Smokers’ Lines

Small vertical lines that extend from the top and / or bottom lip can be referred to as smokers’ lines, lipstick lines or lip wrinkles.

These fine lines can appear both on the lip and on the skin directly above or below the lips themselves. Ageing is the most common cause as the skin changes in structure and youthful volume is lost. Smokers’ lines will often start off as fine creases that become more prominent over time.

Wearing lipstick can often make this condition more noticeable to others, as well as causing this type of cosmetic to ‘bleed’ into the grooves.

From the age of around 20 – 25 the skin starts to experience a decline of collagen – producing around 1% less every year. Over time, this leads to thinner lips that are also lacking in elasticity. The lips can also start to become dryer as the skin produces less oil, as well as being constantly open to sun exposure and other types of weather.

The sun’s rays play a big part in the development of smokers’ lines. Ultraviolet rays are often at the forefront of premature ageing due to their contribution in the breakdown of collagen from the skin. Lip lines have adopted the term smokers’ lines from the wrinkles that appear when inhaling on a cigarette.

In a younger person these lines may only appear during the actual time of movement. However, as a person gets older and this action is repeated over many years, smokers’ lines develop into a more permanent feature.

The Bloom Clinic has wrinkle-relaxing treatments that can relax the muscles which cause smokers’ lines to appear. They also have light fillers, SkinPen microneedling, skin boosters and medical grade skincare that can help to soften the appearance of vertical lip lines.