Dermatologist Tips for Targeting Lip Aging and Chapped Lips

You can’t open Instagram or TikTok without seeing videos about lip liners, lip flip procedures, or the “best way to apply highlighter to accentuate your cupid’s bow”. But what if these videos are missing a key piece of the puzzle? 

I believe that our fascination with finding the perfect pout should start with maintaining and optimizing the natural structure and definition of our lips, creating a beautiful canvas before swiping on sparkly gloss or experimenting with the latest viral lining techniques. This is why I formulated our viral, bestselling lip treatment, Tri-Liptide™ Peptide Lip Enhancing Treatment. 

Let’s take a look at your lips through my eyes as a board-certified dermatologist. 

Do any of these sound familiar? 

Check off which changes you’ve noticed in your lips:

• Loss of lip plumpness, lip volume
• Thinning of the lips
• Lip inversion (collapse of upper lip on lower lip)
• Flattening or loss of definition of the cupid’s bow
• Blurring of the lip borders (lipstick bleeds outside the edges of the lip)
• Increase in lip dryness and chapping
• Increase in lip texture—including lip dehydration lines
• Loss of color (more pale)

Even in my early 40s, I began noticing all of these changes. Here’s why they happen—and what’s going on beneath the surface.

Loss of lip architecture + definition 

Just as healthy collagen fibers in our skin help keep it firm, healthy collagen fibers along the border of our lips maintain their shape and definition. The outline of the lip—the border between the pink portion of the lip and the skin—is called the vermillion border, and the two peaks at the top are known as the cupid’s bow.

As we age, the collagen bundles in the lip vermillion border decrease in abundance and lose their healthy structure and organization. That’s why we start to notice a flattening of the cupid's bow and blurring, or loss of definition, between the pink of the lip and the surrounding skin. Over time, our lips quite literally begin to collapse inward, so you see less of the pink of the lip—a natural aging process called lip inversion.

In-office lip procedures can restore lip structure, but they do come with cost and downtime. At home, one of the most effective ways to safely help boost lip volume is by using powerful peptides like palmitoyl tripeptide-1, found in Tri-Liptide™ Peptide Lip Enhancing Treatment. This smart peptide helps to “coach” lips to look and act younger, helping to restore collagen loss in lips. The key to visible results is consistency and time, as this natural process takes roughly 12 weeks—but the payoff is well worth it. 

Chapped lips

Unlike the skin on our face, our lips lack a strong protective barrier, making them especially prone to moisture loss. Specifically, our lips are much more prone to transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and dehydration, and more vulnerable to low humidity, wind, sun exposure, pollution and other environmental stressors that cause free radical damage.

On top of this, many popular lip products contain potentially irritating ingredients like menthol, camphor, peppermint oil, and fragrance. While these ingredients may seem attractive at first—a delicious smell, a temporary cooling sensation—they can actually make your lips more chapped over time. This creates a cycle where you feel the need to reapply constantly, perpetuating the issue without lasting relief. Truly nourishing and hydrating ingredients—like hyaluronic acid, orchid extra, ceramides, and squalane—can help break the cycle. All of these are found in Tri-Liptide™ Peptide Lip Enhancing Treatment.

A smarter approach to lip care 

Typical lip products won't address all of these concerns, especially when it comes to preserving the architecture of youthful lips. That’s why I wanted to innovate with Tri-Liptide™ Peptide Lip Enhancing Treatment  by taking a proactive approach that coats the lips with a protective layer for immediate relief,  while also supporting a healthy, youthful lip architecture over time. 

I believe that all skincare, including lip care, should work smarter and harder for you.