Philtrum Shortening and Lip Shaping video routine
New Feature: Questions and answers for this routine at the end of the blog
Lips shape one-third of your face. They can define your youth, beauty, health and even sexuality.
What is the Philtrum?
The Philtrum is in the middle area of your upper lip, beneath the bottom of your nose and above the cupid’s bow of your upper lip. It is flanked by the two vertical columns and the philtral dimple. The philtrum columns are the “white” lines on each side of the philtrum and give the philtrum its “architectural” shape. These columns typically line-up with the two raised curves of the cupid’s bow. When we are young, the philtrum has a definitive shape. As we age and our gums tend to recede, the upper lip tends to turn under and the philtrum lengthens and flattens out. When you give definition to the philtrum and the lips as you age, you also give the look of youth back to your face.
https://lesliebaumannmd.com/your-quick-guide-to-lip-anatomy/
What is the ideal length of the philtrum and why?
The length of the philtrum is the distance under your nose to the lowest point in the mid cupid’s bow. The ideal range for females in 11-13 mm and 15-18 mm for males. You can also determine the ideal length of the philtrum by using the width of your iris. The length of your philtrum should be the same diameter of your iris.
What happens to the philtrum as we age?
As one ages, the philtrum lengthens about 2mm every ten years after the age of 40. By the time you reach 60, your philtrum droops that much more, on average, by 3.5 mm in length for females and 5 mm for males. Also, as we age, the philtrum tends to flatten out, losing its definition. The philtral dimple is gone.
Why is the vermillion line important?
It is also important to give shape to the vermillion line around the mouth and especially the cupid’s bow which helps to define the philtrum. When this is enhanced, it gives definition to the lips and the appearance of youth. The vermillion line around the lips is stronger and well-defined when we are younger.
Why does the Philtrum lengthen as we age and what is the “lip line”?
Then, there’s also the “lip line” which is the amount of vertical tooth exposure in smiling – in other words, as we age and the upper lip literally shrinks, turning downward and thus inward, the philtrum lengthens. This means when we have a “posed” smile (not a spontaneous smile that involves all the laughing muscles) a certain amount of tooth display is a sign of youth. So, as you exercise, you will be turning your upper lip up and out, shortening the philtrum and allowing more tooth display when slightly smiling, while shortening the philtrum at the same time.
How does the CFF routine compare with plumping the lips to shorten the philtrum?
While bruising the lips and pumping them up will turn the upper lip up and out … it will also shorten the philtrum in the process. CFF’s routine will also shorten the philtrum, define the philtrum columns and make the vermillion lines darker. The upper lip will become a little bit “bigger” looking as it turns up and the lines around the lips will take on a reddish hue, giving definition to the lips. Wrinkles around the mouth will diminish with the CFF technique and the whole area will look refreshed and smoother.
What about fillers and lip “plumpers”
There are devices on the market for “plumping” the lips using suction and a kind of “bruising” to enlarge the lips and therefore shorten the philtrum. While this does seem to work well, what happens when you stop? Cells are being inflated. Cells do not have muscles in them, so once they are stretched, they do not snap back to their original size when no longer inflated. Does this mean one can have cellulite-looking lips when you no longer wish to inflate your lips with the device or with fillers?
What happens to your lips after years of fillers and plumping?
Here is a quote from a Dermatologist talking about fillers and the lips:
“As well as stretching of the skin, excessive use of fillers can result in longer term damage including wrinkling of the lip and disturbance of the attachment of the facial fat pads and some degree of irregularity and ageing of the skin, he** explains.”
** From the article: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/the-long-term-health-impacts-of-beauty- fillers-20181009-p508m1.html
And https://www.huffpost.com/entry/filler-fatigue-too-much-filler_n_5ad628d8e4b077c89ced3966
Conclusion:
Using exercise and smoothing techniques, CFF has a 7-step routine that will help to not only shorten the philtrum and give it a beautiful shape, it will also give you more definition to your lips, while smoothing the lip lines around the lips at the same time. Go here for the video on how to achieve the look of youth!
New Feature: Answering questions about this routine:
Three questions: from Linda at the https://www.antiagingbeautyzone.com/ a fabulous place to visit for thorough research and testing of all kinds of beauty products!
1 – For the workout right after the pen where you put your index fingers on either side of mouth, then kiss and try to lift the upper lip up and out. What is the purpose for the fingers on either side of the mouth? I assume they’re trying to stop the lips from forming the kiss? Because it looks like your lips never got to form that pucker look when you make a kiss motion.
A – Your fingers help to create resistance for the two little muscles that are just above your upper lip and this aids in turning the upper lip up and out. Many of the exercises I studied that people offer have this turning the upper lip up but nobody thought to create resistance when doing this. As soon as we created the resistance by holding the corners of the mouth in place, we started to get the effect of the upper lift lifting up almost immediately. Interesting to us! It worked so fast.
2 – And after you try to form the kiss motion, I assume you’re trying to flare the lip up and out – like a strong pucker?
A – Yes. Exactly. We noticed that it took about a week to get an obvious ability to flare up the upper lip. Those little muscles develop quickly!
3 – For the 2nd to the last exercise where you put your finger into the cupids bow and push in and push up, what is the finger on the nose doing? Just trying to hold the upper lip/mouth steady as you try to pull the lip down? Therefore, working the muscle?
A – When you hold the tip of your nose in place, and push in and up into the dimple of the philtrum and pull the upper lip down, all at the same time, You are creating a deeper dimple in the philtrum while stimulating the tissue and muscles in this area. The result is a more defined philtrum and a strengthening of the whole area. If you don’t hold the tip of the nose in place, you cannot create enough resistance to get the desired look. As a result, we notice that the cupid’s bow is given a little lift with this movement. You’ll see this as you work the routine. The “pen” gives the philtrum the correct “shape” … like a little triangle there. For beauty, of course. This movement helps to lift the top of the lip up and out while deepening the dimple and so was a very necessary step in the process.
