11 fascinating lip facts you may not know
Lip facts
In celebration of our lips, here are 11 fascinating lip facts that you might not know and that will make you want to take even better care of them.
Our lips have a lot of work to do. Talking, eating, laughing, kissing – they’re always busy. Various studies have also shown that everything from the shape, size and symmetry of our lips to how readily we smile can all affect our level of perceived attractiveness and positive character traits, such as kindness.
In celebration of our lips, here are 11 fascinating lip facts that you might not know and that will make you want to take even better care of them:
1. Your lips are unique
Just like your fingerprints, your lips are completely unique. If all 7.8 billion of us on the planet did a lipstick print on to a tissue, not one print would be identical to another.
2. Your lips are 100 times more sensitive than your fingertips
Your lips have more than a million different nerve endings, making them one of the most sensitive parts of your body (and 100 times more sensitive than your fingertips). They’re even more sensitive because there’s no defensive membrane to protect them.
This is one of the reasons that babies and toddlers put everything in their mouths; all of those nerve endings give them far more information than any other sense.
3. The skin on your lips has very few layers
The skin on your lips is incredibly thin – there are just three to six layers of cells in comparison to the 16 layers everywhere else on your body. It’s the fact that there are so few layers and the blood vessels are so close to the surface that gives your lips their rosy pink/red hue. Studies show that redder lips are seen as more attractive than pale lips, which is why lipstick sells so well.
As we talked about in our recent Lip Care Guide for Beautiful Lips, one of the reasons it’s so important to exfoliate, moisturise and protect your lips is to protect those delicate layers of skin.
4. Your lips can’t sweat
Your lips do not have any sweat or oil glands. While you’ll never suffer from sweaty or acne-covered lips, this does mean that your lips may be prone to dryness.
Again, this was something we covered in our recent Lip Care Guide. To protect your lips from dryness, make sure that you drink plenty of water, use a lip balm or high SPF lipstick, and avoid skincare products that may irritate your lips.
5. Our lips get thinner as we get older
Full, plump lips are seen as a sign of youth and beauty. This is because, as we get older, the supplies of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid in our skin start to deplete, making the skin lose volume and definition. Unfortunately, this loss of volume includes our lips.
Hyaluronic acid-based lip fillers are a popular and effective way of addressing this problem. They can be used to restore the balance and volume of your lips. The results last for approximately six months.
6. The outline of your lips is called the Vermilion border
Did you know that the outline of your lips, i.e. where your lips meet the surrounding skin, is known as the Vermilion border?
Again, a well-defined Vermilion border is associated with youth and attractiveness, highlighting the contrast between the lips and surrounding skin. Over time, the Vermilion border can lose definition due to sun damage, volume loss and fine lines around the mouth.
It is possible to use lip fillers to improve the definition of the Vermilion border if you feel that a lip liner is not enough.
7. A beautiful Cupid’s bow has its roots in mythology
The double curves of your upper lip, i.e. the two highest points of your lip closest to your nose, are named the Cupid’s bow as they resemble the shape of the bow carried by Cupid in classic mythology.
Cupid (meaning “passionate desire”) is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection, so it’s fitting that a defined Cupid’s bow is seen as beautiful.
As with other aspects of your lips, it’s possible to give your Cupid’s bow more definition using hyaluronic acid-based lip fillers.
8. Lips are composed of a complex of muscles known as orbicularis oris
It’s the orbicularis oris contracting that gives us the ability to play the trumpet, whistle or kiss. We wouldn’t be able to pucker up without it. Scientists used to think the orbicularis oris was a single sphincter muscle inside the lips but we now know it’s a complex of four muscles.
Gentle facial exercises to target the orbicularis oris can help to support the overlaying skin around your lips to prevent sagging and maintain definition.
9. Kissing helps us select a mate
Not only does kissing feel great but it plays an important evolutionary function. Scientists believe that locking lips enables us to get close enough to our potential mate to sniff their pheromones and exchange biological information about their suitability.
10. Our lips can silently communicate our emotions
Our lips are hugely expressive in their own right, capable of communicating sadness, happiness, anger, fear, shock, curiosity and much more without us even uttering a word.
Many people find that, as their skin ages, the corners of their mouth start to turn down due to a loss of volume. One solution is the use of wrinkle-reducing injections, which can help to gently lift the corners of your mouth.
11. Men suffer from mouth cancer more than women
It seems that women are less likely to suffer from mouth cancer than men because they use make-up products such as lipstick and lip balm that contain sun protection factor (SPF) ingredients that protect the lips from harmful UV rays.
If lipstick isn’t your thing, you can help to protect your delicate lips from UV damage by using lip balm throughout the day.
Our lips really are incredible and beautiful! How do you feel about yours? We’d love to hear what’s on your mind when it comes to feeling good about your lips.