Valentine’s Day is here, and you know what that means? Kissable lips are a must! Sophisticate’s caught up with Dr. Mary P. Lupo in New Orleans, LA, and Dr. Janet Prystowsky in New York, NY, to get their top tips for getting soft, luscious lips that your hot Valentine won’t be able to resist. Get ready and pucker up…
1. “Combine a little honey with granulated sugar,” suggests Dr. Lupo. “Massage the lips to exfoliate dead skin that can make your lips look cracked and dry. Then, immediately apply Aquaphor healing ointment to hydrate and plump your lips!”
2. Be sure to brush and floss your teeth before kissing, says Dr. Prystowsky. “Use whiteners to diminish coffee and tea stains, and do not smoke! Rinse with mouthwash as needed.”
3. “Moisturize [by applying] Aquaphor to the lips and blotting off the excess. Then, apply lip liner and fill in your lips with your favorite red lipstick.”
4. If your lips need a bit of a boost, one option is to get fillers, says Dr. Prystowsky. She says you may consider fillers if “your lipstick runs up and down wrinkles, your Cupid’s bow is sagging or the corners of your mouth are making a frown.” According to the doctor, you may also consider fillers if the volume of your lips is waning and they are just getting too thin. For those looking for temporary fixes she suggests temporary hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvéderm or Restylane, which can last about six months. For those looking for a more permanent correction, silicone in microdroplet injections may be considered.”
5. If you don’t want to get fillers, another option is laser resurfacing, suggests Dr. Prystowsky, saying “Fractional laser resurfacing is helpful in smoothing out the wrinkles around the mouth and plumping up the skin.”