If you’ve ever had a smile from a barista, a bartender, or even your husband turn your whole day around, you know this is true: smiling is contagious! Smiling can brighten your mood, and also brighten the moods of those around you. And it’s not just wishful thinking, it’s actually scientifically proven. Smiling releases feel-good hormones like dopamine, lowers blood pressure, and can even act as a natural pain reliever (Psychology Today: "There's Magic In Your Smile"). 

Unfortunately, the natural aging process may have left you with a smile you’re not excited to share. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about - those pesky lines around the mouth AKA perioral lines. Because of our natural facial structure, women are more prone to lip lines than men (insert eye roll).

The good news is, there is something that you can do about it! The lines around your mouth are actually very treatable – and not just with needles!

Keep reading to learn what causes perioral lines, plus I will be giving you tips that I’ve found helpful to achieve a more youthful-looking smile.

Plus, we are giving away our favorite lip-smoothing treatment, our Ultimate Smooth Lip Kit! Learn how to enter at the bottom of the page!

Those Pesky Lines Around the Mouth: Where Do They Come From?

Perioral lines can be broken up in three subcategories: smile lines, marionette lines, and vertical lip lines.

• Smile or Nasolabial lines are the ones that go from the edge of the nose to the corner of the mouth.
• Marionette lines go from the bottom corner of the mouth towards the chin, and can cause the corners of the mouth to turn down, which is why they’re also called frown lines.
• Vertical lip lines are sometimes caused by smoking, which is why they’re sometimes known as smokers lines. Other causes of these lines are over waxing, over usage of straws, and our favorite, the infamous ‘duck-face’ we’ve all seen on Instagram.

Whether you have one type or all three, the cause of perioral lines are basically the same. As we age, we start to lose the natural collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid that gives our skin its youthful, supple appearance. As a result, skin starts sagging and wrinkling.

Professionals refer to these as dynamic wrinkles, because they’re caused by the movement of facial muscles under the skin. While Botox can temporarily paralyze these muscles for smoother skin, the proximity to the mouth can lead to some pretty gnarly side effects. As in slurred speech or drooling-for-three-months kind of side effects. No thanks!

How to Get Rid of Lines On Your Lips

1. Improve your diet. Free radicals from the sun and pollution break down collagen and elastin in the skin, accelerating the aging process. To reverse this, incorporate more antioxidant-rich foods into your daily diet. Think berries, kale, beets and sweet potatoes. And good news for you chocolate lovers: dark chocolate is also high in antioxidants! Just make sure to choose a dark chocolate without a lot of extra added sugar, since sugar can also age skin.
2. Wear sunscreen. We hope we’re not the first to tell you this, but UV rays are the number one cause of premature aging. That’s why it’s SO important to wear sunscreen every single day. Even if it’s cloudy!
3. Cut out smoking for once and for all. You've heard all the health and cancer warnings about smoking but here's two more things to take in mind next time you take a drag. The constant inhale /exhale motion is contributing to creating those crease forming lines. Also, the nicotine staining is causing your upper lip to look like 5'oclock shadow.
4. Sleep on your back. Sleeping on your side or stomach can push and pull the skin on your face, leading to more wrinkles. We even recommend investing in a silk pillowcase, which will be much more gentle on your complexion while you’re getting your eight hours.
5. Try facial yoga. It may look ridiculous, but facial exercises really do help to fill in lines around the mouth. The concept here is that building muscles around the mouth will help to replace that lost collagen. Here’s an easy one to try at home: Hook your index fingers into the corner of your mouth and gently pull outwards. Using the muscles around your mouth, try to force your fingers back together. Hold for three seconds, then repeat 20 times.
6. Use a targeted treatment. We get it: not everybody has time to practice facial yoga. And sometimes we just prefer to sleep on our side! That’s where our Ultimate Smooth Lip Kit comes in, with two treatments perfectly formulated for this kind of concern.

First, our Smooth Upper Lip Treatment, attacks lip, and perioral lines with a multi-pronged approach:

• Hyaluronic Acid moisturizes the area, since fine lines and wrinkles are more obvious on dry skin.
• Retinol smooths and softens lines.
• Collagen firms and tightens sagging skin.
• Multi-peptide complex prevents against future aging.

Next, our Smooth Lip Volumizer, our coveted on-the-lip treatment, is specifically designed and formulated to:

• Provide instant plumping results
• Target the appearance of lip lines and wrinkles
• Achieve the look of smoother, fuller lips
• Acts as an excellent primer before lipstick application

Use this kit twice a day and you’ll be showing off your dazzling smile in no time!