Smoker’s or straw lines: what are they and how to avoid them? A dermatologist answers: Femme Actuelle Le MAG

A natural sign of skin aging, wrinkles appear with age as the skin produces less collagen. This is a normal process, but it can be delayed by taking care of your skin. In particular, it is strongly recommended to protect your skin from the sun, by avoiding exposure to ultraviolet rays and by applying sunscreen daily. You must pay particular attention to your face, neck, neckline and hands, which are parts of the body that are very often exposed. On the face, expression lines appear first. They form on areas used by facial expressions, deepen and become deeper and deeper over the years. These include crow’s feet, frown lines, and even nasolabial folds.

Smoker’s lines: what are they and how do they appear?

But do you know smoker’s wrinkles, also called straw wrinkles? The dermatologist Dr. Mamina Turegano highlights them in one of his latest videos posted on TikTok. “Smoker’s wrinkles are definitely the bane of many people,” declares the doctor. These are wrinkles that are formed around the mouth at the level of the lips, because of their repeated contraction when you smoke, but also because cigarettes accelerate the breakdown of collagen by reducing its production, which causes wrinkles to appear. prematurely.

“It’s very common, and if you have it, you’re not necessarily a smoker.” However, Dr Mamina qualifies this. They also appear because of genetics, which “play an important role” she explains. But we also see them “in people who use straws all the time”, the contraction of the lips being similar to when smoking a cigarette.

How to avoid smoker’s lines?

“To treat them, obviously it is advisable to have a care routine that preserves your collagen.” She recommends assets like retinol. “I have to say that the skin around the mouth is a little more sensitive so not everyone tolerates the use of retinol, even when it is very gentle. But […] there are other ingredients that participate in the production of collagen such as peptides“, suggests the dermatologist. She also recommends hyaluronic acid which “helps hydrate and reduce the appearance of wrinkles but will not necessarily help build collagen.”

Dr Mamina discusses the application of sunscreen as well as the injection of botox if you wish to use aesthetic medicine. Microneedling is also a good solution to stimulate collagen as well as laser. Finally and above all, it is naturally advisable to have a healthy lifestyle, not to smoke and to avoid drinking through a straw on a daily basis.

But can smoker’s wrinkles or straw wrinkles really disappear? Yes, if they are not very pronounced. On the other hand, “If these wrinkles are very deep and have been present for years, generally it will be complicated and we cannot promise that they will disappear. counterbalances the skin specialist.

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