Woman smiling close up on her lips

What Causes Your Lips to Thin

The loss of volume and definition in your lips can betray your age or even make you look older than you truly are. The formation of lines around your mouth can contribute to the issue, along with the disappearance or flattening of the Cupid’s bow or the double curve in the upper lip. These changes commonly occur with aging, with your pout also getting thinner over time.

Lip filler clinics in Salt Lake City share some things that can contribute to aging and thinning lips:

Decline of collagen and hyaluronic acid

Young skin and lips usually have high levels of collagen and hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body that keeps the skin plump and moisturized. The production of both substances declines with aging, which is also the reason your lips flatten and your skin sags. This, furthermore, can also make you pout look thinner with lack of definition.

Genetics

While lips tend to get thinner and flatter over time, your genes also play a role in determining their size and shape. This is why if you are born with naturally thinner or smaller lips, you may start to see changes earlier like in your late 20s or 30s. This is the stage when both the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid starts to slow down.

Smoking

Apart from causing serious health conditions like lung cancer, smoking also accelerates aging and the appearance of wrinkles. It also increases your chances of having lines around the mouth due to the repeated muscle motion or puckering of the lips when sucking on a cigarette. These small, vertical lines or wrinkles above your mouth are also referred to as smoker’s lines.

Repeated use of straw and drinking from water bottles

Both habits can cause you to purse your lips, which then contribute to lines and wrinkles. Drinking from water bottles or out of straws regularly contracts the muscle around the mouth and breaks down its collagen over time. The repetitive muscle movements caused both habits may lead to fine lines around the mouth or smoker’s lines.

Sun exposure

Excessive sun exposure accelerates the aging process of the skin, which also includes your lips. The sun can also damage your pout and contribute to premature aging and sunburn. It can also compromise the appearance of healthy skin and lips with the formation of fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and sunspots.

Dehydration

Woman holding glass of water
Premature lip thinning may also be an issue if you don’t drink enough water or if you consume too much caffeine. Both habits, along with lack of care, can also increase the appearance of flaky or chapped lips. This only makes it important to limit your caffeine consumption and drink more water to stay hydrated. The use of moisturizing lip balms can also help.

Consider lip fillers

Injectable gels like lip fillers can do wonders in plumping up your lips and restoring lost skin volume. They can also enhance the shape of your pout or increase the size of lips for a healthier and younger-looking appearance. It is also good to know that most lip fillers today are made of hyaluronic acid, which makes the procedure safe and effective.

When getting lip fillers, be sure to consult a reliable aesthetic doctor for safe and natural-looking results. This is because the process of injecting the fillers takes time and requires the skill of a doctor to achieve the desirable results. Be wary of those who offer cheap fillers or bargain injections, as you could end up paying more, especially if you hate the results.

While your lips naturally change with age, you can still consider aesthetic treatments to get a younger-looking pout. Simply contact a reliable skin clinic to learn more about the things you can do about thinning or skinny lips.

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