They call them “smile lines” but you’re not smiling when you see them.
They’re deep. They make you look 10 years older. They won’t budge no matter what you do.
Is there really no way to get rid of those pesky wrinkles around your mouth?!
What Causes Wrinkles Around Your Mouth?
Have you noticed that women who are very expressive and wear every emotion on their faces tend to have deeper wrinkles around their mouths?
Blame muscle movement. Every time you move your lips to smile, laugh, pucker or pout (those selfies!), the muscles contract to form that expression.
Do this a lot and, over time, those temporary creases turn into permanent lines.
This is why they’re called “dynamic” wrinkles. Of course, sun exposure and the natural aging process both play a part too. But all these frequent movements hit the accelerator pedal hard so your mouth area ages way faster than the rest of your face.
But would you really rather not smile? Thought so. Luckily, you don’t have to become a robot and hide your emotions behind a steel, unmovable face.
These days, there are plenty of things you can do to fight these pesky wrinkles - both before and after they appear. Here are 5 science-backed ways to get rid of wrinkles around your mouth:
- Relax Those Muscles
No muscle movement = no wrinkles.
That’d make Botox the number one thing to try… if it weren’t for this “little” detail: the mouth is an unpredictable area to inject. In the hope of getting rid of wrinkles, you may easily end up with dribbling or a droopy mouth! Scary huh?
But what if you could get the same benefits without the risk of a drooping mouth? Meet Argireline, a peptide dubbed “Botox in a jar.”
Here’s how it works: in order to move, your brain needs to send a signal to the SNARE complex (it’s a complex made of three proteins) to activate it. Argireline mimics one of the proteins in this SNARE complex, destabilizing it so it can’t do what the brain wants, i.e. move.
An independent study published in the Journal Of Cosmetic Science found that 10% Argireline reduces wrinkles by 30% in 30 days!
You can find Argireline in our Firming Argireline Serum with Matrixyl 3000. Matrixyl 3000 is a peptide with collagen-boosting properties. In other words, it provides another way to get rid of those pesky wrinkles around your mouth. Talk about catching two birds with one stone!
- Stimulate Collagen
Ever wondered why those expression lines take so long to form? Collagen.
When you’re young, your skin has all the collagen it needs to stay firm. But as you get older and collagen production slows down to a trickle, your skin sags and wrinkles easily.
So how can you pump up collagen production? In so many ways:
- Retinol: this form of Vitamin A speeds up collagen production, fights free radicals and accelerates the skin’s natural exfoliating process. Our Night Renewal Cream with 2.5% All-Trans Encapsulated Retinol contains the highest concentration of retinol on the market in a gentle formula that doesn’t irritate skin.
- Vitamin C: this powerful antioxidant prevents wrinkles, brightens skin and boosts collagen production. It works even better when it’s stabilized by vitamin E and ferulic acid and joined by other collagen boosters like Matrixyl 3000, like in our Super-C 20% Vitamin C Serum.
- Peptides: some peptides, like Matrixyl 3000 and marine peptides, are also powerful collagen boosters. Our Collagen Booster EGF Serum with Marine Peptide and Sea Kelp is loaded with these peptides. Plus, it has a huge dollop of vitamin C, another collagen booster.
- Glycolic Acid Peels: high concentrations (10%>) of glycolic acid exfoliate skin and boost collagen at the same time. Our 50% Glycolic Acid Peel has 5 times that much! A professional strength, but peels can easily be applied at home when following our included instructions.
The more collagen-boosters you use, the better. Just make sure you introduce them into your skincare routine slowly and one at a time. Some of these skincare heros are so powerful, your skin needs time to get used to them!
- Shield Your Skin From The Sun
You know what depletes that pesky collagen faster than you can say “collagen”? Yep, the sun.
Once UV rays hit your skin, they destroy everything on their path: collagen, elastin (the protein that keeps your skin elastic), cellular DNA… That’s a sure recipe for wrinkles and dark spots!
The fix? Wear sunscreen every single day - rain or shine. While UVB rays are strongest from 10:00am to 4:00pm, UVA rays are present from the moment the sun comes up to the moment it comes down, can penetrate through clouds and windows and even be reflected on snow. And guess which types gives you the worst wrinkles? Yep, UVA rays.
Use a zinc-oxide based sunscreen such as our SPF 40 Age-Defying Mineral Sunscreen. Unlike chemical sunscreens, zinc oxide (a white mineral) is so gentle on the skin even babies can use it! Plus, it provides outstanding broad spectrum protection on its own.
- Feed Your Skin
A good skincare routine is essential to get rid of wrinkles around the mouth. But that’s not an excuse to neglect your diet.
Eating lots of antioxidant-rich foods (you know, the rainbow) gives your skin a powerful army of antioxidants to fight the free radicals that destroy your collagen.
And you know by now what more collagen means: firmer skin, fewer wrinkles.
So what should you be snacking on for the sake of beauty? Green leafy vegetables are at the top of the list. Other tasty antioxidants-rich foods include berries, carrots, ginger and tomatoes. Usually, the darker the color of a food, the more antioxidants it has.
So why not start the day with a green smoothie, snack on Greek yogurt with blueberries during the afternoon and finish the day with a nice piece of salmon and a juicy salad? Yummy!
- Exercise Your Face
It makes sense: the stronger your facial muscles are, the smoother your skin will look.
Facial muscles that sit underneath your skin provide it with support. But as you grow older, they get weaker, making this support scaffold crumble down.
When that happens, your skin can’t fight gravity anymore. It sags. It hollows. It wrinkles. You get the picture - and it ain’t pretty.
So, how do you keep your facial muscles strong? It’s not like you can do squats with your cheeks or lift weights with your mouth. But can you?
Cue face exercises. They really work and you can do them in the privacy of your own home. Which is good, because they make you look really silly while doing them, ha ha, but the rewards are worth it. Promise. There are many choices online for good face exercise programs; DVDs, books, and even online tutorials. I have seen the results, it really does work.
Time to get rid of and say goodbye to those pesky wrinkles around your mouth once and for all.