Everyone wants to look young. While some are blessed with glassy skin, most fall in the other category. Wrong lifestyle choices accelerate the aging process for these people, making them look even older than they are. One such condition that makes your face look older is smoker’s lines. As the name suggests, this condition is exacerbated by smoking, but it is not the only cause. In this article, we will understand what are smoker’s lines, how are they caused, and what are the different treatments for smoker’s lines.
What are smoker’s lines?
These are tiny vertical lines that come up on the lip area and the area between the upper and the nose. They are also called lip lines. In most cases, these lines span from one side of the mouth to the other, creating an uneven and cracked appearance. Smoker’s lines often contribute to a distressed and aged look on the lower face. Despite being tiny and thin, they tend to cluster around a person’s lips, resulting in an overall wrinkled effect across the mouth region.
Additionally, if you use lipstick, it is prone to seep into these creases. This further intensifies the darkness and depth of smokers’ lines. In other words, they become even more prominent. Interestingly, the lines formed between the upper lip and nose are typically more prominent than those on the lips themselves.
What causes smoker’s lines?
Smoker’s lines are natural byproducts of the aging process. The equation is quite simple. As we age, our skin produces less and less collagen and elastin. To the unversed, collagen and elastin are two types of proteins that help the skin to stretch and retain firmness. But when you cross 20 years of age, the body automatically reduces collagen and elastin production by a small percentage every year. This makes the skin highly susceptible to developing wrinkles and all types of fine lines, including smoker’s lines.
But beyond this, there are a handful of factors that speeden the appearance of smoker’s lines. Genetics, repetitive facial expressions, sun exposure, and smoking. Out of them, sun exposure and smoking are the more prominent ones and something you can control easily.
Smoking
Smoking and vaping accelerate the breakdown of collagen and elastin. At the same time, it exerts physical strain on the mouth. In fact, the toxins found in cigarettes expedite the degradation of these essential proteins. This automatically leaves your skin with reduced support and strength in fighting against wrinkle formation. Interestingly, the repeated motion of puckering your lips and drawing on a cigarette causes dynamic wrinkles. This is the same as the one that is caused due to repeated facial expressions. After every contraction of your mouth muscles, the skin above crinkles, resulting in a little loss of elasticity and strength, ultimately leading to pronounced smoker’s lines.
Sun exposure
Similarly, sun exposure can worsen the appearance of smokers’ lines. When your delicate and thin skin on the lips is left unprotected, it becomes highly vulnerable to UV-ray sun damage. You might already be aware that exposure to UV rays is already the leading cause of premature aging. In fact, the sun contributes to 80% of visible skin aging and enhances the severity of smoker’s lines.
Treatments for smoker’s lines
There are a variety of treatment options to reduce the severity of smoker’s lines and make your skin smoother and more youthful. Here are the top treatments for smoker’s lines –
Dermal Fillers
Dermatologists employ dermal fillers to reduce the effects of smokers’ lines. The goal of this treatment is to rejuvenate the lips and mouth area. Post a successful treatment, you will get a more plump, smooth, and well-hydrated lip region without visible smoker’s lines. This treatment has the unique ability to address smoker’s lines without augmenting the lips beyond their natural contours. The treatment is also super-efficient, with minimal downtime and quick results. The results generally last for 10 to 12 months.
Botox
Botox is a good choice if you are looking to address mild smoker’s lines. In other words, you can consider it if you are in the initial stages of smoker’s lines formation. It can easily impede further progression. However, when it comes to botox, precision is the ultimate key. It needs to be skillfully injected by an experienced dermatologist into the region above the upper lip. This is done to relax the muscle responsible for the puckering expression that gives rise to the smoker’s lines.
Chemical Peels
A chemical peel treatment involves the removal of the outer layers of the skin, leading to the formation of fresh, healthy skin cells. This helps in reducing the appearance of smoker’s lines and gives a healthier and smoother complexion to the lip region. The effectiveness of chemical peels for smoker’s lines varies. It depends on your skin type, sensitivity, and depth of the smoker’s lines. The dermatologist will adjust the strength of the chemical peel based on these factors. However, to achieve the best results, you might need to attend multiple sessions with your dermatologist.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
This modern treatment can diminish all types of fine lines, including smokers’ lines. The best part is laser skin resurfacing can address other skin concerns on your face, such as pigmentation, acne scars, and sunspots that accompany smoker’s lines. In this treatment, laser beams are targeted at the affected skin to remove damaged skin cells causing smoker’s lines. This, then prompts the body to initiate a natural healing process, enhancing cell regeneration and stimulating collagen production in the lip region.
Microdermabrasion
In microdermabrasion, fine crystals are applied to the affected skin surface using a handheld device. It could be done either through rubbing or spraying. Subsequently, vacuum pressure is used to extract the dead skin cells, delicately eliminating them from the uppermost layer of the lip region. This treatment requires multiple sessions for optimal results and long-term effects. However, noticeable improvements in the affected region can be observed within a few hours after the treatment.
Best dermatologist in HSR Layout for smoker’s lines
Now that you have seen the best treatments for smoker’s lines, it is time to take action. If you are looking for the best dermatologist in HSR Layout who can address smoker’s lines, visit Dr. Renu’s clinic. She has several years of experience treating such conditions with minimal downtime and side effects. To know more, book an appointment with Dr. Renu now.
