How to treat upper lip wrinkles and smoker's lines

Upper lip lines and deep wrinkles can be due to several factors including age, genetics, smoking, and UV exposure. It can also be a unique way of expressing ourselves known as ‘articulation lines or wrinkles.’ These lines can easily be treated with lasers, dermal fillers and Botox, depending on the cause.

This YouTube Video demonstrates only one way to treat deep wrinkles around the lip- and that is with using laser resurfacing.

Laser resurfacing can be fully ablative (as in this video using a Scition Erbium laser) or Fractional laser resurfacing using lasers such as Fraxel, ProFractional, Deep and Active FX – both CO2 and erbium devices. I tend not to perform much fractional laser resurfacing in this area as a stand alone treatment ( I tend to combine fully resurfacing with CO2 fractional). This is because the downtime for fully ablative laser resurfacing is around 8-10 days, whilst fractional laser resurfacing is around 5 days. Multiply that by 4 and you have a downtime that is more than double that of fully ablative lasers- plus the fact that the results are not as good!

Treating upper lip wrinkles, and smoker’s lines is a technical procedure, as it is done free hand using either an Erbium or CO2 laser. Though technical, it only takes 15 minutes to perform, however I usually ‘blend in ‘ the surrounding areas with fractional laser or erbium to a shallower depth. Laser resurfacing itself is pain free, as I use local anaesthetic cream, block, and also partial sedation. Skin recovery following treatment of even the deepest smoker’s lines is uneventful- 9 days at most. The key to getting a great and natural result is blending in the surrounding skin.

Apart from lasers, another method to treat upper lips lines and wrinkles include INFINI RF- this treatment is very different from laser, as it spares the upper part of the skin, and targets the dermal layers. I sometimes use this form of fractional radiofrequency skin needling or microneedling as recovery from this treatment is only 24 to 36 hours. Much shorter than with fractional lasers!

There are two other methods to reliably soften or remove upper lip creases, wrinkles and lines. Fillers such as Restylane Silk, Juvederm or Belotero can decrease vertical lip lines. These fillers are placed very superficially, just below the skin on the upper lip. The main advantage of filling is the instant results with little, if any downtime.

BOTOX can also relax muscles of animation that may contribute to vertical upper lip lines and smoker’s lines. This is a very simple procedure and involves placing tiny units of Botox along the muscles that protrude, causing accentuation of vertical lip lines. Botox takes 5-10 days to start working, and temporary muscle weakness is not uncommon following this procedure for upper lip lines. This is not my favoured procedure as most people find this temporary weakness a bit of a hassle- especially when articulating and simple tasks like drinking!

In summary-
• I like the predictability of fully ablative lasers for upper lip lines.
• This is one of the most common procedures I perform due to the marked UV exposure in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast
• I usually perform erbium mix with fractional CO2 laser resurfacing for the best outcomes
• Blending in the surrounding skin gives the best and most natural result
• Downtime is around 7-9 days
• Fraxel or Fractional lasers- microneedling radiofrequency can also be used to treat wrinkles surrounding the lip- multiple (up to 4 sessions) are needed for best outcomes
• For really deep vertical lip – smoker’s lines, I augment this area with dermal fillers such as Restylane or Juvederm Volbella


After laser treatment I prescribed patients the ABCs of skin care to help reduce or prevent Smoker’s lines and lip creases from forming. This includes a nightly regime of Retinol or a Vitamin A cream, I also prescribe AHA or glycolic acid chemical peels to help maintain collagen in the area.

For more information on skin care, lasers and aesthetic dermatology, don’t forget to subscribe. More up coming videos on treating upper lip lines and wrinkles to come.

All the best, thanks for watching, and don’t forget to subscribe.

Dr Davin Lim

http//:wwwlasersandlifts.com.au





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