Wrinkles Around the Lips Have a Variety of Different Causes

Posted October 1, 2013 by Dr. Alex Sobel

As you’ve gotten older, you might have started noticing signs of aging around your mouth. Perhaps you’ve started to wonder what causes wrinkles around the lips? The medical term for these lines is “perioral wrinkles,” and the answer to the question of what causes them may not be as clear-cut as you think. One or more different sources causes these signs of aging, including physiological and environmental factors.

First, you should know that perioral wrinkles are more common in women than in men. For women, skin tissues around the mouth contain fewer blood vessels, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands than men’s skin tissues. The lack of sweat and sebaceous glands can influence the skin’s natural filling, and the lesser number of blood vessels can lead to poor circulation, which may cause wrinkles. Additionally, the muscle fibers surrounding a woman’s lips are more closely attached to the middle layer of her skin, which causes traction and can lead to more wrinkles.

Gender-based physiological differences are not the only source of what causes wrinkles around the lips, however. For both women and men, smoking can cause perioral wrinkles. Environmental factors can also play a role, meaning that people who are exposed to the sun’s UV rays more often are more at risk of developing perioral wrinkles. Therefore, both men and women can prevent perioral wrinkles from forming by quitting smoking and wearing sunscreen anytime they will be exposed to the sun’s rays for an extended period of time.

Facial expressions are still another example of what causes wrinkles around the lips. Smiling, frowning, puckering, and other facial movements can cause the skin to lose its elasticity, causing it to wrinkle. In general, frowning causes lines faster than smiling does because it uses more muscles. If you are seeking treatment for wrinkles around your lips, there are several options:

Your own fat may be transferred to restore volume in the area (facial fat transfer).
The lines can be resurfaced with a medium-depth peel such as TCA (trichloracetic acid) or the Obagi Blue Peel, or a deep peel such as phenol.
The lines can be resurfaced with a fractionated CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser such as Fraxel Re:Pair or conventional CO2.
The lines can be filled with a filler such as Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane, Radiesse, Artefill, Collagen, or Silicone.
The muscles that create the lines can be weakened with Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin.

There is a new filler to the US market, though it has been used in Europe for some time, called Belotero which shows great promise for correction for fine lines.