How to Reduce Wrinkles Around the Mouth

Wrinkles around the mouth, often called smile lines, are a tell-tale sign of aging skin that affects many people. Wrinkles result when the skin's elasticity starts to break down and the production of collagen begins to slow down. Smoking and over exposure to the sun can help the process along. Several professional skin care procedures, however, can reduce wrinkles and fine lines around the mouth. Natural home remedies can also help.

Things You'll Need

• Botox
• Fillers
• Laser Therapy
• Microdermabrasion
• Chemical Peel
• Drinking water
• Avocado

Instructions

Reduce Wrinkles Around the Mouth

1. Ask your dermatologist about Botox and fillers. Botox is injected in the skin at where wrinkles are present. According to MayoClinic.com, "Botox blocks the chemical signals that cause muscles to contract. When the muscles can't tighten, the skin flattens and appears smoother and less wrinkled." Botox lasts three to four months.

   Soft tissue fillers are also injected in the skin, but work differently than Boxtox. They don't paralyze muscle movement. Instead, they plump up the skin where the wrinkles are and make it look smoother. Fillers can erase deep wrinkles. Like Botox, they last only a few months.

2. Ask your doctor about laser therapy. There are two types of laser treatments that to treat wrinkles. Ablative laser resurfacing is more intense and may involve six months of downtime, or time for recovery. MayoClinic.com describes the ablative laser process "...a laser beam destroys the outer layer of skin (epidermis) and heats the underlying skin (dermis), which stimulates the growth of new collagen fibers. As the wound heals, new skin forms that's smoother and tighter." Ablative laser therapy may only require one treatment to see results.

   A less intense laser treatment involves pulsed light that doesn't harm the epidermis. It only warms the dermis, or underlying, layer of skin in order to stimulate collagen production. Collagen makes skin plump and elastic. It may take several pulsed light treatments to see results, but skin will definitely look smoother and younger. There is no downtime with this type of laser therapy.

3. Ask your dermatologist about microdermabrasion and chemical peels. Microdermabrasion uses a machine to treat the skin. The machine contains a wand that is passed over the skin several times during a treatment. The wand applies a light suction to the skin and uses aluminum oxide crystals to sandblasts it. These two work together to remove a very fine layer of skin. When that skin is removed, new, healthy and younger-looking skin cells grow in its place. The sucking action also stimulates collagen production. Microdermabrasion requires several treatments.

   Chemical peels also involve the removal of skin. Chemicals applied to the face burn the outer layer of skin. According to MayoClinic.com, "New skin forms to take its place. The new skin is usually smoother and less wrinkled than your old skin." Chemical peels may also take several treatments to see results.

4. Try an inexpensive home remedy for wrinkles around the mouth. Drink plenty of water and apply an avocado mask to your face twice a week. Water hydrates the skin and keeps it plump. Dry skin is more likely to become wrinkled.

   Avocado is rich in oils that benefit the skin. Mash up some avocado and spread it on the skin. Keep the mask on for about 10 minutes and then rinse it with cool water. The oils will moisturize and hydrate the skin and help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply sunscreen and wear a hat to shade your face when going outside. This will minimize your chance of getting wrinkles around the mouth.

• You can buy some chemical peels for home use. Always consult a physician before trying one since they can damage the skin if not applied properly.

References

• MayoClinic.com: Wrinkles
• Medline Plus: Wrinkles
• A 2 Z of Health, Beauty and Fitness: Wrinkle Treatments - How to Reduce and Remove Wrinkles