Are your lips kissable?

Full, luscious lips, a sensual pout, soft, smooth, rosy lips, good for kissing!

The full article which also discusses lip surgery is here.

Click button to listen to Kissable Lips to download

IN THE MIRROR: Kiss all those years away by Dr Nantapat Supapannachart

A stunning smile, a sexy pout and sensual kisses all come from full, luscious lips. Think Marilyn Monroe, Goldie Hawn or Angelina Jolie. Soft, smooth and rosy lips can get anyone's attention. So take good care of those beautiful lips or they may crack and "frown" earlier than you expect.

As with facial and body skin, time takes its toll on the lips. In fact, you may see signs of ageing on a person's lips even sooner than on the skin of other parts of the body. Often unaware of this fact, we generously spend time and money on anti-ageing products for the face while totally ignoring one of the most important features of our faces - our lips.

Do lips themselves age or is it deterioration of skin around the mouth that creates that impression?

Without a doubt, the area around the mouth is a dead giveaway, but our lips also get dull and dry with age. Even though they appear entirely different from the rest of the skin on our bodies their composition is actually quite similar. They are made up of three layers of skin: an outer covering called the stratum corneum, the epidermis, and the dermis. So, like the rest of our skin, the lips react in the same way to damage and they age at the same rate or, more often, even faster. The stratum corneum is thinner than regular facial skin so it's got less protection against sunlight, stress, nicotine and unhealthy food. Nor do your lips have the advantage of inbuilt sebaceous glands to keep them moist. Their only source of moisture is your saliva and that's why they can easily become dry and chapped.

I love the look of my pout and don't want to lose it. How can I best prevent my lips ageing?

The trick is to keep them moisturised. One of the simplest, most effective and inexpensive anti-ageing products is lip balm. One with an SPF of 15 or more, applied several times a day, can slow the signs of ageing and also protect your lips from skin cancer. Rejuvenating home remedies such as honey and olive oil also work as lip nourishment. Applying lip balm before lipstick not only protects your lips from chemical damage but also helps them look full and "lipstick fresh" all day long. Remember never to use oxidant-rich lipsticks or other lip products or any products which have passed their expiry dates.

You can use a mild exfoliating agent to remove scaly, flaky areas on the lips and give them a smoother, more pink look, but this should only be done in moderation. If you overdo the exfoliation, you could irritate your lips and cause a reaction that's not going to increase your attractiveness nor be good for kissing! Apart from avoiding the sun you should stay away from overcooked or deep-fried foods. Cut down on caffeine and nicotine and try to get more than six hours of sleep each night. You could also take herbal anti-ageing supplements.

What are the signs of ageing I should be watching out for?

Ageing of the lips and the skin around them probably has the greatest negative effect on one's facial appearance because of the emotions the mouth conveys. While full lips can make a smile beautiful and a pout sensual, thin or wrinkled lips may convey entirely different messages.

Your lips need special attention when you begin to notice thinning, wrinkling and sagging in that area. The upper lip usually lengthens and sags, the corners droop and the Cupid's bow - that nice arc found in many people's lips - begins to flatten out. The lower lip undergoes a similar but less dramatic change; it loses its volume and your smile begins to resemble a frown.

Dr Nantapat Supannachart is an American Board-certified dermatologist and laser surgeon. Call 080-500-0123 or visit www.apexprofoundbeauty.com

(Source: Bangkok Post, IN THE MIRROR, Kiss all those years away, 22/09/2011, Dr Nantapat Supapannachart, link) 

Kissable Lips Vocabulary

lips - "lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be erogenous when used in kissing and other acts of intimacy" (See Wikipedia)

luscious - juicy and good to eat (example: the small apricot tree bore luscious fruit)
full, luscious lips - very large lips (that look like a "luscious" fruit

stun - very surprised and shocked, making you unable to do anything
stunning smile - a smile that is so nice, you can't do anything after you see it

pout - also: sulk, lower, brood ทำริมฝีปากล่างยื่น, ทำริมฝีปากล่างยื่น (แสดงความไม่พอใจ)
sexy pout

sensual - giving pleasure to the physical senses (smell, touch, taste, sound) rather than giving pleasure to your mind 
sensual kisses  

attention - looking at, listening to or thinking about something or someone very carefully
get the attention of a person - cause someone to start looking, listening or thinking about you or what you are saying, very carefully 
can get anyone's attention - meaning : everyone will look at it  (and find it attractive)

crack - a line on a surface where something is beginning to break apart รอยแตก รอยร้าว slightly broken and damaged with lines appearing on the surface (example: a crack appeared in the clay when the bowl dropped on the ground)

frown -  when end of the lips point downwards face, showing that a person is not ha[ppy, the opposite of a "smile"ทำหน้าบึ้ง

resemble - to be like or look like someone or something else มีลักษณะคล้ายกับ
your smile begins to resemble a frown.

