If our eyes are the windows to our soul, it is our lips that tell our story. We kiss our loved ones with our lips. We smile, we frown, and we show every other emotion in between, with our lips. For some of us, we carry makeup bags full of lip-glosses, lipsticks, and various other makeup products to dress up our lips. For others, we follow people and trends on Instagram featuring various lip products and aesthetics. (Check out the over 31 million posts on Instagram under #lips for some inspiration). Others have Pinterest pages dedicated to all things lips. When it comes to advancing the health and beauty of this area, there are now more options than ever.

When thinking about your own lips and that area, it helps to have some basic lip anatomy knowledge to know what you want to enhance and why lips may change as we mature. Lips are made up of muscles and many nerves. It is not very different than other parts of our face in that lips can lose volume and firmness as we age. This can affect the size and shape of the Cupid’s bow (the peaks of the upper lips) as well as the sides of our smile where some experience more pronounced nasolabial folds (or the on-set of deeper “parenthesis” lines over time). Another change some notice is in the vermillion border around the lips – it gets lighter or becomes less noticeable due to vertical lining around the lips and fading from photo damage.

Finally, of the most importance is the overall health of lips. A yearly Total Body Skin Exam will include a look at your lips to look for changes or abnormalities that could become skin cancer and lead to early diagnosis and treatment. Mandy Brown, RN, of Vanguard Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics cautions her patients, “Don’t forget sunscreen on your lips – it is your most delicate tissue and shows damage in a variety of ways; volume loss, hyperpigmentation, and lines and wrinkles.” Happy lips are healthy lips!

Fillers can make a difference in the right hands. An experienced injector will consult with you and share the risks and benefits prior to treatment. The consultation prior to treatment is key. It also helps to read reviews and take a look at some before and after pictures. When discussing what the outcome of good filler should be, Mandy says friends and family should be full of compliments on how you look, not on the filler itself. Natural, beautiful lips that look there best should be the goal. Providers that enjoy creating changes through filler are important to look for too. Mandy is one such injector. “I love filler in the lips to help reverse the maturing process. After possible bruising and swelling, your lips are left natural, refreshed, and youthful.” For more insight on what to expect, if filler is something you are considering, this article on Spotlyte may be useful.

Lip products that treat your lips are another good approach. Products such as Rejuva Lip, found at clara at Vanguard Skin Specialists location in North Colorado Springs and online at ShopClara.com, are another way to add treatment and protection with SPF for daytime and nighttime plumping and conditioning. Look for an SPF 30 or higher and ingredients that stimulate collagen production. Makeup tricks can be an easy way to highlight your lips.

There are many ways to bring out the best for each of our own unique lips. Knowing more about the special care that benefit lips will keep them healthy for years to come. There are also aesthetic treatments to enhance natural lips or to correct things like asymmetry. Of course, tips and tricks with makeup can make a difference too! A combination of caring for the health of lips and the lip area, while bringing in some treatment and products, is a good way to approach the overall look and feel of having a pretty pout. Most of all, having a reason to smile is the best advice for beauty inside and out.