Vertical Upper Lip Lines and Smoker’s Lines. Can Injections Help?

By Jennifer H Dewitt March 4, 2023 20 mins read 120 Views

How to reduce upper lip lines – A Few Simple Solutions

The vertical lines that form above your lips can be one of the more distressing signs of premature skin ageing. They can ruin an otherwise smoother-skin complexion. Can anything be done about these vertical lip lines? They’re also called smoker’s lines due to the constant lip pursing associated with smoking. And what about the marionette lines that rest beside them? The answer is YES – upper lip lines can be treated by your cosmetic injector and/or dermal clinician. But like most anti-ageing solutions, prevention is always preferred.

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So what are some solutions for preventing or reducing vertical upper lip lines?

First, why do these lines become so ingrained before we start paying attention to them?

Vertical upper lip lines rarely come to mind as the first area to treat your textural issues and lines.
The reason is simple: Vertical lip lines are not considered a major skin issue for most people. This is due to the fact that they sneak up on your skin.
If you wait to treat them until after they become deeply ingrained, it might mean more intensive treatments or less satisfactory results.
You may focus on other aspects of your skin and miss the ageing signs around your mouth and lips.

Today we’re talking about the lines above your lips

We’ll also cover those marionette lines. Where you have lines around the mouth, there’s likely to be an ever-deepening crevice in the nasolabial fold.

As we age, vertical lines start to form above the lips. The resulting is ‘marionette’ style lines that deepen from your nostrils to the edges of your mouth (nasolabial lines).

Many don’t realize is that this small problem can have a detrimental effect on our overall appearance
This is especially likely over the longer term when they deepen into ‘fissures’
When they deepen, they are visible in nearly every facial expression – even smiling
The good news is YES, they CAN be treated if you get to them early enough
Prevention – and early treatment – get far better results than waiting until they are deep enough to drive through

If not treated in time, the problem of these lip lines can become virtually impossible to treat. These lines then have a premature-ageing impact on your entire facial appearance.

Benefits of treating above lip lines with cosmetic injections or laser skincare

Cosmetic injecting professionals often suggest that you start seeking solutions when you first notice these lines are forming
Because if you wait, they will become more difficult – if not impossible – to treat
That’s because due to repeated expressions and skin strength loss, they become quite deeply ingrained lines quite quickly over time
How quickly they deepen also depends on your habits, sun damage and skincare regimes

Wrinkle prevention is always a better angle than treatment.

What Are Vertical Upper Lip Lines?

Also known as Smoker’s Lines, these vertically-oriented lip lines first start to appear above the upper lips.
They are usually thin at first (fine lines) but then they start to deepen to where they appear to form skin crevices.

When do lip lines typically start to appear on the face?

When you start seeing vertical lip lines depends on a few different factors – some internal and others are lifestyle-related. Hence, age occurrence can vary.

Vertical upper lip lines usually start to show up in your forties.
You might not even notice they have begun, until one day you look in the mirror – more closely – and you think “WHOA, how long have they been there?”
But if you have had a lot of sun, pursed your lips a lot or spent years smoking, they can show up a LOT earlier in life.
By the 50s they can become quite pronounced, and by 60 or 70 they have significantly deepened in most individuals.

Are smoker’s lip lines and facial wrinkles worse than people who never smoked?

It’s partially depending on the person and how long they smoked (and how often), but the quick answer is, yes.
They are typically a lot worse, particularly after the person reaches their late 40s, fifties and sixties.
Heavy smokers, in particular, can end up looking 10 to 15 years (or more) older than their same-aged non-smoking peers.

Smokers have particularly deep vertical lip lines from a combination of inhaling (pursing the lips) and the damaging effects of smoking on their organs, including their skin.

smokers lines above lips

What are above-lip lines or wrinkles officially called?

Above the lip lines are actually vertical fissures. They begin with ‘fine’ lines that deepen over time.
You might not even notice them at first but they become more visible as they deepen and as your skin ages.

Are lip lines only visible in smokers?

The often-used term smoker’s lines might cause you to assume that only smokers get these – but that’s definitely not the case.
As mentioned above, they sometimes occur earlier in smokers – or look more pronounced – but everyone tends to get them in time.

Vertical Lip Lines are not just what happens to smokers. They tend to happen to most people’s upper lips over time. But yes, smokers do get these lip lines sooner in life and these lines are often deeper or more ingrained.

