Lip Lines

Lip Lines

Fill, Fight or Fend Off Feathering

The unfair truth is that only women develop those tiny vertical creases that radiate above an otherwise perfect upper lip line somewhere around age 35. Men do not.

"In men the skin around the upper lip ages better, because it has all those hair follicles supporting it," explains Diana Bihova, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City and author of Beauty from the Inside Out. Hair follicles are the shafts out of which hair--in this case, moustache hair--grows.

But aging is not the only cause of those insidious little creases, says Dr. Bihova. Lip lines are also caused by the sun's destruction of the elastin and collagen fibers that keep skin elastic. If you smoke, pursing your lips around cigarettes causes lip lines, too. Wearing lipstick--as many women do--tends to make lip lines more noticeable, as lip color tends to creep into the tiny creases, producing what cosmetics companies call feathering.

SIX STEPS TO PRETTIER LIPS

The only sure cures for longstanding, deeply ingrained lip lines are medical procedures such as collagen injections, chemical peels and laser treatments, says Anita Cela, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Fortunately, more superficial lines can be minimized. So if you're just beginning to notice these vexing little creases, here's what women doctors say that you can do.

Use glycolic acid. Every morning, after you wash your face, apply a lotion containing glycolic acid around your lip area, says Dr. Bihova.

The glycolic acid will encourage your skin to slough off old cells that have formed lines and replace them with the younger, smoother cells underneath. Smooth it right up to your lip line, but not on the lip line itself or on your lips, says Dr. Bihova. Your lips are composed of mucous cells, not skin cells, which are extremely sensitive to contact with glycolic acid. If you get the lotion on your lips, it won't do any good, and it will burn.

Apply a moisturizer. About ten minutes before you plan to apply lip color, smooth a moisturizer above your upper lip to further minimize lines says Dr. Bihova. Choose a moisturizer that has a built-in sunscreen--a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 15 or higher--so that you can prevent future lines and prevent existing lines from getting any deeper. Whatever moisturizing sunscreen you use on the rest of your face is fine.

Lay a foundation. To fill in existing lines and prevent lipstick from migrating into lip lines, making them more obvious, Dr. Bihova suggests applying a lip fixative such as Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference Lip-Fix Creme. Any fixative will work, though. Sold in drugstores or at cosmetic counters everywhere, lip fixatives cause a slight swelling in the skin just above the upper lip, which fills in most lines.

"A lip fixative also works like a foundation," says Dr. Bihova. "It's a primer that will keep your lipstick in place, preventing feathering."

Powder your lips. To set the fixative and ready your lips for color, lightly dust your lips with facial powder, says Dr. Bihova.

Add an outline. Using a lip pencil, outline your lips with color, then fill them in with the same pencil or one of a very close color, says Dr. Bihova. Some pencils bleed, and some don't. The only way to tell what works best is to try several different types.

Color, then blot. Apply lip color as usual, being careful to stay in the lines. Then, to further set the color, blot your lips with a fresh tissue, says Dr. Bihova.