Contents
Age-related changes color few people, but the grooves above the upper lip (purse-string wrinkles) are especially upsetting. So the sooner we deal with them, the better. Let’s get started right now.
What are purse-string wrinkles
Causes of appearance
The main reason for the appearance of purse-string wrinkles is the result of a decrease in the tone of the circular muscle of the mouth against the background of thinning of the dermis and subcutaneous fat in the lips.
The aging process can be exacerbated by a number of factors.
Removal of anterior or posterior teeth. “This entails a deformation of the jaw and a change in the bite. Some muscles are stretched while others atrophy. As a result, new wrinkles appear, and those that were are becoming more noticeable,” warns Ekaterina Turubara.
Prolonged exposure to the sun without a protective agent – read about the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation on the skin here.
Active articulation and the anatomical structure of the lips – the thinner they are, the more actively the circular muscle of the mouth participates in the conversation.
Smoking. Purse-string wrinkles are also called smoker’s wrinkles. On the one hand, the reason is in the peculiarities of facial expressions of smokers, namely the habit of wrinkling lips when pulling on a cigarette. On the other hand, cigarette smoke activates a special enzyme that destroys collagen, a skin protein responsible for tissue strength and elasticity. The decrease in these properties leads to the formation of wrinkles.
The language we speak. Due to the peculiarities of pronunciation, French women are more likely to form pronounced wrinkles above the upper lip than, for example, Russian-speaking women (but with nasolabial folds and a second chin, the situation is diametrically opposite).
Bad facial habits, in particular, the manner of pursing the lips, twisting the mouth, etc., play a key role in laying and aggravating wrinkles.
How to remove purse-string wrinkles at home
It is difficult to remove formed purse-string wrinkles at home, but it is quite possible to prevent their appearance. There are sets of exercises and a special massage aimed at straightening the circular muscle of the mouth, balancing sluggish and hyperactive areas, alternating relaxing and tonic techniques.
A set of exercises will help reduce wrinkles around the lips.
Lip exercises
“Horse”
This is the first lip relaxation exercise taught by professional face fitness instructors. In childhood, we knew how to do it well when it was necessary to depict a horse. We are talking about snorting: you need to forcefully release air through your mouth, completely relaxing your lips. They should vibrate, producing a characteristic snorting sound. You need to practice – for those whose lips are constantly tense, the exercise is not given immediately.
Stretching
Connect the tips of the index fingers in the notch of the upper lip (in the middle), feel the tight grip of the fingers with the skin, slowly sliding and carefully straightening the muscle, move from the middle of the lips to the corners (left hand to the left, right hand to the right). Finish the movement at the corners of the lips. Repeat the same with the bottom lip. Do not resist, lips should be completely relaxed.
“Ring”
This exercise tones the mouth muscle and at the same time straightens creases. When performed correctly, the effect of plumper lips is immediately observed.
Place your index fingers exactly on the edge of your upper lip and your thumbs under your lower lip. Press lightly. While resisting with your fingers, actively pull your lips forward. At the same time, the hands do not move or stretch the skin.
Wrinkle massage
Tongue massage
With the tip of the tongue, slowly walk along the circular muscle of the mouth, resisting it, without missing a single micro-section, and when you get to the corner of the lips, push it forward, as if planting it on the tip of the tongue. Such a massage perfectly stretches the muscle, straightens it, while toning it. It can be performed at any time of the day without attracting too much attention.
Interoral massage
Cosmetic care
In everyday life, try to keep your lips relaxed.
Purse-string wrinkles will become less noticeable if you add volume to thinned skin. In home care, you should pay attention to products that accelerate regeneration processes and stimulate the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid.
Face cream LiftActiv Collagen Specialist, Vichy
Serum Hyalu B5, La Roche-Posay
Anti-aging serum Revitalift Laser x3, L’Oréal Paris
Anti-Aging Facial Serum Revitalift Filler [+Hyaluronic Acid], L’Oréal Paris
Day face cream “Age expert 35+”, L’Oréal Paris
Face mask “Age expert 45+”, L’Oréal Paris
Cream-care for the contour of the eyes and lips Neovadiol, Vichy
The product is intended for use during menopause. It makes the skin look firmer and smoother. Eye and lip contours are visibly lifted.
Folk methods
Homemade cosmetics cannot affect the condition of the skin’s collagen skeleton or fill in wrinkles, as professional fillers do. But this does not mean that cucumber and berry masks are useless. Healthy-Food has quite a few articles on homemade masks, including anti-aging ones.
In general, they can be divided into three groups:
fruit exfoliating masks based on berries, as well as citrus fruits;
moisturizing masks with aloe, gelatin, cucumber;
nourishing masks based on (or with the addition of) oil components: avocado pulp, liquid and solid vegetable oils.
The composition can be enriched with honey, banana, fermented milk products, chickpea or oat flour, spices.
All this is described in detail in our articles on folk recipes.
How to get rid of purse-string wrinkles around the mouth with a beautician
Get rid of already formed stable purse-string wrinkles, and also prevent their deepening by cosmetic procedures, namely injection techniques aimed at replenishing volume and filling folds. It should be noted that mesotherapy and biorevitalization are not suitable for the correction of static wrinkles.
Injection techniques cope with wrinkles.
Injections
Botulinum toxin
This substance blocks muscle activity, is very effective in lowering the eyebrows, as well as wrinkles on the forehead, between the eyebrows, and the bridge of the nose. Although Botox is traditionally used in the upper part of the face, it can also be used to smooth out purse-string wrinkles.
Fillers
The meaning of the procedure lies in the injection of a preparation based on high density hyaluronic acid. The goal is to fill in creases and sagging areas. When corrected with fillers, wrinkles and creases are pushed out due to the injection of hyaluronic acid, which straightens the skin from the inside.
Lipofilling
The filler (that is, the “filler”) is the person’s own fat, with its help you can replenish the volume of such problem areas as the temporal region and the orbital bone. The beautician may recommend filling wrinkles also in the area of the lips and around the mouth.
Prevention of the appearance of purse-string wrinkles
Only control over your own facial expressions can prevent the formation of purse-string wrinkles. Keep your lips relaxed – this is the secret of success. Of course, this is easier said than done, but if you set a goal, you can give up bad facial habits (and at the same time from smoking), the essence of which comes down to the tension of the lips.
If you purse, bite, twist or fold your lips into a contemptuous grimace, this leads to a shortening and wrinkling of the orbicular muscle of the mouth, and hence the skin around the lips.
The only movement of the lips that really decorates us is a smile.
To track your own facial expressions, and then take control of it, ask loved ones to film you while you are talking on the phone. You will be surprised by the abundance of mimic habits dangerous for beauty, which you did not even suspect. Remember them, try to track them in everyday life and slowly get rid of them.
The only facial movement that does not age us, but makes us younger, and in every sense, is a smile.