Anti-agers no one but you need know about

QWHEN I smile, my top lip disappears. I’ve always had thin lips, but they have got so much worse with age. I’m now 58 and it’s got to the point where I avoid smiling — especially if I’m having my photo taken. The result is I often look utterly miserable! Are fillers the answer or is there anything less drastic I can do to give me back my smile?

AOddly, you may need — well, not ‘need’, but you might want — Botox. Many years ago, a doctor tried to tackle an early wrinkle in my top lip with Botox not long before my wedding.

looking through the pictures after our big day, I noticed, to my surprise, that I didn’t have my usual gummy smile in any of them ( bonus!), which neither I or the doctor foresaw back then.

Today, many doctors employ the tactic for those with ‘ hyperactive muscles that elevate the upper lip too much,’ says aesthetic doctor and French dentist dr Thu-linh Allain Nguyen.

‘Injecting a small amount of Botox reduces the elevation of the lip, making it look fuller when smiling.’

despite what you might read online, there is no standard technique for this. ‘Each case is different and needs to be thoroughly assessed clinically,’ says dr Nguyen.

‘depending on the shape of the upper lip and on the dynamic analysis of the muscles, you might need some filler as well.’

As always, it’s important to seek out an experienced doctor, who can show you previous great examples of his or her work.

Prices start from £200 at the Omnyia Clinic ( omniya.

co. uk) in West london where dr Nguyen is based.

Results should last about three months.

Ingeborg van LotrIngen is beauty director at Cosmopolitan. email questions to ingevan lotringen@dailymail.co.uk