I am finally able to share something with Kate Moss. Unfortunately, not Kate Moss’s supermodel look, bank balance, or Cotswolds pile.
At 48 she was my age, and at 64 I’m 16 years older. As part of the aging process, these lines can develop into horrible vertical lines. They are also known as “lipstick lines” and can be seen most prominently on the top lip. However, they may develop below the lower lips, depending on whether you smoke, such as Kate. They are technically called “perioral” lines.
It doesn’t matter which name you use, this is shorthand for the ghastly grooves we get as our years go by and become more painful.
Although smokers may get the lines early, they are not permanent. They develop just from talking, laughing, living and — worst of all — sunbathing.
Mine first started to bother me five years ago, the result of growing up in Australia in the days before sun damage was truly understood — and a casual smoking habit.
Collagen, which is the protein that helps keep our skin plump and elastic as we age, starts to diminish with each passing year. It starts to decrease at the age of 30, which is depressing. It’s rare to find any remaining after 50.
Amanda is pictured below, right before and after her treatment. She asked Lee Garrett, her nurse practitioner, how she could get rid of her ‘barcodes’ on her skin. He suggested an Upper Lip Renewal Treatment, which would help to reduce the lines.
At a 60th-birthday celebration for friends, I was struck by this “barcode lip” condition. A group of lovely women sat around the table, all having taken care of themselves well over the years. Yet they had fallen prey to the barcode lips.
The majority of the participants had never smoked before, while a few others had too much sun. Naturally the topic was brought up to ask: “What can we do about those crinkled lips?”
You can have the freshly dyed, bouncily blow-dried hair, designer dresses and a honed and toned body from all those gym and Pilates sessions — but lipstick lines will date you like a shaggy perm and frosted lipstick.
At 64 years old, on a mission against the barcode I called Lee Garrett to ask what I could.
My readers might know I don’t mind cosmetic changes that reduce the ageing process.
Lee and I have been together for over 20 years. This is more than any other boyfriend. He knows how to adjust my skin and is a great friend. He is a gentle sculptor and a physician who believes that less is better.
Never have I had a facelift. Knives are not something I would consider. For dermal fillers and baby Botox I am okay with needles. I know this because I have used them.
Every six months, over the past two decades, I’ve had ‘something done’ on my face— and I’ve always been honest about it. My smooth skin is not due to any fibbing or attributed to two litres of fluid daily and plenty of sleep, just as many others.
Jennifer Aniston favoured the “Vampire” facial, which involves suckling your blood and extracting the goodness to be injected back into your skin. Then there was the ‘Smurf’ blue chemical peel that made my skin fall off and had children fleeing in horror in M&S when they saw me.
Since I had my first procedure in my 40s when cosmetic procedures were not yet common, I am considered a pioneer in this field.
Lee said that he could not completely eliminate my barcodes (which would have been a miracle), but that he could reduce them with the Upper Lip Rejuvenation Therapy. I was booked.
Amanda was treated with a topical numbing cream. After measuring her face, Lee applied tiny injectables to her cheeks, marionette and nasolabial lines. Filler was injected upwards to correct the lines of lipstick.
Although the treatment itself isn’t novel, Lee customizes it to ensure that each person receives the right injection. He says it’s one his most popular procedures. Recently, he said that he was able to do nothing except lip-smoothing.
It took about half an hour for him to put a numbing lotion on my face. Then he measured my face with a calliper — a bit like an old-fashioned geometry compass — to find the sweet spot on my cheeks where he injected Belotero (a dermal filler with a hyaluronic base) to replace lost collagen.
While it might sound odd to include cheek filler in a lip procedure, Lee explained that the fullness of our cheeks is part of the scaffolding. Therefore, lifting them up will produce a better result.
He drew lines on my face with a white crayon, first from halfway down from the sides of my nose to my lips — where the nasolabial folds are — or ‘grumpy lines,’ as I call them. Next, he drew lines around the marionette lines. These are the ones that run from my bottom corner to my chin. As we age our lips become a little swollen and look sad.