stunning - very surprising; extremely beautiful, attractive and impressive น่าทึ่ง น่าตะลึง ที่ตระการตา สวยตระการตา 

toll - the number of people killed or injured in an accident, battle, attack, etc.
time takes its toll - all things fall apart and deteriorate over time

signs of ageing - things you can see that show that a person is growing old (example: wrinkles on the face)
unaware - not understanding or realising something ซึ่งไม่รู้ตัวมาก่อน
anti-ageing products - creams, medicines and other products that people use to look young again

ignoring - pretending you don't see something or someone; not wanting to look at or think about it เพิกเฉย เอาหูไปนาเอาตาไปไร่

moist - containing water; slightly wet เปียกชื้น
saliva - the liquid produced by glands in your mouth น้ำลาย
source - the place or person something comes from or starts at, or the cause of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
the source of moisture is saliva

age - grow older
ageing lips - lips that are growing old
lips get dull and dry with age  

chapped  -  dry, scaling and flaking lips

lip balm - a waxy substance put on the lips of the mouth to relieve chapped and dry lips, "often contains beeswax or carnauba wax, camphor, cetyl alcohol, lanolin, paraffin, and petrolatum, among other ingredients. Some varieties contain dyes, flavor, fragrance, menthol, phenol, salicylic acid, and sunscreens" (See Wikipedia)
balm - an oil that is obtained from a particular tropical trees and used especially to treat injuries or reduce pain ยาหม่อง

deterioration - falling apart, condition getting worse over time
deterioration of skin - skin that is falling apart (condition getting worse over time)

stratum corneum - the outermost layer of the epidermis layer of the skin, with dead cells that are continually falling of the body  (See Wikipedia)

epidermis - "the outermost layer of the skin. It forms the waterproof, protective wrap over the body's surface  ...contains no blood vessels" (See Wikipedia)

dermis - the second layer of skin under the "epidermis" with "connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors (nerve endings) that provide the sense of touch and heat. It contains the hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, apocrine glands, lymphatic vessels and blood vessels" (See Wikipedia)

sebaceous glands -  glands in the skin that secrete an oily and waxy substance (sebum) that  lubricates the skin and hair (See Wikipedia)
inbuilt sebaceous glands

impression - an opinion or feeling that you get when you see something ความรู้สึก,ความประทับใจ

doubt - not know for sure if something is true or false, uncertain
without a doubt - for sure; certainly

a dead giveaway - a sure sign, something that you see that tells you that some fact is true, for sure

composition - the way the parts are put together and arranged; what something is made of (X is composed of parts X, Y, Z) การประกอบเข้าด้วยกัน

rate - the level or speed at which something happens or changes, or the amount or number of times it happens or changes in a particular period อัตรา
age at the same rate
age faster

stress - a feeling of worry and tension from difficulties in life; when you worry and think too much about problems

advantage - a condition giving a greater chance of success ความได้เปรียบ

effective - works well, gets the job done; producing the result that was intended ได้ผลดี
most effective -  works the best (of all products)

skin cancer - cancer that grows on the skin which makes it easier to see, so people can act early (See Wikipedia)

home remedies - simple ways of treating sickness with herbs and other simple treatments (that can be done in the home without a doctor)

rejuvenate - make new and fresh again
rejuvenating home remedies  

nourishment - providing a person with the food and other things necessary for life, growth and good health

oxidant - substances that cause "oxidative stress" , also called a "pro-oxidant" (See Wikipedia)
oxidative stress - a form of stress on the body caused by the cumulative damage done by free radicals unopposed by antioxidants (See Wikipedia)
oxidant-rich lipsticks

expiry date - the last date that a product can be used (after this date must be thrown out)
passed their expiry dates - after the expiry date of a product (so product must be thrown out)

exfoliate (verb) - remove the dead cells from your skin using a brush or cream

exfoliating agent - some cream or medicine that you put on your skin to remove skin
exfoliation (noun) - the process of removing dead cells from your skin

overdo the exfoliation  - removing too much dead cells from your skin
done in moderation - not too much, not too little (the middle path) 

remove - to take something away เอาออกจาก

scaly skin (adjective) - dry skin with small pieces coming off 
scale (noun) - small dry pieces of skin that fall off of a person's skin

flake - small pieces (of skin for example, example: snow flakes)
flaky  - tends to break off in small pieces

flaky areas  
remove scaly and flaky areas

irritate - to hurt a part of your body, making it painful, red or swollen; causing your skin to itch and hurt (become sore) ทำให้ระคายเคือง
irritate your lips - causing your lips to hurt and become sore

reaction - the way something responds as a result of something that happens ปฏิกิริยาตอบโต้
cause a reaction that's not going to increase your attractiveness nor be good for kissing!

deep-fried foods - food fried in oil, with a lot of fat in it

caffeine - the substance in coffee that makes people alert and gives them energy
nicotine - the substance in cigarettes and tobacco that people become addicted to, so it is very difficult for them to stop smoking

dietary supplements - extra healthy things you can take in addition to your food such as vitamins (See Wikipedia)
herbal anti-ageing supplements

negative - bad ที่เป็นด้านลบ
negative effect on one's facial appearance
convey - to communicate something; to express a thought, feeling or idea so that it is understood by other people สื่อไปถึง, สื่อสาร
the emotions the mouth conveys

thin (verb) - grow thinner
wrinkle - lines that form on a person's face as they grow old
sag - hangs down loosely, has no energy, cannot stand up
droop - hang down with no strength or firmness
cupid's bow -  the curve on the upper lip which looks like "the bow of Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love" (See Wikipedia)
dramatic - exciting and impressive
less dramatic change - a smaller change
X undergoes Y - process or action Y happens to Y (example: skins undergoes ageing)
undergoes a similar but less dramatic change
volume - the quantity or amount of something
loses its volume - become; less full