Plump Lips

Friendly, young, sexy, stern, open, angry - it's amazing that our lips send messages about us without ever saying a word.

Just think about how you perceive someone with tightly drawn, thin lips? Or someone with a full, soft, pillowy mouth? Just look at the millions of dollars spent each year on lip glosses, enhancers and other products created to give the illusion of a plumper pout and it's clear to see that when we think of a beautiful, youthful smile, we think of full, soft, smooth lips.

Attaining that defined, sensuous look is often a matter of genetics. But even if you're lucky enough to be born with the perfect pout, the aging process can take its toll, causing lips to recede and thin over time. That's because the lips are actually one of the first places on your face to age. Like the neck, they're an extremely delicate part of the body. The lip area's thin outer layer only gets thinner as we lose collagen with age. Plus, levels of oil and waterÑour body's natural lip balmÑare reduced over time, leaving lips susceptible to dryness and wrinkling.

Facial expression can also play a role. Every time we smile, frown, pout or pucker our lips, we move our facial muscles in a way that can result in lines. Smoking and even drinking from a straw or bottle causes us to move our lips in a way that can lead to excess lip lines and wrinkles.

What You Can Do?

Protect and moisturize lips while diminishing lines by applying a lip product that contains both moisturizers and a broad-spectrum sunscreen.

Be mindful of your facial movements. You may pucker your lips or frown without even knowing it, etching lines and wrinkles around the mouth.

Create the illusion of plump lips with makeup. Use a natural-coloured lip liner to line slightly outside of your natural lip line. colour in the lips with the same pencil, then top with lip gloss in a soft pink. The gloss will reflect the light, creating a fuller look.

What to Avoid

Smoking! It's bad for skin in general, but it's easiest to spot the havoc it wreaks around the mouth. Smokers have more (and deeper) lines and wrinkles around their lips than non-smokers.

Drinking regularly from straws or bottles. Puckering up adds up when it comes to lines and wrinkles.

Dark, matte lipstick. Lips look largest with a lighter, glossier, light-reflecting colour. Plus, dark colours will highlight any asymmetry in the lips.

SKYN Solution

Injecting dermal fillers into lips instantly creates a fuller, more symmetrical mouth. It's also used to fill the lines around the lips that cause lipstick to bleed and make us look older. Results last 3 to 6 months.