Smokers’ lines are a common concern shared by smokers and non-smokers alike. The good news is that numerous cosmetic procedures exist to effectively tackle the lines that often manifest between the lips and nose, helping to rejuvenate your appearance and proactively ward off new wrinkles.
What are smokers’ lines?
Smokers’ lines are vertical wrinkles that fan out from the lip to the nose, often extending from one side of the mouth to the other. These lines create an uneven or cracked appearance that can diminish your confidence. While they may initially appear small, these tend to cluster around the lips, causing a wrinkled effect that can make you appear older.
Why do they appear?
Though anybody can develop vertical lip lines, smoking and sun exposure are the most common causes of smokers’ wrinkles. Smoking, including vaping, increases the breakdown of collagen and elastin, essential building blocks for the skin’s scaffolding. With decreased production, there is less structural support for the skin, leading to more pronounced lines in the upper lip and other facial areas.
Unprotected sun exposure can also cause premature aging, particularly around the lips and mouth, where the skin is delicate and thin.
Other factors that can lead to smoker’s lines are:
- Genetics
- Repeated facial expressions, like pouting and smiling
- Drinking from a straw/bottle
- Dental problems
- Playing musical instruments, like the harmonica and flute
- Chronic dryness of the lips and skin around the mouth
Best treatments for smokers’ lines
The best treatment for smoker’s lines depends on your lip and skin condition and your desired results. Dr. Brunner can recommend the best treatment or combination of treatments after a comprehensive skin evaluation.
Several non-surgical cosmetic treatments help restore support and hydration in the skin to treat smokers’ wrinkles around the mouth. Procedures that help diminish the look of smokers’ lines include:
Ellacor
Ellacor is a novel device that uses micro-coring technology to tighten skin around the mouth without surgery, energy, or injectables. The device includes hollow needles that remove micro-portions of skin, allowing the tissue to contract and tighten during the healing process. As a result, the skin around the mouth appears tighter and smoother.
Laser Resurfacing
Laser resurfacing treatments address signs of aging while also effectively targeting other skin issues, like sun damage. There are two main types: ablative and non-ablative.
- Ablative lasers carefully remove damaged skin cells on the skin’s top layer and trigger the body’s natural healing process.
- Non-ablative lasers are non-wounding and heat the skin’s deeper layers to stimulate collagen and elastin production.
Dr. Brunner uses the following devices for laser resurfacing:
- Fraxel DUAL Laser: a non-ablative fractional laser that creates microscopic columns of damage in the deeper skin layers without harming the skin’s surface. It stimulates the body’s wound-healing response, which leads to new collagen growth and generates smoother, tighter skin.
- Fraxel Re:pair: a premier fractional ablative CO2 laser that can significantly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Clear + Brilliant Laser: a gentle yet powerful non-ablative laser designed to refresh the skin from the inside out and minimize the appearance of fine lines.
RF Microneedling
Radiofrequency (RF) microneedling creates micro-injuries while delivering RF energy into the skin to stimulate collagen and elastin production and accelerate cell turnover.
Dr. Brunner uses the following RF microneedling devices:
- Fractora RF: delivers energy through an array of needles that produce micro-injuries and localized RF energy to promote collagen remodeling and improve the skin’s appearance.
- Morpheus8: penetrates even deeper into the skin’s dermal tissues for rejuvenation and skin tightening.
Neuromodulators
Neuromodulators are wrinkle-smoothing injectables that relax facial muscles and soften lines and wrinkles. These wrinkle-relaxers can also prevent new wrinkles from forming.
Dr. Brunner uses the following neuromodulators:
- Botox® Cosmetic: the most common and popular neuromodulator. Dr. Brunner often recommends Botox for smokers’ lines to relax the skin around the mouth.
- Dysport®: is also more diluted than Botox or Xeomin and spreads easily, making it an excellent choice for treating wrinkles in large areas of the face.
- Xeomin®: offers a slightly different formulation that may be suitable for some patients.
- Daxxify®: a brand-new injectable that can produce results for up to 6 months, longer than any other neuromodulator.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers are gel-like substances that can fill in smokers’ lines for smoother, plumper skin.
Dr. Brunner uses the following dermal fillers for smokers’ lines:
- Juvéderm® Volbella: designed to enhance the shape and volume of the lips and soften fine lines around the lips, including mouth wrinkles from smoking. Results are instantaneous and may last up to one year in some patients.
- Restylane® Kysse and Restylane Refyne: offers patients a treatment option for augmenting their lips and addressing fine vertical lines and creases around the mouth. Results are immediate and may last up to 6 months.
- RHA® 2 and RHA Redensity: RHA is the only filler that can target dynamic wrinkles, including smokers’ lines around the mouth.
- Versa Lips: Versa by Revanesse® can plump the lips to reduce the appearance of lines that fan out around them.
Filler treatment to improve lip volume and shape. After treatment, lips are fuller and more youthful. Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed. Results vary from patient to patient.
Is it possible to get rid of smokers’ lines naturally and without fillers?
Since smokers’ lines are generally the result of the aging process, they cannot disappear on their own. Even if you change your lifestyle (stop smoking or avoid sun exposure), without cosmetic intervention, you cannot significantly reduce the appearance of smokers’ lines.
Is it possible to get rid of smokers’ lines permanently?
Cosmetic procedures, like laser resurfacing, neuromodulators, and dermal fillers, can significantly reduce the appearance of smokers’ lip lines. You cannot stop the aging process, but with an effective treatment plan tailored to your needs, you can reverse and prevent lines and wrinkles.
Schedule your smokers’ lips treatment in Princeton, NJ
Eugenie Brunner, MD, FACS, is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who focuses on treatments for the face and performs all procedures at her Princeton, NJ, office. With an artistic eye and advanced techniques, she helps her patients achieve beautiful and natural-looking results. Everyone will notice, but no one will know.
To determine the treatment for your smokers’ lines or to learn more about our other laser devices and injectables, schedule a consultation with Dr. Brunner today.