This refers to the area around the mouth including the lips themselves and is one of the most poorly injected areas, with images of horrendously over-filled “duck lips”, “trout pouts” and the like. But when this area is properly rejuvenated, the results should actually be subtle and refined. Here I will explain the anatomy, what goes wrong and what I personally recommend as treatment options with Botox and dermal fillers in my doctor- led Aesthetics clinic in Tarporley.

Why do we age around the mouth?

As we get older, UV exposure, repeating movement around the lips including smoking and pouting (!) all contribute to loss of collagen and elasticity of the skin which becomes less plump and there shows the muscle (obicularis oris) underneath - hence lines become visible on animation, or even at rest.

Lip volume also gets less with age, leading to thin lips and the borders of the lips are lost and may start to turn inwards. There may be loss of the ideal shape such as the cupids bow, and the corners of the mouth droop down due to loss of support in the marionette area, giving a more negative appearance.

So how do we avoid “trout pout?”

My opinion on this unfortunate side effect is there are 3 contributing factors to this.

1) A poor quality product that swells too much.

2) Put in the wrong place / incorrect tissue plane;

3) With TOO MUCH injected in many cases.

I highly recommend patients do some research on their practitioner before signing up to treatment. I have written a helpful guide here to aid that process!

So what is the approach at Skinphinity?

I take a holistic view, and what I mean by that is that there is NOT a one size fits all.

For example - one patient might present with very fine lines when she talks, but very little other age related changes around the mouth. A little Botox here may be enough - safe, effective, no down time, no swelling.

On the other hand, another patient may present with deep furrows even at rest, with thin lips which have lost the shape and border- in which case a combination of dermal filler into the pink of the lip, a little shaping in the cubids bow, some support in the marionnette, and then some mesotherapy such as Teosyal Redensity 1, or NCTF by Fillmed which helps to hydrate and plump the skin without causing water retention and swelling with added vitamins.

You can see this is far from the approach of sticking filler in anyone’s lips regardless of what the presentation is, which is what I seem to be seeing on several social media accounts.

Can I research the products you recommend for this area?

Of course!

Treatments I may offer includes Botox, Teosyal RHA 2,RHA 3, or Redensity 1, Fillmed fine lines and Fillmed NCTF.

Conclusion

As you can see this is a delicate area which requires a multi-modal approach in some patients, but it should not be overlooked due to fear of having big out of proportion lips - often improving and lifting the midface and smoothing the skin with Botox will looks less balanced if the peri-oral area is not dealt with correctly.

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About Skinphinity

Skinphinity is a cosmetic practice in Tarporley, run by the cosmetic GP, Dr Adam Cheong. Dr Adam is a qualified GP, GMC registered doctor and specialist in non-surgical facial aesthetics. He is passionate about natural-looking enhancements and works hard to give the industry a good name, built on ethical, qualified and honest practices. 

Skinphinity provides a range of non-surgical aesthetic treatments for patients in Tarporley, Chester, Northwich, Hartford, Hale, Manchester and across Cheshire.