My barcode upper lips were easy to identify with a pencil. After a drought, the skin on my upper lip was cracked and dry.
Lee gave me several small injections with the same filler. The first was in my cheeks. After that, I used the same injector to treat the nasolabial lines and marionette lines. This helped smoothen the lines around my mouth before I tackled the barcode. The lipstick lines were treated individually by injecting a little filler in an upwards direction — the ‘blanching’ technique.
I felt nothing after 45 minutes. I put on lipstick and took a slap before going out to lunch.
Amanda claimed that Kate Moss also had identical barcode lines, which can be caused when she smokes.
It was a relief to find that there wasn’t any unsightly swelling, or redness as I was expecting.
Next day, I was able to show one small bruise that measured half of a pinhead.
The difference was evident within just a few days. I was not injected with any of the ingredients. There were no celebrities using derma lips fillers or industrial amounts of collagen. The result can be seen on Reality TV, such as Love Island.
My friends have complimented me on how my skin looks and feel over the last fortnight. One of my friends even tried to check if the fillings had been removed. She was also satisfied.
The injections were not painful, but some people may feel a little uncomfortable about paying for them. The treatment starts at £900, the worse your lines — the more filler you’ll need.
And the treatment will need topping up in three months time a further £555.
Although it seems expensive during these cost-of living crises, it turned out to be much less than the amount I could spend on clothes I don’t wear and overseas trips I don’t wish to take. I also saved money on Deliveroos because I couldn’t cook.
With the cosmetic industry in the UK currently worth £3.6 billion, I know I am not alone in trying to hold back the years.
While I admire women who age gracefully, I am not among them.
- Lee Garrett is a prescribing nurse practitioner at Cosmetic Skin Clinic (cosmeticskinclinic.com).
Needlephobic? Try these facial exercises instead
By Luke Bajjon, master trainer at London’s FaceGym, the workout studio for your face.
We all train our muscles, so why not do the same for the 40+ muscles on our faces?
There’s nothing wrong with fillers or Botox but facial exercises can bring similar results — and help you age gracefully — without the need for needles.
I have clients who come to my class as a last resort before tweakments — and often cancel their appointments because the exercises are so effective.
You can’t change the appearance of your face like plastic surgery. You can however strengthen your facial muscles just like you could if you desired toned biceps. The muscles are the scaffolding of the face — the skin is attached to them so if the muscle is firmer, then the skin will be tighter too.
Our facial muscles can also be tension, which reduces blood flow and increases collagen production.
Facial massage and exercise can be used to tone, lift, contour, and shape the face. This will prevent skin from becoming sallow and prevent fine lines and wrinkles from appearing.
These products can be used to soften lines and loosen skin.
Although we see results immediately, the best results are often seen after 7 days. This is similar to Botox and filler. However, it is important to continue doing the exercises each day in order to keep this effect going.
To ensure a smooth glide and slip, you can practice these movements at home by applying moisturiser to your face.
Begin with 5 to 8 reps for each exercise. These exercises can be done in the morning or evening with your skin care routine. You may even end up cancelling the tweakment.
CHEEK HOOOK
As shown in the above picture, point your index finger to make a hook. This should be placed at the bottom of your cheekbone. Next, move the hook upwards using a moderate pressure. Use a steady lifting motion. You’ll notice visibly lifted cheeks and more defined skin.
BUNNY JAW
You can make a peace gesture and curl your fingers to form two ‘bunnyhooks’. Refer to the second image. The first hook is under the chin. The second one should be on top. You can lift your hooks in an upwards movement by using medium pressure.
CATERPILLAR FINGER
Put your fingers on the nasolabial lines (the lines from the nose to the edges of your mouth). See the third image. In a glide-and-lift motion, lift each muscle finger one after another. This is what I refer to as one caterpillar finger. You want your fingers to move constantly and not let the muscles fall.
THE LIP PLUMPER
Press your thumb and index fingers together to form a smile line. Do this by pressing and lifting upwards. You will increase blood circulation, stimulate collagen production, and plump fine lines such as barcode lips.
Ciara Dossett, as told