Who gets vertical lip lines?

Smokers are more prone to them for a variety of reasons
- inhaling expressions as well as less healthy skin that is more prone to wrinkling
- due to the devastating impact of smoking on ALL of your organs including your largest organ, your skin
People who smoke have less vitamin uptake in their cells including skin
- meaning even if they adopt a good diet their nutrient uptake is lower
- they lack vitamins that keep their skin looking healthy
Smokers tend to get these lines EARLIER than others who do not smoke.
But women and men will tend to get these lines as they grow older even if they have never smoked.

A majority of women and men develop these vertical upper lip lines, as well as facial wrinkles, as they age.

It’s not just smokers who get lines above their lips and heavy wrinkles.

But these vertical lip lines and facial wrinkles around the mouth and eyes, do tend to be more pronounced in people who smoke.
So wrinkles tend to impact the facial appearance a lot earlier than they do in non-smokers.

Reasons Skin Looks More Wrinkled Around the Mouth or Lips

The reason for facial lines above the lip area relates to the loss of elasticity in the skin or skin tone (strength/volume) due to ageing.
The skin volume, skin structures and skeletal support all decrease over time (this is known as atrophy)
As a result of this loss of skin collagen and skeletal atrophy, the area above the lips gets wrinkled and can take on a sunken appearance.

The lips themselves also seem to thin a bit as we grow older. The combination of thinning lips (atrophy) and decreased skin strength (less collagen or elastin) can result in a much higher chance of wrinkles forming around your eyes, mouth and lip area. Lip augmentation injections can really help balance out thin lips and add more volume and projection.

Can you reduce vertical lip lines and vertical wrinkles above the lips?

Fortunately, there are a number of treatments available to help you with a vertical lip line problem
But before moving on to available treatments, it is important that you get rid of specific HABITS which might be causing you to develop vertical upper lip line
Habits which contribute to these lines forming and become deeper or more ingrained

Tips to Prevent Upper Lip Lines (Vertical Fissures or Wrinkles Above Your Lips)

The reason why these lines are called ‘smoker’s lines’ is because they are caused by the constant pursing of the lips whenever a person smokes.
This movement is repeated so often, and so regularly, that the specific lip expressions that cause these lines to show become a more permanent facial ‘feature.’

Avoid pursing your lips

There are a number of activities where you are required to purse your lips, kissing is a common one if you’re so inclined.
Now, giving up kissing to prevent upper lip lines is totally up to you.
We don’t necessarily recommend it, but just know that it’s one of many expressions that can lead to lines forming above your lips.
Making faces – especially giving others ‘unhappy looks’ in terms of facial expressions OR pursing your lips as you are thinking something over – can also increase the tendency for lines or skin folds to form.

Don’t drink from straws or directly from bottles

Both of these common actions require you to purse your lips – which places pressure above your upper lip.
In simple words, you can aim to avoid pursing your lips to help keep your upper lip lines at bay.

Treatments You Can Opt For to Reduce Vertical Lines above your Upper Lip

Anti-Wrinkle Injections may help

In certain cases, a Cosmetic GP, Injecting Nurse of Dermal Clinician might suggest you try having a muscle blocker injection treatment if the upper lip lines are caused by repeated muscle movements – as is commonly the case.
In this scenario, using anti-wrinkle injections (muscle movement blockers or facial muscle relaxers) might help.

Skin Rejuvenation or Skin Resurfacing including Laser or other Light-Based Treatments or Peels

There are also SURFACE skin treatments such as chemical peels, rejuvenating Fraxel skin treatments and other laser skin therapy methods.
These can be used to help restore a smoother, less wrinkled appearance to your skin.
However, many of these treatments involve some downtime
You’ll also need to remain out of the sun for some time before, and after, your procedure.

How these treatments work:

These non-surgical skin treatments help remove dead skin cells from the skin’s surface and help stimulate new cellular turnover (this results in skin rejuvenation occurring at a deep dermal layer where collagen and elastin are produced).
Some of these treatments can help restore vitality, collagen and elasticity to the treated areas, helping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
They can take several months to see the full impact of the treatment but can get select patients excellent rejuvenation results.

Lip Fillers can help reduce Vertical Lip Lines in some patients (but not all)

However, the best option you can choose to reduce vertical lines above your lips might be injectable fillers to the lip area.

