Did you know that a thin vermilion is one of the first signs of ageing? Vermilion refers to the area between your lip and adjacent skin. It essentially refers to the red, fleshy part of your lip. With age, we tend to lose a large amount of volume in our lips, which leads to the development of; lines, wrinkles, and skin dryness. Furthermore, these symptoms can start to appear as soon as you reach your late twenties.
The Effects of Thin Vermilion on Facial Aesthetic
Having a thin vermilion is natural and perfectly normal as long as it doesn’t bother you aesthetically. Some people have a naturally thin vermillion while for others, it is one of the first signs of ageing. If you observe your lips closely and compare them to your older pics, you will observe that they lose their shape and volume with age due to collagen loss.
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What Causes Thin Vermilion?
Below is a list of a few major causes of thin vermilion.
Decrease in the Production of Collagen
- One of the most common causes of thin vermillion and overall lip thinning is a decrease in the production of collagen.
- Collagen essentially makes our skin elastic which in turn helps give support to our lips.
- With age, collagen in our body naturally starts to deteriorate and we end up with thinner lips, as well as, an increase in lines, and wrinkles.
Sun Exposure
- While getting some sun daily is great for your overall health. Too much of anything is not good and unprotected sun exposure will always harm you.
- That is why skincare experts stress the importance of wearing sunblock.
- While most of us are diligent about putting on sunblock on our skin, we often tend to forget our lips.
- It is important to choose a lip balm that comes with an SPF and apply it prior to stepping out in the suns harmful rays.
- Make sure to reapply it throughout the day.
B Vitamins Deficiency
- With hectic lifestyles and busy schedules, we rarely pay attention to what we put in our mouths.
- Often our diets lack a lot of important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
- Vitamin B12 plays a key role in how your skin, nails, and hair look.
- If you lack B vitamins in your diet, your skin will begin to lose collagen and become thinner.
- This is one of the most important reasons behind thin lips.
Genetics
- Sometimes, your thin lips are a result of your genetics.
- Some of us are born with naturally fuller lips while others have thin lips. If that’s the case, there isn’t much you can do to prevent thinning of lips.
Lifestyle Choices
- Certain factors will accelerate the process of aging and lead to thin lips.
- Smoking, drinking with a straw, and biting of lips will accelerate the process of lip aging.
- Take special care of yourself.
We all know that our lips don’t have any sweat glands. Sweat helps to keep our skin hydrated. That is why lips are often the driest part of our body and face. It is important to keep them moisturized by drinking a lot of water and using high-quality lip balms and creams.
Actinic Cheilitis
- Actinic cheilitis is a lip condition that is caused by damage to the epithelium of the lip.
- It will increase your risk of having skin cancer but it isn’t a serious health condition.
- In most cases, it affects the lower lip but can sometimes reach your upper lip too.
Prevention of Thin Vermillion
Here are a few steps you can take to prevent thinning vermillion (although, it isn’t always easy or possible)
1. Keep Yourself Hydrated
- Dehydration and drinking caffeine can lead to a lot of stress on your skin and leads to a faster breakdown of collagen.
- Make sure to;
- Keep yourself hydrated
- Drink loads of water
- Limit your caffeine intake
- Incorporate a lot of fruits and vegetables into your diet.
2. Stay Clear of Harmful Habits
- Excessive exposure to the sun, biting your lips, and drinking from a straw will contribute to the breakdown of collagen and make your lips age faster.
- It is also important to take special care of your teeth. As your teeth wear down, your lips will tend to sink more and more inside the oral cavity which is one of the prime causes of thin vermillion and lips.
3. Increase Your Protein and Vitamin C Intake
- It is important to ensure that you are consuming enough protein in your diet.
- Make sure to add foods that are rich in vitamin C as it is essential for collagen production.
- Chicken, fish, beans, and nuts are amazing protein choices.
- Lemon, oranges, and strawberries are great sources of vitamin C.
4. Keep Your Lips Hydrated
- Unfavorable weather conditions, lack of water, and natural aging can dry out our lips.
- Make sure to get your hands on good quality lip balms and ointments.
- You can go as natural as applying coconut oil and almond oil directly to your lips or buy a quality lip balm.
- Whatever your choice is, make sure to keep them moisturized.
Treating Thin Vermilion – Most Popular Treatment Choices
While a thin vermilion isn’t going to do you any harm, but it does affect your aesthetics. Luckily, there are treatments that fix this cosmetic concern for you. Here are the most popular treatment options:
Lip Fillers
Lip fillers are hands down the most popular choice of treatment when it comes to eliminating thin vermilion. There are all different kinds of fillers available in the market. Some of the popular choices include; Voluma, Perlane, Juvederm, and Restylane.
The injector will assess your lips and vermilion closely to determine the best treatment option for your lips. Your injector will take pictures to show you the difference before and after treatment. The procedure will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes and you will be able to go home immediately afterwards.
Results of the treatment last for between 6 to 18 months depending on the patient as well as, the type of filler the injector uses. After that, if you want to maintain the result you will have to undergo repeat treatments.
Steps of getting filler;
- Firstly, the skin and lips will be thoroughly cleaned to remove any traces of dirt and makeup.
- Secondly, the injector will most likely apply a topical anesthetic to your lips to numb the area and make it more comfortable.
- Then, they will use a thin injector to inject lip filler into certain parts of the lips. In most cases, the amount of filler your injector will use is approximately 1 millimeter.
- Once complete they will clean your lips and apply a cold compress to your lips.
Fat Grafting to the Lip (Autologous Lip Augmentation)
The fat grafting procedure involves the use of a person’s own fat and transferring it to the lips. Autologous fat augmentation is hands down one of the best alternatives to lip fillers. It is definitely a more natural approach which means fewer chances of complications and reactions.
The fat used for the lips is typically extracted from the abdominal region, is purified, and then transferred to your lips. The procedure is done under local anesthesia and you will be able to go home on the same day. The results will typically last for 5 years for most patients.
- The surgeon will clean the treatment site (lips and the region where fat is harvested from).
- After that, they will extract the fat from the donor site (abdominal region in most cases).
- The extracted fat will be purified prior to injecting it unto your lips.
- The purified fat is transferred to your lips with the injectables.
How to Choose the Right Option to Fix Thin Vermilion?
Well, you cannot choose something randomly from the list and expect it to work out for you, every individual is different. As a result, the same procedure will not work out for all of us. The right way to go about it is to book a consultation with an expert.
A plastic surgeon will overview your condition, listen to your goals, give their input, and present you with what they believe is the right option. The in-person consultation gives you a chance to ask all the questions and clarify any confusion. If the consultation goes well, you can schedule in for treatment.
The choice eventually comes down to the budget, your treatment goals, risks and longevity of the results. Some people are super comfortable getting touch-ups every few months while others don’t want to deal with the touch-ups and are hoping for a long-lasting solution.
Some of these treatments are more expensive than others. Similarly, certain treatments will carry higher risks than others. The decision can be made by you and your service provider after analyzing all these factors.
If you have any further questions regarding the subject or wish to book a consultation with an experienced injector, please call the Coco Ruby team.
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