Unilever scientist, David Gunn has revealed a new study showing that women with fuller, firmer lips are immediately viewed by others to be younger than they actually are. Gunn’s study reviewed photos of 102 pairs of Dutch female twins ages 59 to 81 years and 162 individual British white women ages 45 to 75 years to see if they could guess the ages of the participants. Their goal was to understand if there was one single feature that persuaded them to guess a younger age. Apparently, it’s all in the lips. “When we identified women who looked young for their age, we were struck by the difference in their lips,” said Gunn.
The study adds credibility to the fact that most women love the lips of actresses Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson, perhaps not just because they look beautiful, but also because they look youthful.
As we age, our lips become thinner and the upper lip begins to droop. Aging and gravity will have their way, pulling the sides of the lips down toward the chin to make the “marionette lines” so common in older women, making them appear to be in a perpetual frown. As this happens, the Cupid’s Bow flattens and the lip edge borders fade.
In my practice, I advise my patients to maintain a beautiful lip through the judicious application of JUVÉDERM® to plump the lips along with a tiny bit of BOTOX® Cosmetic around the lip sides to relax the lips for a smooth, pouty look. I can fill the vertical lip lines (sometimes called “smokers’ lines”) as well as making an outline around the lips and filling the columns above the lips to influence the formation of the Cupid’s Bow. You’ll be surprised how fast this takes place, how easy it is and how delighted you will be with the instant results. Give us a jingle and we can take care of this over lunch for you.
Although the saying still is: “beauty is skin deep”, it looks like “youth is lip deep”!
To your health & beauty,
Dr. Martin O’Toole