Appear when you purse, gone at rest
Dynamic lines
The earliest stage and the most responsive. A very small amount of anti-wrinkle product reduces the pursing that creates them, and your clinician explains what to expect at consultation.
Skin concerns · London
Lip Lines
Lipstick that feathers into fine lines by the end of dinner. Vertical lines above the lip are widely blamed on smoking, yet plenty of people who have them never smoked: repeated pursing and thin skin do most of it, and a plan built on Wimpole Street softens them beautifully.
At a glance
- Causes Repeated pursing, sun damage, volume loss, smoking
- Treated at Wimpole Street, London
- Course Usually combined treatments
- Results 2 weeks to 3 months
Price from
From £180
What it is and why it happens
The vertical lines above the upper lip have a nickname that blames smoking, and many people who have them have never smoked. We use the clinical description for that reason.
Several things create them together. The orbicularis oris muscle purses constantly, through speaking, drinking and expression, and folds the skin above the lip in the same places. That skin is thin, has few oil glands, and takes sun exposure from below via reflected light that the rest of the face is shaded from. And as the lip loses volume it rolls inward, which shortens the distance and deepens the creasing.
Smoking accelerates all of it, through both the pursing and the collagen damage. It is a contributor rather than the cause.
These lines respond best to a combined plan, and the reward is substantial softening and a fresher upper lip. Relaxing the muscle calms the movement, and rebuilding the skin fills in the other half of the picture, so the two together do far more than either alone.
Know your type
Which type is yours?
Visible at rest, fine and numerous
Etched static lines
Where the creases have become permanent. Muscle relaxation softens them and the skin itself needs rebuilding, so skin boosters, microneedling or resurfacing run alongside.
Lip has rolled inward, lines deepened
Lines with lip volume loss
Where the lip flattening is part of the mechanism. Restoring a little lip volume improves the lines indirectly by re-tensioning the area.
Few but deep, visible in any light
Deep etched creases
The hardest presentation. CO2 laser resurfacing does most here, bringing significant softening to even the deepest creases.
How we assess and treat
Your clinician watches you purse and speak. The lines that appear on movement and the lines etched at rest need different halves of the plan.
We look at lip volume, since a lip that has rolled inward is part of the mechanism and restoring a little improves the lines indirectly.
We assess skin thickness and sun damage above the lip, which is usually worse than patients expect because it takes reflected light from below.
Dosing anti-wrinkle product here is a fine art, because the lip needs to keep moving freely for speech, sipping and smiling. We treat gently and review at two weeks.
The goal is substantial softening, and your clinician shows you what that looks like for your lip before anything begins.
Your options
Which treatment for your type of lip line?
As a guide, this is how we typically match each type to a treatment. Your own plan is always confirmed at consultation, and where a specialist would serve you better, your clinician refers you.
Type
Recommended treatment
Why
Lines with lip volume loss
Supporting the lip body from beneath eases the lines above it
Deep etched creases
Resurfacing reaches even a crease this set, with a planned recovery
Treatments that address it
| Anti-Wrinkle Injections A very small, carefully placed amount reducing how forcefully the lip purses. Dosed with great care so speech, sipping and your smile stay natural. From | Skin Boosters and Polynucleotides Thicken and hydrate the thin skin the lines sit in, which completes the work that muscle relaxation begins. From £320. | SkinPen Microneedling Rebuilds collagen through the creased area across a course. Suitable for most skin tones after a skin check, with a day of downtime. From £250. | CO2 Laser Resurfacing The strongest option for deep etched lines around the mouth, which is one of the areas it does most for. Five to seven days of downtime. From £300. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| £180 | £320 | £250 | £300 | |
| Yes | No | No | No | |
| No | Yes | Yes | Yes, most | |
| Dynamic lines | Fine etched lines | Texture, mild lines | Deep etched lines | |
| None | None | 24 to 48 hours | 5 to 7 days | |
| Explore Anti-Wrinkle Injections | Explore Skin Boosters and Polynucleotides | Explore SkinPen Microneedling | Explore CO2 Laser Resurfacing |
Anti-Wrinkle Injections
A very small, carefully placed amount reducing how forcefully the lip purses. Dosed with great care so speech, sipping and your smile stay natural. From
- £180
- Yes
- No
- Dynamic lines
- None
Skin Boosters and Polynucleotides
Thicken and hydrate the thin skin the lines sit in, which completes the work that muscle relaxation begins. From £320.
- £320
- No
- Yes
- Fine etched lines
- None
SkinPen Microneedling
Rebuilds collagen through the creased area across a course. Suitable for most skin tones after a skin check, with a day of downtime. From £250.
- £250
- No
- Yes
- Texture, mild lines
- 24 to 48 hours
CO2 Laser Resurfacing
The strongest option for deep etched lines around the mouth, which is one of the areas it does most for. Five to seven days of downtime. From £300.
- £300
- No
- Yes, most
- Deep etched lines
- 5 to 7 days
Before and after
Perioral lines
Mature lips, after filler
Support restored to the lip border, which softens the lines above it. Clinical image supplied by Allergan Aesthetics. Individual results may vary.
Can you treat it at home?
Sunscreen on and above the lip, which almost nobody applies and which matters more here than most places because of reflected light from below.
Vitamin A skincare used consistently can improve fine etched lines over months. The area is sensitive so introduce slowly.
Stopping smoking helps both mechanisms, the pursing and the collagen damage.
Drinking from a glass rather than through a straw makes a small difference over years.
Lip balm with SPF is the single easiest habit to add.
Home care improves the skin the line sits in and slows new ones, and treatment in clinic reaches the dermis, where an etched crease is softened.
Questions, answered
Frequently Asked Questions
Not only. Many people who have them never smoked. Repeated pursing, thin skin, sun exposure and lip volume loss do most of it, and smoking accelerates all of them.
Usually a combination. A very small amount of anti-wrinkle product to reduce pursing, plus skin boosters or microneedling to rebuild the skin. Deep etched lines need CO2 laser at our Wimpole Street clinic.
Yes. A combined plan softens the lines and refreshes the skin around them, and your clinician shows you what to expect for your lip at the consultation.
Anti-wrinkle from £180, skin boosters from £320, microneedling from £250, CO2 laser from £300. Most plans combine two.
In small, carefully placed doses that keep speech, sipping and your smile natural. We dose gently and review at two weeks.
Indirectly. Restoring a little lip volume re-tensions the area and improves the lines, which is usually a better approach than filling the lines themselves.
Yes, across a course, and it suits most skin tones after a skin check. It rebuilds collagen through the creased skin.
Two weeks for the muscle component, six weeks to three months for the skin rebuilding.
They hydrate, which softens the appearance for an hour or two, and they make a lovely treat before an evening out. Lasting change comes from treatment in clinic.
Visit our Wimpole Street clinic
Let’s talk about your skin.
A consultation is the first step towards a plan that feels right for you.
Address19 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8GE
Telephone020 7580 4813