You expect your skin to change with age—but you may not have anticipated thinning lips.
Usually, we’re focused on fine lines around the eyes, wrinkles in the forehead, and those marionette lines from our nose to our mouth.
But then one day, we go to put on our lipstick and…what happened? Or maybe we see a picture of ourselves and are surprised that our lips have nearly disappeared!
Why does this happen? And what can we do about it?
Why Does Aging Bring On Thinning Lips?
Several changes occur in the skin that can cause them to appear smaller and thinner.
Loss of Collagen and Elastin
Collagen and elastin are proteins that give the skin structure and elasticity. Because of these proteins, the skin holds its shape and bounces back after we make our expressions.
As we get older, the body’s production of these proteins naturally declines, leading to a loss of shape and firmness in the lips. The process begins somewhere in our 20s, then accelerates in our 40s, 50s, and beyond.
Dehydration
Older skin has a harder time holding onto moisture. It produces less of its natural oil (sebum) and also loses more to the air, usually because of a damaged skin barrier that can no longer hold onto it as well.
Lips have a much thinner outer layer of skin compared to other areas of the body, so they are much more affected by moisture loss. Dehydrated lips not only look thinner but dry and chapped.
Fat Redistribution
If you find that you can no longer stand on cement as long as you used to because your heels hurt, you’ve experienced fat redistribution!
As we age, the fat pads we used to have—in our heels and our lips, too—start to diminish and shift. Soon there’s much less cushion on your heels so you can feel that floor on the bone. The same happens in your lips—those plumping fat cells that used to give them volume shrink and shift around, leading to a thinner appearance.
Muscle Activity
We use our lips for talking, eating, kissing, smiling, and sometimes playing musical instruments. All these activities can lead to the development of fine lines and wrinkles around the lips, which can draw more attention to their reduced fullness.
Genetics
We all have different shaped lips, depending on our genes. Some people naturally have fuller lips than others, but regardless of where you start, your lips will probably thin and lose volume as you get older. If you are born with thinner lips, you may be more likely to notice the change.
Does It Matter if I Have Thinning Lips?
Thinning lips won’t hurt you—though dry lips will. Keeping your lips moisturized and healthy can help you avoid chapping, flaking, and bleeding, as well as reduce your risk of infection.
You may not like how your thinner lips look, though. Full lips are generally seen as a sign of vitality and youth in our culture, while thinning lips can signal age and frailty. Thin lips can also create an unbalanced look to your face, causing a loss of definition in the lower half.
Solutions to Thinning Lips: How to Keep Them Looking Plump and Beautiful
We can’t stop the aging process, but we can take steps to maintain healthy lips that appear fuller. Try these seven tips.
1. Moisturize
The skin on your lips is thinner and more sensitive than that on the rest of your face, making it more vulnerable to dryness and chapping. Keeping your lips moisturized is essential for maintaining their plump look.
Use a high-quality lip balm to lock in moisture and prevent water loss. We recommend our Restorative Lip Balm. It instantly softens dry, rough, and chapped skin while creating a soothing barrier to trap moisture. With natural antioxidants, it also helps protect from environmental aggressors. Fat-soluble vitamins and healing plant terpenoids help encourage skin regeneration while aiding in wound healing.
Apply daily as needed to gradually restore lip softness and fullness.
2. Protect Your Lips
We can’t stop time, but we can make sure we’re not accelerating it. Stop smoking if you currently are—smoking accelerates aging in and around the lips. Then protect your lips from harmful UV rays with a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Next, do your best to manage internal inflammation. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, manage your stress, and apply our CV Skinlabs products, as they are all designed to help reduce inflammation in the skin.
3. Exfoliate
Just like you regularly exfoliate your face to get rid of old, dead cells and reveal new, younger ones, you should do the same on your lips. It will not only improve the texture of your lips but will stimulate blood circulation, giving the lips a more vibrant appearance.
Gently buff your lips with a lip scrub or soft toothbrush. Be careful not to be too harsh. Then follow with our Restorative Skin Balm. Repeat once or twice a week, as your lips need.
Our Pro Tip: Mix Restorative Skin Balm (which contains nourishing oils) with a teaspoon of sugar and oil to form a scrub, then gently scrub lips. Follow with a swipe of Restorative Skin Balm to help keep skin plump, soft, and healthy looking.
4. Try Lip Masks
Overnight lip masks help deliver intense hydration and nutrients while you sleep. Ingredients like honey, coconut oil, and glycerin create a protective barrier that prevents moisture loss. You’ll wake up to softer and plumper lips, while also helping reduce the appearance of fine lines and cracks.
Our Restorative Skin Balm can be used as an overnight lip mask—just apply it more heavily than usual before bed. It contains natural lip moisturizing, healing, collagen-boosting ingredients.
5. Try a Lip Plumper
There are many volumizing lip serums or “lip plumpers” on the market today. Feel free to experiment to see which one may work for you. Many contain ingredients like capsaicin (derived from chili peppers) or menthol that create a mild tingling sensation and cause lips to swell a little bit. Others focus on hydration, using hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help lips retain more moisture so they look fuller.
Some contain volumizing agents designed to promote collagen production while temporarily increasing the size of the lips. Some have light-reflecting particles that create an optical illusion of fullness.
Always read the label so you know what’s in your products. To be safe, choose those with hydrating ingredients or volumizing ingredients from natural sources.
Our Restorative Skin Balm contains all natural ingredients, including castor oil, which helps stimulate circulation and gives lips a natural and subtle plumping effect.
Note: Avoid lip-plumping devices like hyaluronic acid pens and suction devices. They can accelerate collagen breakdown.
6. Use Makeup Techniques
Makeup can dramatically enhance the look of your lips. Use a lip liner slightly outside of your natural lip line to create the illusion of more volume. Start by lining the outer corners first, then move in. It also helps to lightly fill in the lips with the liner to keep the shape of your lips consistent so you can’t detect obvious lip lines.
When you’re done, use a cotton swab or your finger to gently blend and blur the outline you’ve created. Finally, add your lip color. Keep in mind that lighter colors make lips appear larger, in general, while darker colors create a more defined look that may make them look smaller.
A glossy lipstick reflects light, which gives lips a plumper look, while matte finishes can emphasize dryness and thinness. Add a dab of highlighter to the cupid’s bow to further enhance the pout.
7. Eat Right
A well-balanced diet rich in essential nutrients supports skin health from the inside out. Omega-3 fatty acids found in nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, maintain skin elasticity and hydration. Vitamins C and E are crucial for collagen production and skin repair. Fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens contain antioxidants that combat environmental damage, which can accelerate aging. Water-rich foods like cucumbers and melons boost water levels in your skin.
Avoid high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods, as these can be dehydrating and contribute to inflammation.
Have you noticed thinning lips with age?
Featured image by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels.
