Smile lines, also known as laugh lines, are creases or wrinkles that develop around the mouth and eyes, accentuated by smiling or laughing. These lines are often viewed as indicators of a joyful life, full of laughter and positive emotions.
Despite their positive connotations, many individuals prefer to minimize the appearance of smile lines, associating them with aging. For some, particularly when these lines appear at a younger age, they can be a source of self-consciousness, leading to a desire for early treatment to maintain a youthful appearance.
The good news is that you don’t have to undergo invasive methods to get rid of those specific lines around your mouth and eyes. Instead, there are numerous natural ways to eliminate the mid-cheek lines and methods to regain skin elasticity.
Thus, in this article, we’ll explore the following:
- 💋 What causes smile lines?
- 🤔 How to get rid of smile lines naturally
- 📋 How mewing can help
Let’s get started!
What Causes Smile Lines?
Ah, those delightful smile lines, etched on our faces like memories of laughter and happiness. But what truly lies behind these endearing creases? Let’s explore their origins, from the passage of time to the countless grins that define our days.
- Sun Exposure: UV rays from the sun break down skin collagen, leading to premature wrinkles and lines.
- Facial Expressions: Repeated facial movements, especially smiling, cause creases to form over time.
- Aging: As we age, our skin loses collagen and elasticity, making lines more prominent.
- Genetics: Your family’s skin characteristics can determine how early or prominently smile lines appear.
- Sudden Weight Loss or Gain: Rapid changes in weight can stretch the skin and alter its structure, creating lines.
- Lifestyle Habits: Smoking can accelerate skin aging, contributing to the development of deeper smile lines.
- Elasticity Loss: Over time, skin loses its ability to bounce back, leading to permanent lines and creases.
Natural Remedies to Reduce Laugh Lines
Plastic surgeries aren’t the only solution for reducing smile lines. Keep reading to find the natural remedies that can make your skin healthy and look younger and smoother.
1. Apply hyaluronic acid serums
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring sugar molecule found beneath the skin. It’s an active skincare ingredient in almost every product imaginable, including moisturizers, cleansers, serums, etc.
Hyaluronic acid attracts water, keeping your skin smooth. So, to plump your skin, use hyaluronic acid-containing products. It will moisturize the skin and allow it to flex and stretch while reducing wrinkles and lines.
2. Boost collagen production with specific creams
The central molecule providing facial support and structure is collagen. It is essential in an anti-aging regimen, especially when people reach the age of 30 since collagen and elastin production begins to decline in the 30s. Also, sun damage can break down collagen over time. This results in wrinkles, crepey skin, and larger pores.
This protein helps plump and lift skin, so topical creams, particularly those with anti-wrinkle benefits, aim to build and replace collagen. Collagen peptides, which are broken-down collagen into smaller components, are found in many products. These small peptides will penetrate your skin and revive its production.
3. Use retinoid-based products
Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that is widely used in cosmetic products. Retinoids, which are potent anti-aging ingredients, are a subtype of retinol. They boost collagen production while decreasing its breakdown, helping reduce smile lines. In addition, retinoids promote skin cell turnover, assisting in the replacement of dead skin cells with younger ones that result in a glowing complexion.
4. Create and use homemade face masks and serums
Homemade masks are an excellent way to give the needed nutrients to your face in a more concentrated form than other cosmetic products. You can use many ingredients from your kitchen to make your anti-aging face masks and serums. Some of the most potent anti-aging ingredients are olive oil, oatmeal, bentonite clay, and honey.
For example, you can make a fantastic anti-aging mask with egg whites, honey, and tea tree oil. The egg whites have natural astringent properties that can tighten the skin and make the skin look firmer. The honey moisturizes the face, and the oil acts as a natural antiseptic.
5. Maintain a healthy diet
One of the most underappreciated causes of premature aging is food. The products you eat significantly impact how your skin looks. Consuming foods with the necessary nutrients and vitamins will keep your face glowing. So, it is advisable to drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet with antioxidant-rich veggies, fruits, and healthy fats from nuts and fish.
6. Engage in regular exercise
If you live a sedentary lifestyle without physical activity, your skin will age much more quickly than people who live an active lifestyle. This is due to the fact that no exercise causes DNA damage and oxidative stress, which contribute to premature aging. Contrary, physical activity can improve your health, including skin elasticity.
