Lip Lines: Causes, Prevention and Gentle Lip Exercises

Lip lines are the fine vertical lines that form on and just above the lips, and they come mainly from sun damage, smoking, natural aging of the skin and, likely, years of repeated pursing. The habits that help most are daily sun protection for your lips, not smoking, keeping the area moisturised and, if you like, a carefully used retinoid around (not on) the lips. Lip exercises can’t make lip lines go away, but gentle, relaxed moves may help you notice and release tension around your mouth. Below you’ll find the causes, the habits that deepen them, skincare, three gentle exercises and the professional options.

What causes lip lines

Lip lines form when the thin skin around your mouth loses firmness and is folded the same way for years. Several things add up:

• Repeated movement. The orbicularis oris is the muscle that surrounds your mouth within both lips. It closes, purses and pushes your lips forward (StatPearls: orbicularis oris). When you purse, the skin above the lip folds into small vertical pleats.
• Sun exposure. Ultraviolet light breaks down the fibres that keep skin firm. The lips and upper lip are often missed with sunscreen.
• Smoking. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) notes that smoking greatly speeds up how quickly skin ages and causes wrinkles (AAD).
• Collagen loss with age. Skin gradually makes less collagen and becomes thinner and drier over time, so lines that once showed only when you moved start to show at rest (Cleveland Clinic).
• Dryness. Dry skin makes fine lines look more noticeable.

Lip lines differ from smile lines, which run from nose to mouth corners, and marionette lines, which run from the mouth corners toward the chin.

Habits that deepen lip lines

The habits that matter most combine sun or smoke damage with repeated pursing. Small changes are enough.

• Smoking. The smoke speeds up skin aging, and drawing on a cigarette purses the lips over and over. If you smoke, stopping is one of the most meaningful things you can do for your skin.
• Straws. The AAD advises avoiding repetitive facial movements such as squinting, frowning, or holding a straw or cigarette in your mouth, which can cause wrinkles over time (AAD). Direct research on straws alone is limited, so treat this as a sensible precaution. Sipping from the rim is an easy swap.
• Pursing when you concentrate. Many people press or purse their lips while reading, typing or thinking. The lip release below gives you a relaxed position to come back to.
• Licking your lips. It feels soothing, but the AAD notes that licking dry lips can make the dryness worse (AAD).

Why a hard pursing exercise is a bad idea

Some lip exercises online ask you to pucker hard into a “kiss” and hold it, or pulse a tight pout. That is exactly the movement that creases the skin above your lip, so you don’t need to practise it. The exercises below avoid strong pursing, the same approach as in our complete guide to face yoga.

Skincare for the lip area

Skincare can’t undo existing lip lines, but it protects the skin from further damage and helps fine lines look softer.

Use an SPF lip balm every day

The AAD recommends protecting your lips with a lip balm or lipstick that contains sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, and reapplying it when you’re outdoors (AAD). In an Australian randomised trial, adults who used sunscreen daily showed no detectable increase in skin aging over four and a half years (measured on the backs of the hands), unlike those using it as they pleased (Hughes et al., 2013).

Moisturise, and seal it in at night

Moisturise the skin around your mouth morning and night and use lip balm through the day. At night, a thicker, occlusive balm on the lips helps hold moisture in. The AAD suggests fragrance-free products and avoiding ingredients that can irritate the lips, such as camphor. Our morning skincare routine and night routine show where these steps fit.

Use a retinoid around, not on, the lips

Retinoids are the vitamin A ingredients with the most research behind them for aging skin, including fine wrinkles (Mukherjee et al., 2006). The AAD suggests starting slowly with a gentle formula at night, every other night at first, and wearing sun protection by day (AAD). Around the mouth, take extra care:

• Use a small amount on the skin above the lip, never on the lips themselves or in the corners of the mouth, where product collects and irritates.
• Apply lip balm first as a buffer if your skin is sensitive.
• Stop and ask a pharmacist or dermatologist if your lips crack, sting or peel.

The AAD advises against retinoids during pregnancy. For a full routine, see our guide to skincare for aging skin, or follow Gluvy’s skincare lessons, which include a lesson on how to use retinol step by step.

Lip exercises to try

These three lip exercises are about relaxation and smooth control, not strength. Sit tall, relax your shoulders and move slowly.

1. Lip release (about 30 seconds)

1. Close your lips softly, teeth slightly apart, tongue resting on the roof of your mouth.
2. Breathe in through your nose. As you breathe out, let your lips go soft and slightly part.
3. Close them softly again and repeat for about five slow breaths.

