Gum chewers beware: your habit could be causing wrinkles if you’re always doing it!
Here’s what dermatologist Dr. Joel Schlessinger says,
“Many of my patients who are gum chewers have a certain pattern of wrinkles around their mouth…and I think the gum is responsible to some degree for it.”
Doctors like Dr. Schlessinger believe that gum chewing may be a factor contributing to the development of wrinkles around the mouth. This is due to two reasons:
1. Repetitive movements performed by the muscles cause creasing in the skin over top. These creases, known as dynamic wrinkles, are the same type that BOTOX aims to fix. It accelerates the effects of aging, promoting a reduction in skin elasticity.
2. If you’ve recently had Juvéderm or other injectable filler treatment, gum chewing can actually reduce its effectiveness by dislodging the filler product. This shortens the longevity of results, making wrinkles that you wanted to plump up with treatment reappear faster.
While formal research has not been performed to find out the effects of “chronic” gum chewing, this anecdotal evidence may be enough for some of us!