7. Practice mewing techniques
Mewing includes exercises to help correct facial and mouth posture, which are all about maintaining proper tongue posture. In addition, mewing can improve bone structure, resulting in a more aesthetic jaw contour without surgery.
The concept of mewing is to enhance overall facial symmetry. People gain many benefits by learning the correct mewing tongue position, including a stronger jaw, a well-toned neck, perkier lips, stronger facial muscles, accentuated cheeks and nose, and so on. Whether you want to incorporate mewing to improve control over your face muscles or as a face exercise, the list of advantages of mewing is quite long.
What’s even better is that mewing is simple and easy to do. Check out our mewing app and get a helpful step-by-step guide on how to mew properly, video tutorials for challenging exercises, and customized exercise programs.
Skincare Techniques for Reducing the Laugh Lines
It is essential to start a facial beauty care that will involve skin care practices to improve the appearance of your face and reduce laugh lines. The list below entails ultimate recommendations that should be part of your daily routine.
8. Cleanse your face daily
You should cleanse your face every morning and remove your makeup every night. This is an essential part of any efficient anti-aging regimen. Impurities, free radicals, and toxins won’t be removed from your face without cleansing, thus aging your facial skin more rapidly.
9. Exfoliate regularly
It would help if you used exfoliants regularly since they can help remove dead skin cells, revealing healthier skin cells beneath, and with that, reduce laugh lines. However, you need to make sure you buy a skin exfoliant appropriate for your skin type.
10. Moisturize your skin daily
If you prefer creamy treatments, nighttime moisturizers will have the greatest effect on removing laugh lines. Moisturizers, as the name says, help hydrate your face. Anti-aging moisturizers with natural ingredients such as nut oils, collagen, and antioxidants are ideal.
11. Perform facial yoga exercises
Facial yoga can help people reduce smile lines by tightening the facial muscles and skin. The best thing is that these exercises are simple:
- Put your fingers over the smile lines.
- Smile as widely as possible and keep the lips apart.
- Hold for 5-10 seconds, then rest.
- Repeat at least 30 times per day.
12. Use facial oils suited to your skin type
Almost any type of oil can be used to moisturize your skin and keep it glowing. Olive, coconut, and grape seed oil are the most popular ones. Apply a small amount to your fingertips and massage your face with extra attention around your mouth. Leave it on overnight for better results.
13. Give yourself facial massages
If you were asking yourself how to increase facial blood circulation, facial massages are the answer. A facial massage increases blood and oxygen flow to the face. It can also help reduce smile lines since they stimulate and relax the muscles. In fact, facial massages act as a natural facelift.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Skincare Products
It is crucial to clean your face, moisturize, and exfoliate, but choosing the right skincare products to reduce your smile lines is even more critical. You should choose skincare products based on your skin type – oily, dry, or a combination of both. Once you know which type your skin falls under, you can choose a skincare product easily.
How to Prevent Smile Lines?
Once you get the wanted results of your natural remedies and skincare techniques, it is crucial to maintain them. Here are some tips to help you prevent laugh lines and maintain the effects of the technique you’ve used:
- If you started using sunscreen, it would be best if you continued protecting yourself from sun damage to prevent smile lines.
- Don’t start smoking again since it breaks down the collagen.
- Continue hydrating your skin and use skincare products that promote collagen production.
- Always moisturize your face with no chemical-based products.
- Consume nutritious foods and create a regular exercise routine.
Besides doing all these things, you should also have regular check-ins with a dermatologist or skincare professional. These professionals make sure your skin remains in peak condition and can advise you about the best treatments for your skin type.
Wrapping Up
Smile lines are an unavoidable part of aging. Any fine lines or wrinkles can deepen as you age. Still, there are natural ways to treat smile lines.
You can consult your dermatologist about the best options for you. Dermal fillers are an option, but they are not always required. A holistic approach to skincare and self-care can also help you treat smile lines. Taking care of your overall health and keeping your skin hydrated go a long way.
If you want to look younger for longer, lead a healthy lifestyle and choose skincare products with the right ingredients. In addition, incorporating facial yoga, massages, and the mewing method into your daily routine can help you keep your youthful appearance for a long time.