Many women seek help for their barcode lines or smokers lines. These are vertical fine lines or wrinkles on top of your lips that can become more visible when you move your lips or try to blow a kiss. Some people call them smokers lines but many people who never smoked can still get them.

What causes barcode or smokers lines?

Ageing

Barcode lines are a normal sign of ageing and most people in their mid-thirties will start noticing a few fine lines around the lips, especially when they try to blow a kiss or drink from a straw. As we age further, these fine lines gradually change and become wrinkles.

This is because as we age, our skin becomes less elastic and loses volume. On top of that, we have a round muscle surrounding our mouth that becomes shorter and stiffer, and this makes the skin on top of the muscle more wrinkly. With advanced age, we also lose bone density and mass around the mouth.

Sun

Too much sun certainly makes bar code lines a lot worse and we do recommend that you wear a high-quality SPF 50+ sunscreen at all times, even during winter. The ideal sunscreen should contain zinc oxide and iron oxide and no chemicals.

Smoking

Barcode lines are certainly more noticeable in women who smoke. And often this is exaggerated when you do not use sunscreen every day. Smoking generally causes bad skin health but it is especially harmful to the skin around your mouth.

Genetic Factors

Research on identical twins suggests that approximately 60% of skin ageing is caused by our genetic make-up. This means that if your parents had a tendency to get wrinkles, you will likely also get wrinkles more easily. 40 % of skin ageing seems to be due to environmental factors, mainly UV rays and smoking.

Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is extremely important for your skin to stay radiant and young. We know that processed food and mainly processed sugars cause harm to the skin and increase your risk to get wrinkles.

Other factors such as depression, stress and major life events can make your skin age as well.

What treatments are available to treat barcode lines?

There are several treatments available that can treat barcode lines and it really depends on how far advanced your barcode lines are to choose the most suitable treatment for you.  Here are a few basics.

1. Good Skincare

Retinols are a type of Vitamin A that refreshes skin and smooths wrinkles. We recommend you use retinol cream daily at night to treat and prevent wrinkles and fine lines. You can further enhance the quality and thickness of the skin on your face and around your lips with Vitamin B and Vitamin C creams. On top of that, a mild chemical peel gently removes dead skin cells and rejuvenates the area around your lips.

2. Microneedling with a high-quality Skinbooster

Medical Microneedling with Dermmapen 4 in combination with a skin booster that contains a combination of valuable minerals, amino acids and vitamins helps reduce fine lines and early wrinkles on top of your lip. This procedure uses a very gentle device that contains many fine and very thin needles. These tiny needles create thousands of microchannels in your skin and, as a result, this helps stimulate collagen and smooth the barcode lines. The skin booster further helps to enhance your result.

3. A thin dermal filler mixed with Botox

This has become a very popular treatment for barcode lines on top of your lip. For this procedure, use a unique mix of a very thin dermal filler that stretches nicely when you move your lips and a small amount of Botulinum Toxin.  The doctor will then gently inject this special mix on top of your lip with a small cannula. Over time, the dermal filler will not only fill the fine lines and wrinkles on top of your lip but also stimulate collagen. This gradual process makes skin look thicker, with fewer smokers lines.

It is important that you arrive approximately 20 minutes earlier to your appointment so that we can first apply a numbing cream to the area on top of your lip. This will make the treatment a lot more comfortable.

4. Other treatment options

A laser that removes the upper layers of your skin works well to smooth these stubborn lines but also requires a significant amount of downtime.

Contact Satini Cosmetic Clinic For More Information

In summary, smokers lines can be treated and there is no need to just put up with them. If you would like to get more information about smokers lines and the different treatment options, please contact us anytime or just book an appointment online. Dr Nadja Haub who is a member of the MultiSpecialty Aesthetic Society will carefully assess your face and discuss the best treatment options with you. You can also call us at 0800-121-622.