These vertical lines or smoker’s lines, are small wrinkles radiating from the lips. They appear in motion when we talk, blow a kiss or drink through a straw.  As the level of collagen in the skin drops with age, the skin becomes thinner and less likely to bounce back so the lines eventually become static. Smokers are particularly at risk of developing permanent lip lines as their lip muscles are very active. 

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We may recommend botulinum toxin injections to relax the lip muscles and reduce active skin wrinkling. In the case of already static lines the doctor might advise microneedling to build up collagen in the skin around the lips or, if the lines are very deep, the right approach might be to use dermal fillers to fill the volume deficit.