The Two Things That Actually Softened My Lip Lines (Straight From My Own Routine)
I gave myself smoker’s lines from ten years of drinking through a straw. I didn’t quit the habit — I’m not going to pretend I have that kind of willpower, and honestly, you don’t need to. What actually turned it around was two things working together: a change to how I sip, and a change to what I put on my skin. Here’s exactly what I did, in the order I’d tell a patient to try it.
I stopped pursing — with the Whale Tail topper
The lines above your lip don’t come from straws themselves. They come from the orbicularis oris — the ring of muscle around your mouth — contracting into a tight pucker, thousands of times a week, for years. That repetition is what turns a line that only shows up when you move into one that’s visible at rest. It’s the same mechanism as an actual smoker’s lines; the cigarette isn’t special, the pursing is.
So the fix isn’t giving up the straw, it’s widening what your lips are pursing against. That’s why I reach for the Whale Tail shape specifically, out of the two WrinX toppers. It’s wider than the Bow, which means my upper lip rests flat on top of it instead of clamping around it. Less pucker per sip, and I don’t have to think about it — the shape does the work.
I put my skin back on tazarotene — carefully
This is the part that actually changed how my skin looks, not just how my lips move. I’d used prescription 0.1% tazarotene every other night for ten years, stopped for about nine months to chase other trends, and watched my skin age faster than I’d ever seen it. I got back on it, and the difference was immediate.
A few things up front, because this is a real prescription retinoid, not a cosmetic serum:
0.1% tazarotene is prescription-only. Dermatology is the natural place to ask, but I’ve also had luck with primary care doctors and OB/GYNs.
If your skin is new to it, start every 2–3 nights and work up from there — don’t jump straight to nightly.
It cannot be used during pregnancy.
None of this is medical advice — it’s my personal routine. Talk to whoever prescribes it about the right cadence and strength for your skin.
Here’s how I actually apply it, split into two spots:
Rest of my face: a pea-sized amount, diluted into whatever nighttime cream I’m using at the time, every other night. Diluting it in a moisturizer instead of applying it straight is what makes a prescription-strength retinoid tolerable for daily-ish use — straight tazarotene on bare skin is a lot more than most people need.
Lip line specifically: a little extra applied directly — undiluted — on the same every-other-night schedule, then layered with Aquaphor on top to seal it in. Yes, applying a retinoid that close to the lip line is generally a “big no-no” — I know. It’s worked for me, but it’s exactly the kind of thing to run by your prescriber before you copy it, not something to start on your own.
SPF is not optional here
Tazarotene makes skin meaningfully more sun-sensitive, so this only works if sunscreen is non-negotiable — every day, including the lip area, which most people skip entirely. I use La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVAIR Serum Sunscreen SPF 50.
The first two weeks, your skin will fight you
When you first start (or restart) tazarotene, expect a rough adjustment window — flaking, sensitivity, and yes, even SPF will sting going on. You still need to moisturize through it, you just need something bland enough not to add insult to injury. I used Aquaphor for years during this phase; these days I reach for tallow instead — specifically the Harvest & Herd Citrus & Honey Tallow Balm. Either works — the point is a plain, occlusive layer that seals in moisture without any actives, until your skin settles down enough to tolerate everything else again.
The combination is the point
Neither piece does much on its own. The topper stops new pursing damage from a habit I was never going to break. The tazarotene routine, protected by SPF and buffered by tallow/Aquaphor during flare-ups, is what actually rebuilds the skin. Do both, in this order, and give it more than a few days — the habit change feels automatic within about a week, but the skin changes take longer to show.
What I use, all in one place
I get asked about this routine constantly, so I keep everything — the SPF, and the rest of what’s currently in my routine — on one Amazon list you can shop directly:
And if you want to try the habit-side fix first, grab the Whale Tail topper here:
