Welcome to the Vinyard Institute of Plastic Surgery's Blog, where your journey of aesthetic exploration and education takes center stage. We deeply value empowering our patients through knowledge, providing insights, tips, and in-depth information to guide and enhance your aesthetic journey. Dive into our posts, where expertise meets understanding, and discover a space where your curiosity and dreams are nurtured and illuminated.
You may have quit smoking cigarettes years ago but are still plagued by a symptom of this unhealthy habit — smoker’s lips. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine, a chemical compound that limits blood and oxygen flow to the tissue, causing wrinkles in the skin around the mouth and the darkening shade of the lips.
It’s not surprising that chapsticks and switching to vaping haven’t eased your smoker’s lips. The effects of smoking go way beneath the surface, meaning that topical treatments won’t have much of an impact. We’re here to let you in on a secret — dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane are the ultimate hack to smoothing and brightening your lips!
Smoking may make you feel edgy like James Dean or the cool French girl at a cafe, but in the real world, it comes with all sorts of consequences. Do dry, chapped lips, loss of lip volume, or vertical wrinkles around the mouth sound familiar to you? If you’re nodding along, then you know all too well that those are the effects smoking can have on your lips.
Cigarette smoke releases some 4000 chemicals that dry out the lips, but that is the least of your worries. Smoking speeds up the natural aging process and breaks down the collagen and elastin, which are responsible for keeping the lips plump and shapely.
Aside from loss of lip volume and lip wrinkles, smoking is linked to severe diseases such as oral cancer, periodontal disease, and skin infections. And much more!
Long-term smokers will experience the damaging effects of nicotine. The main ingredients in cigarettes, nicotine, and tar, shrink the blood vessels, significantly reducing blood flow and oxygen levels in and around the mouth and lips. The result is dark brown patches that detract from your lips’ natural color and deep wrinkling that even rich moisturizers cannot reverse.
Lip filler may temporarily reverse the aesthetic effects of smoking, but quitting is the only way to prevent your lips from further damage.
That sunny smoker’s spot, where you catch up on weekend gossip, is not doing you any favors. Excess sun exposure and the harsh chemicals of your favorite cigarettes can lead to “dark spots on the lips,” which can be a sign of cancer in extreme cases.
Each person has unique levels of melanin production, your body’s natural sunscreen. So being mindful of how much direct sun exposure your lips receive will benefit you and your lips in the long run. In addition, there are great products on the market, like SPF lip balm, that protect your lips from sun exposure.
The appearance of your lips from smoking will develop specific giveaways that are almost impossible to hide. So if you’re wondering whether you have smoker’s lips, we have you covered with some telltale signs:
If smoker’s lines and wrinkled skin are getting you down, you can have peace of mind knowing that with dermal fillers, you are one step closer to smoother, plumper lips!
You’ve changed your lifestyle habits. You use lip masks in the evening and lip scrub twice weekly. You’ve followed your friend’s advice to a T, but nothing seems to work. So, to answer whether smokers’ lines will go away on their own, the answer is most likely not — even if you stop smoking.
Smoking affects your mouth and lips deep within the skin’s layers, which is why relying on your body to naturally reverse these effects is not an effective strategy. Many people resort to natural remedies like coarse salt to exfoliate dead skin. And when these home remedies don’t work, people search for more intensive medical treatments to produce results.
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon William J. Vinyard, MD, FACS, and his team of experts work with the best products on the market. Juvederm and Restylane fillers offer multiple options to reduce lip wrinkles and add volume to the lips!
If you are in the process of quitting smoking, lip fillers may be the perfect incentive to get you to take that final step. A dermal filler treatment can bring back the natural beauty of your lips and mouth before smoking accelerated the aging process. The effects of tobacco smoke on your lips don’t have to be permanent. Dermal fillers will smooth the surface of your lips and increase the production of healthy skin cells.
Juvederm Volbella XC and Restylane Silk are impressive options for correcting the perioral lines (i.e., the lines around your mouth) and smoothing vertical lines and lip wrinkles. The hyaluronic acid in the dermal fillers ensures that collagen production is stimulated to create longer-lasting, effective results!
Have you been dreaming of bright, vibrant lips? Restylane Kysse and Juvederm Ultra XC will enhance your original lip color by increasing plumpness and hydration. In addition, a dermal filler treatment can lighten dark patches caused by a lack of blood vessels and chemical exposure.
Reducing smoker’s lines will do wonders to lighten the lips. Lines create shadows and affect pigmentation, so by smoothing them out using filler, you will find that your lips will enjoy a more even tone.
Another solution to correct the effects of cigarette smoke is using BOTOX to prevent muscle contractions that have weakened the skin and caused vertical wrinkles.
Often the lines that BOTOX corrects are not visible when the lips are resting but appear when the mouth purses and moves into positions that mimic the shape similar to when you smoke. BOTOX can be used with dermal filler to temporarily eliminate smoker’s lines.
If you are looking for a more long-lasting solution to address your smoker’s lines, CoolPeel is worth considering. The treatment uses a non-surgical laser resurfacing technique to tighten and resurface the skin.
The CO2 laser technology stimulates collagen production and works on restoring the skin’s optimal texture and reducing intense smoker’s lines. The treatment results in a more youthful appearance that is perfect for combatting the aging effects of smoking.
Juvederm, Restylane, BOTOX, and CoolPeel will do the heavy lifting, but the work doesn’t stop here. Maintaining a lip care routine is essential to keep your lips in prime condition after treatment. Incorporating these steps into your skincare routine will be well worth it:
Dermal fillers and other cosmetic procedures can only boost your confidence by reducing or eliminating smoker’s lips and wrinkles around the mouth. There is no guarantee that the lines, dark lips, and wrinkles won’t return if you continue smoking. Putting down the cigarette is your best bet for healthy lips.
Hydration and moisturization are equally important. Often thought of as the same thing, they are distinctly different.
Moisturization is key to nourishing your lips with oil. Unlike other body parts, lips do not have oil-producing glands. This is why they dry out so quickly; a good lip oil will preserve your lips.
Hydration is essential for skin cells to function. A lack of water causes cell replication to slow, leading to premature aging. By staying well hydrated, your body can work at its optimal level, leaving your lips plump and healthy.
The simplest way to add more antioxidants to your diet is by consuming vitamin E. You can find it in many foods like sunflower seeds, almond oil, and pumpkin. It acts as a humectant that regulates water, hydrating and supporting the skin barrier.
Antioxidant effects are soothing and anti-inflammatory, which is much needed, especially to help the body heal from the effects of tobacco and nicotine.
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As you consider your lip rejuvenation goals, Dr. Vinyard and his team of experts wield many options for restoring a youthful look and feel for your lips. A dermal filler treatment plan can be an easy and incredible addition to your treatment plan, and Dr. Vinyard and his team of experts are ready to support you in achieving your aesthetic goals. Contact us to schedule a personal consultation with us, or call (772) 212-0304 to find out the next steps in your lip rejuvenation journey! Our office at 291 NW Peacock Blvd, Suite 103, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986, proudly serves the South Florida area! We also invite you to check out our blog page, Facebook, and Instagram to learn more about the treatment options available at our office!
by Vinyard Institute of Plastic Surgery | Jun 15, 2023
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