What causes Lip Lines?
Lip lines can result from overactive lip muscles (obicularis oris). You usually see this overactivity in people due to the ageing process: however, it can also be seen in some younger people, especially smokers.
The area around the lips loses fat with age which leads to volume loss. The thin, uneven surface supporting the skin shows the muscle movement underneath, resulting in lines.
Over time, the above changes cause the skin to develop lines that can be very difficult to treat.
How can Lip Lines be treated?
Dr Teri Johnson recommends the following treatments:
Botox
Treating the perioral lip lines with Botox reduces the movement of the orbicularis oris muscle. This treatment is usually reserved for people who overuse these muscles and often hold a pursed-lip expression when relaxed.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal Fillers plump the area under the skin, providing a smooth surface for the skin to sit on. They can reduce dynamic wrinkles slightly, but the main function is to replace volume loss and hydrate the skin.
View more information about treating the lines around the mouth with dermal fillers here.
Skin Rejuvenation treatments
These are recommended for people who have no volume loss and do not have overactive lip muscles.
Effective treatments to improve skin texture are:
- Microdermabrasion to address the very top layer.
- Ultraformer MF2 Wrinkle treatment to address the top layer and the underlying collagen loss in the dermis.
- Microneedling resurfaces the skin and helps stimulate collagen
- Thermaclinic to improve skin texture
- Radiofrequency (RF) Microneedling two in one treatment is highly effective for treating the superficial lines as well as stimulating collagen underneath.
Lip Line Botox
What does Lip Line Botox involve?
At your first treatment session, Dr Teri injects a small amount of Botulinum Toxin in 2 to 8 sites close to the lip to weaken the orbicularis oris muscle.
You can normally notice the effect a few days later; however, the full results take up to 2 weeks to develop.
When the treatment first kicks in at full strength, the lips may feel strange, and lip movements may feel weak, awkward and strange for a few days. The untreated lip muscles soon adjust and rebalance, and lips start to feel more normal.
If it is your first treatment, Dr Teri will assess you in a review appointment after 2-3 weeks. She will take photos to assess the success of the treatment and make further adjustments if necessary.
Some people respond to a small amount of treatment; however, others may need higher doses to achieve a similar result. Each person’s treatment is different, and some people may need two adjustments to achieve optimum results.
Once the desired results are achieved, Dr Teri creates a personal treatment plan for you, so she can replicate the results the next time you need treatment.
You can view Dr Teri’s Botox Pre-treatment and after-treatment advice here.
How long do the results last?
Botox in this area requires a low dose, it, therefore only lasts from 7 weeks to 15 weeks, depending on the individual’s response. If you have the treatment a few times, it may last longer as the strength of the overactive muscles starts to reduce. Also, you can get out of the habit of overusing these muscles so they stop being as hyperactive.
Most people have a repeat treatment for this area every 3-4 months.
Are there any risks to Lip Line Botox?
Sometimes the effect may be better on one side than the other leading to slight asymmetry. This is usually not noticeable to the untrained eye, and a touch-up treatment at the 2-3 week check-up can correct this.
If a botox treatment is overdone in this area, it can lead to problems with speech, eating etc. When performed correctly, this usually does not happen. However, it is not uncommon to be aware of some mouth weakness for a day or two when Botox first kicks in.
Can I combine Lip Botox with other treatments?
This treatment is often performed in combination with a Dermal Filler treatment. However, the two treatments are usually performed a few weeks apart.
