isn’t much we can do about it and our lips are no exception. Women’s lips tend to become thinner as we age and lines around the mouth form. You’ll be glad to know lip serums are available with a special combination of Retinol and antioxidants. Much more gentle than their facial cream retinol counterparts, they are safe to use on this sensitive area. After applying one of these many serums, in just a couple of weeks, you should notice a big difference in your volume and smoothness.
Smoking
Smoking or pursing your lips repetitively leads to a much greater presence of lines around the mouth. Ideally, it would be best to quit smoking and avoid further damage to your lips before starting a treatment. As with aging, the consequences of smoking can also be improved by using serums, overnight lip creams, and scrubs. In addition to lines, the nicotine and tar can often make your lips appear darker and lose their pinkish hue. Lemon is a natural bleaching agent and can help to bring back your normal color. A few drops of lemon mixed with sugar can make a great scrub! If you’re looking for a more substantial change, chemical peels or dermasweep can more dramatically help mend your fine lines.
Genetics/Aesthetics
Some people are just lucky enough to have been born with a full, lush beautiful set of lips. Others of us, not so much. Some women may also have uneven lips or lack of definition in their lips. Or maybe you’d just like your lips to be fuller and poutier, like the long list of celebrities that prefer that look. Unfortunately for this concern, there is only so much that can be achieved with over the counter beauty products. Injections are a good option to address a wide range of aesthetic goals such as these. Most non-permanent injectables are made with a substance called Hyaluronic-Acid. It’s a naturally occurring substance in your skin that keeps you looking younger and provides fullness. It can target fine lines and increase your lips’ fullness while leaving a natural sheen. The best part is that it’s reversible, so if you are unhappy with your results your provider can use an enzyme eraser and dissolve the filler within 5 minutes. Most fillers last about 6 months, depending on your metabolism (thinner people tend to metabolism it faster). According to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons over 27,000 lip procedures took place last year. The demand is soon going to outgrow that of breast augmentations!