How Can I Fix Thin Downturned Lips?

Author

Dr. Stephen Cosentino

Everyone has a slightly different lip shape. It’s part of what makes us unique.

Some people have round full lips, others have curvy Cupid’s bow lips, still others have uneven lips where the lower or upper lip is fuller than the other.

And still others have naturally small lips — or lips thinning with age — combined with naturally turned-down corners of the mouth. If you’re ready for a new look, read on to learn about your options for making your lips look larger and more inviting.

How to Fix Thin Downturned Lips — Your Options

The combination of thin lips and turned-down outer corners of the mouth becomes more common with age. It’s one of many “side effects” of aging.

Fortunately, it’s easy to fix, at least temporarily. Here’s what you can do.

Apply Lipstick Strategically

You don’t have to be a professional makeup artist to create the illusion of full, round lips.

When applying lipstick or lip color, make sure you cover the entire surface of your lip — except for the very corners of your mouth.

This creates a vertical effect that masks the downward turning of your lip corners. Just make sure the edges are symmetrical — otherwise, your bottom lip and top lip will appear uneven.

Try Lip Yoga (Seriously)

Some repetitive movements are actively harmful for your lips, like smoking and drinking through straws.

Others are actively good for your lips. Like face and lip yoga, a silly-sounding but very real set of exercises that can improve lip definition, sharpen your natural lip line, and enhance lip volume without any medication or other intervention.

Apply Topical Lip Plumpers (Carefully)

Just as there are good and bad lip movements, there are good and bad topical lip plumpers.

You definitely want to steer clear of hyaluron pens and lip suction devices. Hyaluron pens deliver uneven amounts of hyaluronic acid (HA), causing beading and other undesirable visual effects, while lip suction devices can cause bruising and potentially more serious lip damage.

Less invasive lip plumpers can be beneficial, however. Plumping lip liners that evenly apply hyaluronic acid mimic the results of hyaluron pens without the risks — though you’ll need to apply at least once per day for several weeks to get the results you seek.

Use Hyaluronic Acid Fillers to Add Volume

Almost all the top dermal filler brands for lip plumping have something in common: They contain hyaluronic acid, a naturally occuring substance that safely and temporarily adds volume when injected beneath the skin.

Though HA filler injections are minimally invasive and easy to reverse, they’re not without risk. Always work with a competent provider who has completed advanced lip filler training — don’t try to inject fillers yourself.

Opt for a Botox® Flip

Not ready for fillers? Try a Botox flip instead.

This injectable alternative delivers small amounts of Botox to your upper lip, encouraging it to “flip” upward and fill out. This procedure has the added benefit of smoothing the fine lines between your lip and nose.

Best of all, it’s a simple in-office procedure with minimal recovery time, just like HA filler injections.

Make Your Lip Makeover Plan

You don’t have to commit to just one of these options to fix thin downturned lips.

Your lip makeover plan might start with a low-intervention choice like strategic lipstick or lip yoga. Then, if you’re not seeing the results you want, you can progress to topical lip plumpers and finally fillers or Botox.

The choice is yours. Whatever you decide, fixing your thin downturned lips is within reach.