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The Myth of Smoker’s Lines

It’s time to address the pervasive myth that wrinkles of the upper lip are “smoker’s lines”. That simply is no longer true, yet this fallacy has been persistent in our national lexicon for decades.

While it is accurate that cigarette smoke has a toxic effect on collagen (along with virtually every other part of the human body), what isn’t true is that it is the primary cause of wrinkles around the mouth (also called perioral wrinkles). Smoking cigarettes certainly won’t help with your skin quality or propensity for wrinkles, but other more dastardly forces are at work.

Sun exposure, environmental factors, genetics, and simply the effects of age and time are more than enough to coax a few wrinkles onto the skin around the mouth (perioral wrinkles). Some of these factors can be mitigated by top notch daily skin care and sun protection, but you are stuck with your age and genetics. Those simply can’t be conquered (at least not yet).

At Skincare Physicians, we regularly see patients who have perioral wrinkles but never smoked, and it got us thinking…were perioral wrinkles ever really from smoking? Has the recent absence of pervasive smoking revealed perioral wrinkles to simply be related to other factors, with smoking as a convenient but inaccurate scapegoat?

Well over 90% of the female patients we see beyond the age of 60 have some form of perioral wrinkles. They are everywhere! Interestingly, men tend not to develop these wrinkles, which may have something to do with hair follicle size and the beneficial effects of repeated shaving (although the data on this is murky). With recent trends toward enhanced sun protection and early skin care intervention such as Botox, fillers, microneedling, and improved topical serums and creams, future generations of women might be able to escape the wrath of perioral wrinkles. Time will tell, but for now it’s time to change the conversation about perioral wrinkles. Smoker’s lines are a thing of the past!

Leave your suggestions for an updated 21st century moniker in the comment section below. Or vote for your favorite 21st century moniker:

• 1. Life Lines
• 2. Time Lines
• 3. Pucker Lines
• 4. Shh! Lines
• 5. Kiss Lines

2 Responses to The Myth of Smoker’s Lines

• Suzanne says:

  June 23, 2024 at 2:51 pm

  Pucker Lines

  Reply
• Chris says:

  June 19, 2024 at 10:44 am

  1. Kiss Lines

  Reply