Thinning lips are one of the first places to show signs of ageing. Dehydration, diet, skin care and environmental factors can all play a role in the appearance or ‘disappearance’ of your lips.
You may be thinking, “If dehydration is the main cause of thinning lips, why does my friend have them but I don’t?” The answer also relates directly to age and genetics.
As we get older, our skin loses moisture and elasticity, and the quality of our collagen produced decreases making it less supple. In other words, you’re ageing! If a member of your family also has thin lips (and this can be genetic), you are more likely to develop them too.
Prevent lip thinning with these tips
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Thinner lips are often the result of dehydration, so staying well hydrated will help keep your lips looking fuller and healthy.
- Avoid smoking, which causes dryness in the mouth that leads to cracking and flaking on the skin that covers your lips.
- Use SPF on your lips, not just your face and skin exposed to the sun’s harmful rays.
- Use lip balms containing hyaluronic acid or allantoin to moisturise your lips every few hours throughout the day; they’re good at penetrating deep into cracks caused by harsh weather conditions or overuse during winter months because they contain ingredients that bind moisture together with oily substances like lanolin (the main ingredient in sheep’s wool).
As women age and head towards peri-menopause and then menopause skin loses collagen as oestrogen levels decrease, the collagen and elastin in lips break down. Without the ability to repair these strength-giving proteins, the skin becomes thinner and more fragile. Read more about ‘why’ lips age in Menopause from Deborah Forsythe – The Menopause Consultant.
Other ways to reduce the appearance of thinning lips
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to care for already thinning lips at home with natural remedies such as coconut oil and lip balm made from beeswax or other ingredients that contain vitamins A through E. You could also try an exfoliating scrub made with sugar and fruit acids if your lips have become scaly due to dryness or cold weather conditions like windburn which may have caused peeling skin around your mouth. These ingredients will help restore their normal appearance while also removing dead cells so new ones can grow back faster than before.
Other ways to stimulate collagen production in the lips and around the mouth are facial LED light therapy masks or lamps. Request your Clinic to include Red Light Therapy to end your treatment for a huge collagen boosting high.
The red penetrating LED lights target deep into cells, heightening their internal functions, photo-stimulating dermal blood flow and creating faster healing so your skin always looks rejuvenated. This is not a treatment that improves plumpness overnight but there are masks that you can wear in between treatments at home.
In conclusion, thinning lips are usually the result of dehydration or an environmental factor like cold weather or wind exposure and ageing. If you notice that your lips are becoming less plump, try using more lip balm to keep them moisturised and ensure you drink plenty of water throughout each day too!
