Perioral fat compartment: the lips and surrounding area
Quick facts
- Definition
- Fat around the mouth, between the skin and the orbicularis muscle, generally thin and divided into upper and lower areas.
- Related structures
- Orbicularis oris muscle, modiolus and labial arteries.
- Clinical relationship
- Perioral wrinkles (barcode lines), lip contour and loss of projection with age.
- Risk
- Area supplied by the labial arteries, with vascular risk.
The perioral compartment is the fat that surrounds the mouth, between the skin and the orbicularis oris muscle. Unlike the cheek, the layer is thin and less organized into pockets, but it contributes to the contour and projection of the lips. It continues into the chin and cheek compartments and joins the modiolus at the corners.
How does it change over time?
With age, perioral fat loses volume, the skin thins and the orbicularis muscle, which closes the mouth, repeats the same movement for decades. The lips can become thinner, the vermilion can shrink and the vertical wrinkles known as barcode lines can appear. The philtrum can lengthen and lose definition.
| Change | What you see |
|---|---|
| Fat loss | Thinner lips and contour |
| Collagen loss | Fine vertical wrinkles |
| Repeated muscle action | More marked wrinkles (dynamic ones that become static) |
| Bone resorption | Less support for the upper lip |
What about safety?
The area is supplied by the superior labial and inferior labial arteries, branches of the facial artery. They run close to the mucosa and the lip border, at a depth that varies from person to person. A vascular occlusion can compromise the skin or the mucosa of the lip.
How does this guide planning?
If the complaint is barcode lines, lip volume alone may not solve it, because the wrinkle also depends on the action of the muscle and on skin quality. Often, the plan combines approaches (soft filler, toxin at a conservative dose, biostimulator, skin care), always at the professional's discretion.
In Harmy
Harmy's Lips point lets you simulate volume in the lip, and the Mouth Corner point simulates the lateral area. The projection is illustrative and does not show the layers or the texture of the wrinkles.
Frequently asked questions
What is perioral fat?
It is the thin layer of fat around the mouth, between the skin and the orbicularis muscle. It contributes to the contour and projection of the lips.
Why do wrinkles appear around the mouth?
Contributing factors include repeated action of the orbicularis muscle, loss of collagen and fat, sun exposure and smoking. It is a picture with combined causes.