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Laugh lines, sometimes called smile lines, are wrinkles or creases in the skin of a person’s face that appear around the outer corners of the mouth and eyes. Various exercises may help a person to reduce laugh lines.
The lines are most visible when a person smiles or laughs which is where the name comes from. Laugh lines are most commonly caused by the repetition of facial movements, including frowning, smiling, laughing, and any other facial expression.
Other potential causes include sun exposure, aging, genetics, or smoking tobacco.
Fast facts on laugh lines:
- The appearance of laugh lines may seem inevitable, but there are steps a person can take to potentially prevent, delay, or reduce them.
- Some simple exercises may help reduce the appearance of laugh lines.
- There are many potential natural remedies for laugh lines.
There are exercises that may help someone reduce laugh lines around the corners of the mouth. These exercises target muscles that may help tighten the skin of the face.
Exercise 1
A person has muscles on the face that are almost never worked out. The muscle targeted in the first exercise is one of them. Used to control puckering and help close the mouth, the orbicularis oris muscles are important in helping prevent and reduce the appearance of laugh lines.
To target these muscles:
- Hook the corners of the mouth with the index fingers.
- Pull out about a quarter inch from the resting position.
- Apply resistance with the fingers and use the mouth muscles to tighten the corners of the mouth towards each other.
- Hold the position for about 5-10 seconds.
- Relax the muscles and then repeat.
- Aim for 10-25 reps.
Exercise 2
The muscles in the cheek play an important role in lifting the skin and tightening it up. Strengthening the cheek muscles may help to reduce laugh lines. To strengthen the cheek muscles:
- Use the tips of the index fingers to apply pressure to the laugh lines around the mouth.
- With pressure applied, smile with the lips separated, as wide as possible.
- Hold the smile for about 5-10 seconds.
- Relax and repeat.
- Aim for 15-30 reps.
Exercise 3
Smiling can help to strengthen the muscles in the face. Someone who wants to reduce laugh lines can try the following:
- With lips partially separated, pull the corners of the mouth back toward the face.
- Pull back, as far as possible, while keeping the lips parallel.
- Hold for about 10 seconds.
- Relax and repeat.
- Try to do 10-25 reps.
Exercise 4
A big, full smile can also help strengthen the muscles around the mouth and tighten laugh lines. To work out the muscles around the mouth, a person can try the following:
- Keep the teeth closed and start to smile.
- Smile, as fully as possible.
- Hold for about 10 seconds.
- Relax and repeat.
- Try to do it for 10-20 reps.
There are some muscles that, when tightened through exercise, may help prevent laugh lines around the eyes. To exercise the muscles around the eyes:
- Place the thumbs by the outer corners of the eyes.
- Place the fingers on top of the head.
- Close the eyes and squeeze tight.
- With squeezed eyes, pull the outer corners of the eyes away from each other and slightly up.
- Hold for about 5-10 seconds.
- Relax and repeat.
- Aim for about 10-25 reps.
There are many potential remedies for laugh lines. How effective they are depends on the individual. A person may need to try more than one option before finding one that works for them.
Some natural remedies to try include:
- rubbing oil, such as coconut oil, on the lines
- natural, preferably overnight, moisturizers
- rubbing lemon juice directly on the lines, being careful to avoid the eye area
- drinking plenty of water
Coconut oil is available for purchase online.
For some, medical solutions may be the answer to their lingering laugh lines. These include:
Botox
Botox is not necessarily the first approach many people want to take. It involves injecting one of the most potent natural toxins to paralyze the muscles responsible for brow furrowing. This reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Makeup
For some people, a far less invasive solution is the use of makeup to hide laugh lines. There are many tutorials available that offer insight into using makeup to cover up fine lines effectively.
Other injectables
Beyond Botox, there are some other safe options that can be injected to help reduce laugh lines. Some possible alternatives to Botox include Juvederm, Restylane, Elevess, Evolence, and Radiesse. Similarly to Botox, they each potentially have side effects and allergic reactions and only have temporary effects.
Laugh lines may be inevitable due to aging and the natural loss of elasticity in the skin. But that does not mean they cannot be delayed and made to appear less dramatic.
To maintain skins’ appearance:
- Do not smoke.
- Eat a balanced diet rich in nutrients and proteins.
- Avoid weight fluctuations.
- Try retinol creams, available for purchase online.
It is better to first attempt natural remedies for the effects of ageing before trying more intensive treatments.