The TikTok FYP has struck again with another anti-aging warning. This time, videos are circulating that you should avoid pursing your lips to steer clear of tiny wrinkles around your mouth, which are sometimes called smokers’ lines. Meaning, those popular Stanley Cups that include a straw may not be the best idea. Unless, of course, your FYP has also hit you with the viral anti -wrinkle straw.
So is the trending info fact or fiction? Like most things in life…it’s complicated.
But really, do straws cause wrinkles?
They can. Constantly pursing your lips could cause your skin to lose collagen and become looser, which is how wrinkles can form. Smokers' lines are named because these types of wrinkles are common in cigarette smokers — since they're often pursing their lips. (Up to 14 times a day on average, according to the CDC.) So if you're doing the same mouthing motion when drinking out of a straw, you could wind up getting smokers' lines too.
Does this apply to everyone?
Not necessarily. Whether you get these wrinkles depends on a number of factors. