Your Lips Deflate With Age — Here's How To Prevent It & Encourage Volume  

Lips thin and lose volume with time. It's a natural part of the aging process and can be attributed to natural decreases in and under the skin. To start, collagen loss is a major factor. Collagen is one of the skin's structural proteins that keeps things looking full, firm, and strong. At some point in our 20s, our skin doesn't produce enough collagen to replenish what's lost—and so our natural reserve starts to decline. In addition, the fat pads under our lips lose volume with time (this happens elsewhere on the face as well—fat under the skin shrinks and moves down with time.) Finally, the skin also doesn't produce as many humectants and lipids (like ceramides and hyaluronic acid). This means skin becomes more prone to dryness and fine lines and doesn't appear as supple as it once was.

But not all formulas are created equal. Lots of balms end up leaving your skin feeling more parched than before. To avoid this, it's important to find an option that uses a blend of humectants, emollients, and occlusives so they can achieve three things: attract moisture, condition the barrier, and provide a protective seal over the lips.

If hearing the word lip "plumpers" makes you think of tingly, stinging things of the late '90s and aughts, don't worry; we've moved on. Modern-day lip plumpers are high-tech, actually support the skin, and deliver results sans needles. 

These products aren't permanent (OK, so maybe not exactly like filler), but the effects build and last with regular use. The viral Lip Filler formula from Ourself uses multi-weight hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3 derivatives to help smooth lip lines, increase definition, instantly enhance color, and plump. Or the new Droplette is a micro-infuser that transforms liquid serums into a vaporized micro mist. This means active ingredients can penetrate the epidermis up to 20x deeper than your typical topical. And not only is it used for the face, but they also have 17-Volt Lip Plumper capsules to deliver ingredients like hyaluronic acid and collagen past the skin barrier, increasing lip surface area up to 40% for up to six hours. 

The truth is that you can try all the new, fancy treatments in the world, but if you're not protecting your skin on a day-to-day basis, it really doesn't mean much. 

While keeping the skin hydrated and nourished is one vital piece of this (ahem, I'll refer you to section one), it's not the only thing to keep in mind. Sun protection is an often forgotten step for the lip area. Unprotected UV rays are a major factor in collagen loss—accounting for up to 80% of visible aging of the face1. Always protect the lips with SPF when spending time outdoors.