Common mistake: pressing the lips together. They should just touch.

2. Cheek-supported smile (about 30 seconds)

1. Rest your fingertips on your cheeks beside the corners of your mouth.
2. Smile slowly with your lips closed, letting the corners rise toward your fingertips, which keep the skin smooth.
3. Hold for about 3 to 5 seconds, release slowly and repeat about five times.

Common mistake: a wide, forced grin that tenses the jaw and neck.

3. Gentle lip-line press (about 30 seconds)

1. Rest your index fingertips flat on the skin just above your upper lip, one on each side.
2. Let your lips make a small, slow “oo” shape, about a quarter of a full pucker, while your fingertips keep the skin smooth.
3. Hold for a breath, release, and repeat about five times.

Common mistake: puckering hard. If you see deep pleats under your fingers, you’re doing too much.

Safety: stop any move that causes pain, and skip these exercises if you have cold sores, broken skin on or around the lips, or a jaw condition. After recent injectables, fillers or facial surgery, check with your clinician first. To follow along on video instead, add a guided lip routine to your mornings with Gluvy.

Lip area massage

A gentle massage is a calm way to finish and to work in your moisturiser or balm.

1. Fingertip circles. With your middle fingertips, make small, slow circles along the skin above your upper lip, from the centre out, then below the lower lip. About 20 seconds.
2. Lip-line smoothing. Place your index fingers in the centre above your upper lip and glide them outward along the lip border toward the corners of your mouth. Repeat about five times, then below the lower lip.

Keep the pressure light: the skin here is thin. For more hands-only moves, see our guide to facial massage techniques.

What lip exercises can and cannot do

There is no evidence that lip exercises make lip lines go away or fill them in. They come mostly from sun damage, smoking and aging skin, which exercise doesn’t reverse.

What a routine may realistically offer:

• Awareness. A relaxed lip posture helps you catch yourself pursing during the day.
• Relaxation. Soft moves and massage may ease tension around the mouth and jaw; see how to relax your face muscles.
• A pleasant habit. A few minutes alongside your skincare, which does most of the protecting.

Research on facial exercise is small. In the best-known study, a 2018 pilot in JAMA Dermatology, 27 women aged 40 to 65 enrolled and 16 completed 30 minutes a day for 8 weeks, then every other day to week 20 (Alam et al., 2018). Dermatologists rating standardised photos saw fuller upper and lower cheeks, and the average estimated age fell from 50.8 to 48.1 years. It had no control group and didn’t measure lip lines, so larger controlled studies are needed. See whether face yoga works.

Professional options for lip lines

Treatments for lip lines are carried out by licensed clinicians such as dermatologists. Whether any option suits you is a conversation for a qualified professional.

• Botulinum toxin injections. A prescription treatment that relaxes the treated muscles for a period of time (AAD).
• Dermal fillers. Injectable gels placed under the skin to add volume.
• Resurfacing. Laser treatments and chemical peels that act on the surface and texture of sun-damaged skin (AAD).
• Prescription retinoids. Stronger retinoids prescribed by a dermatologist.

Each has its own risks, costs and recovery. Exercise and these treatments are different things, not substitutes.

Care for your lip area with Gluvy

Gluvy’s face yoga video workouts include a lips and mouth plan with follow-along videos and a timer on every step, as part of 3-week plans of 5–10 minutes a day. The Lip Revitalizing Morning Routine course gives you a short guided routine for the area, and morning reminders help you keep the habit. For the folds beside your mouth, try our facial exercises for smile lines, or browse every area in our face exercises hub.

Sources

• StatPearls. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Orbicularis Oris Muscle. NCBI Bookshelf.
• American Academy of Dermatology. 11 ways to reduce premature skin aging.
• American Academy of Dermatology. How to prevent premature skin aging.
• American Academy of Dermatology. 7 dermatologists’ tips for healing dry, chapped lips.
• American Academy of Dermatology. How to apply sunscreen.
• American Academy of Dermatology. Retinoid or retinol?
• American Academy of Dermatology. Botulinum toxin overview.
• American Academy of Dermatology. Wrinkles from sun damage can be treated.
• Cleveland Clinic. Wrinkles.
• Hughes MCB, Williams GM, Baker P, Green AC. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2013.
• Mukherjee S, et al. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2006.
• Alam M, et al. Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging. JAMA Dermatology, 2018.