You purse your lips and little lines gather above them. Perhaps they're more obvious when you talk, or you're noticing them around the edge of your lipstick. They're often called smoker's lines, even if you've never smoked a cigarette in your life.
Lip-line Botox can soften the wrinkles caused by that repeated pursing, helping the skin around your mouth look less creased. You may want a fresher-looking upper lip while keeping the size of your lips as it is. Dr Alex will look at the lines in movement and at rest to see what will help most.
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Treatment with Dr Alex, who trains doctors, dentists and nurses in medical aesthetics and has presented clinical education on toxin at national conferences.
Sound familiar?
Fine lines that draw your eye to your mouth
You might call them lip lines, lipstick lines or barcode lines. Here, the focus is the vertical wrinkles around your mouth.
They deepen when you purse your lips
You have never smoked
You want smoothing, not bigger lips
At a glance
The details before you book
This treatment targets muscle-related creasing around the lips.
What you can expect
A smoother look around your lips
Reducing the strength of the pursing movement can make the fine lines look less obvious.
You may notice the change most when talking or making expressions that used to gather the skin into deeper creases. Some lines visible at rest can soften too, although Botox won't resurface an etched line or replace lost support.
The amount of smoothing has to leave your mouth working comfortably. Dr Alex will discuss what is achievable without treating every last bit of movement as something to remove.
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Finding the right treatment
Are your lines mainly caused by movement?
Lip wrinkles can come from more than one change. Your treatment should address the part that is bothering you.
Deeper lines
When Botox alone is unlikely to be enough
A deeply etched lip line can remain even after the muscle relaxes. Laser resurfacing may be better for the skin's surface, while filler can help where support has been lost. You don't have to work out the right combination yourself.
How it works
Less pursing, less repeated creasing
The muscle around your mouth helps you close and purse your lips.
Botox reduces activity in the treated part of that muscle, so it folds the skin less strongly. This can soften movement-related wrinkles without putting volume into the area.
Because the same muscle helps with everyday tasks such as drinking and speaking, the aim is controlled softening. Completely stopping the movement would not be a good result.
Your appointment
Looking at the lines and how your lips move
You'll discuss the appearance you want to improve and any practical concerns about treatment around your mouth.
Tell Dr Alex what you notice
Compare movement with resting lines
Small injections around the lip area
Give the smoothing time to develop
Why SONÜ
Choose someone who treats more than the wrinkle
Dr Alex trains doctors, dentists and nurses in medical aesthetics and has presented toxin education at the British College of Aesthetic Medicine conference and Aesthetic Medicine North. He is an international Key Opinion Leader and Advocate for Evolus, a company supplying botulinum toxin treatments.
For lip lines, the choice between relaxing movement, restoring support and treating the skin's surface is especially useful. Dr Alex also performs filler and CO2 laser treatments, so the recommendation can follow the type of line you have.
Your lips still need to speak, sip and smile. The assessment takes those everyday movements into account alongside the wrinkles.
GMC-registered doctor · 7072776
Full Member of BCAM
International toxin trainer
Aesthetics Awards winner 2021
Safety
What can change after lip-line Botox?
Temporary changes in lip strength are the main area-specific risk to understand.
Possible side effects
Bruising, tenderness and small injection marks can occur. If the muscle relaxes more than intended, you may find drinking from a straw, sealing your lips, pronouncing certain sounds or smiling more difficult. Your smile can also look uneven.
These effects usually improve as the toxin wears off. Tell Dr Alex if your work or hobbies depend on precise lip control, such as singing or playing a wind instrument.
When to seek urgent help
Seek urgent medical help for difficulty swallowing or speaking, widespread weakness, or signs of a serious allergic reaction. Call 999 for breathing difficulty or swelling of the tongue or throat.
Who should wait or avoid treatment
An active cold sore or other infection in the area means treatment should wait. It is generally deferred during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Previous toxin reactions, nerve or muscle conditions, existing lip weakness and some medicines need individual assessment.
You can discuss the trade-offs before deciding whether to proceed.
Treatment pricing
Lip-line Botox costs
Botox for lip lines counts as one area and costs £200. Two areas cost £280, three £350 and four £430. Dr Alex will confirm your plan before treatment.
Your questions
Questions about Botox for lip lines
What it softens, what it doesn't, and how it differs from other lip treatments.
Does it work for smoker's lines?
Can I have lip lines if I have never smoked?
Will it make my lips bigger?
Is this the same as a lip flip?
Is Botox or filler better for upper lip lines?
Will it stop lipstick bleeding into the lines?
When will I see the result?
How long does lip-line Botox last?
Will I still be able to drink and speak normally?
Can I return to work afterwards?
Other approaches
Smoothing, support or more visible lip?
CO2 laser can treat etched lip lines, soft filler can restore support, and a lip flip can show more of the upper lip. Dr Alex can help you choose according to the change you want.
Your next step
A smoother-looking mouth, still your own
Bring your questions about those lines to SONÜ in Hale, Altrincham. Dr Alex will look at what happens when you speak and purse your lips, then explain whether Botox or another approach is likely to give the smoothing you're hoping for.
SONÜ Medical Aesthetics
34 Hale Road, Hale, Altrincham, WA14 2EX
Doctor-led treatment in a relaxed, private clinic
Close to Hale station and easy to reach from Altrincham, Manchester and Cheshire