It may not suit all patient’s lips or lip conditions, but for suitable candidates, the recommended solution may be Lip Filler injections or lip augmentation (or an upper lip lift surgery).

There is no dearth of options when it comes to dermal fillers (called Dermal Volumisers) that are available on the market.

In fact, it can even get confusing to select the right one. That’s why choosing a highly-experienced injector (a Cosmetic Physician or Senior Nurse Injector) is important, because they can help choose the best product for your particular facial structure and your lips.

Choosing the right filler for vertical lip lines:

As the name suggests, lip filler injections use solutions containing an approved temporary filler,.Which is very similar in nature to a substance that your body makes naturally.
Whilst temporary in nature, Lip Augmentation injections can give your lips a huge boost. This can in turn help reduce upper lip lines.
It’s important not to overdo it or you’ll get a ‘trout mouth look’.
Our Injecting Clinicians are experts at getting lovely enhancements that look luscious but natural.

How lip injections work to reduce vertical lines above your lips

Temporary dermal fillers are injected into the upper lip line
The aim of the injecting treatment is to help restore the lips to their original shape or volume, or a slightly enhanced volume
It’s best if the lip augmentation treatment leaves your lips looking natural and balanced
This helps to temporarily remove the wrinkles or lines above your lip line.

Your lips should match your overall face after a Lip Augmentation treatment. Plus, your upper and lower lips should not be WAY out of natural proportions. Otherwise, they will end up looking ‘over-volumised’.

Risks & Potential Complications of Lip Fillers

Lip Fillers have proven effective over the years and most skincare experts recommend opting for them. Some cynics, though, contend that fillers are dangerous.

However, as long as you are working with a highly-experienced and well-qualified Injector and are in good health, you won’t tend to have to worry about increasing your risks of side effects or injecting problems. That noted, there are risks to any pharmaceutical or cosmetic-medical treatment and it’s important to know what these are.

Find out about the risks and benefits of recommended lip fillers during a personal consultation with a Skin Injection professional at Coco Ruby. Phone our team and ask to see one of our experienced Senior Cosmetic Injecting Clinicians in Melbourne.

lip-filler-injections-for-vertical-lip-lines-smokers-lines

Reducing Upper Lip Lines with Lip Augmentation (Lip Filler Injections)

During the treatment, your Injecting Clinician will evaluate your suitability for the procedure
Your Clinician will also overview your existing anatomy and facial feature harmony
They will strive to keep your features in the balance as well as enhanced when they augment your lip area with temporary fillers
Your upper lip lines will be reduced by the time you are done with your treatment. leaving you looking younger and better than before
The treatment can be repeated every four to six months on average; for some patients, the lip filler will last a bit longer

Patients like this treatment because:

It’s subtle, yet effective.
The downtime is minimal.
Better looking, fuller lips.
Smoother area above the lip.

Plus, you’ll love the way makeup sits on your slightly plumper, newly enhanced lips! But remember, less is usually more. You can increase the size gradually but don’t fall prey to the “too much lip filler” syndrome. Discover more about our lip injections procedures on Lip filler treatments page – or send an enquiry for a full facial and skin assessment to give your entire face a boost! Browse more blogs about cosmetic injections and dermal fillers and available cosmetic injection options in Melbourne.

In Summary, there are a number of treatments available for reducing not only upper lip lines but also other skin concerns.

You might not notice them at first when they are forming but are not yet prominent. However upper lip lines can – over time – impact your entire appearance. This can leave you with a prematurely aged and ‘weathered’ looking face.

Prevention is recommended whenever possible before they form to deeply.

It may also be best to have them treated EARLY rather than when they are very deep (using injectable fillers if they’ve gotten to the point of leaving you looking prematurely aged, or skin resurfacing such as Fraxel lasers for the face, DOT Laser Therapy or skin needling).

We suggest you become well-informed about the differences between:

cosmetic injectors skill levels
cosmetic injector qualifications
dermal filler products
brands
injecting strategies
cosmetic injecting methods.

The reason we suggest this is because all these factors will impact your results.

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Before and after of smokers line injections

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Temporary dermal volumisers (lip plumping fillers) will be administered using face-specific injecting strategies. This helps get you the best lip injection results. While maintaining a natural look that is still in balance with the rest of your face. In other words, you won’t look “overdone”.

Plus, they’ll feel like your lips – whereas the wrong filler types can feel and look unnatural.