Priorities
Crepey eyelids and lip lines
Fine crinkling on the eyelids and above the lip, where the skin is thinnest and needs a careful approach.
Crepey eyelids let eyeshadow gather in the crease, and fine vertical lines above the lip cause lipstick to bleed. These aren’t wrinkles in the usual sense. The skin on the eyelids and above the lip is the thinnest on the face, so it’s often the first to crinkle and the most delicate area to treat with a device. The options are limited and each has trade-offs, which we’ll explain at your consult.
What we'd want you to know
Some of these options have real downtime
For mild crinkling, we’d start with Forma: four to six sessions with our medical esthetician. It uses bulk radiofrequency heating from the surface, with no needles and no visible downtime, and it can be used right up to the lash line and the lip. The change is small and gradual.
If it’s more than mild, Morpheus8 with the 12-pin Prime tip at 1 to 2 mm is the next step: three sessions, with a few days of pinpoint bruising after each. The Plasma Pen isn’t on the Lincoln Park booking menu, but you can ask about it at your consult and we’ll tell you whether it’s suitable for your skin type.
Choosing a treatment for crepey lids and lip lines
We’ll assess two things: how much excess lid skin there is, and your skin tone. A crinkle is texture, and that’s treatable. A fold of skin sitting on the lashes is excess skin, and only a blepharoplasty removes it. On the lip, lines that appear only when you purse come from muscle, and for those, a couple of units of toxin, off-label, beats any machine.
If it’s texture with no excess skin, we’ll start with Forma: FDA-cleared radiofrequency, used off its cleared indication for tightening, and backed by small studies. Because RF has no pigment target, it’s also a good choice for medium and dark skin.
The next step is Morpheus8 with the Prime tip, which uses 12 pins at a shallow depth and low energy. The 2023 clearance caps energies above 62 mJ per pin to skin types I to IV, per the FDA’s 2023 clearance, so for darker skin, we’ll use lower settings. Individual results vary.
The Plasma Pen is a device for skin types I to III. Two small uncontrolled trials, 40 and 56 women, three sessions a month apart, measured better upper-lid laxity at three months, per the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. The plasma pens that have FDA clearance are cleared for removing lesions. Eyelid tightening is off-label and has no long-term data.
Your questions, answered
Which of these has no downtime?
Forma. A session takes 30 to 45 minutes, and your skin will be warm and pink for a couple of hours with no marks, so you can return to work right away. Morpheus8 around the eyes and the Plasma Pen both need several days of recovery.
Will a device remove the hood on my upper lid?
No. Forma, Morpheus8, and the Plasma Pen tighten crinkly skin by small amounts. A fold resting on the lashes, or a fat bag, needs surgery. If that’s what we see at your consult, we’ll explain why a device isn’t the right option.
Toxin or a device for the lines above my lip?
For lines that show when you purse, two to four units of toxin, off-label, is the answer, though drinking from a straw may feel awkward for a couple of weeks. For lines that are there at rest, Forma or Morpheus8 is the better fit. Our PRF vs PRP guide covers crepey skin under the eyes.
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