Wrinkled lips are characterised by fine, vertical lines that appear across both the upper and bottom lip.
These lines gradually become more noticeable as you age, and are often one of the first few indicators of facial ageing. This is caused by a loss of lip volume over time. As you get older, you lose facial fat that accounts for some of your lips’ plumpness. The production of collagen and elastin, the proteins that give your face its youthful appearance, also slows down over time. As these components are lost, so lip lines and wrinkles become more prominent.
Thinning of skin is another major contributor to wrinkled lips. After a certain age, the skin becomes thinner and more likely to become creased with use, making lip lines more visible.
Essentially, lip wrinkles are created by using your lips. Every time you purse your lips, you create folds in the skin. Over time, the repetition of this can result in permanent creases around the mouth. Smoking, in particular, can accelerate this as it also dries out the lips, causing loss of skin tone.
In order to slow down the ageing of lips, it is important to stay hydrated and protect your skin against the sun by using SPF lip balm.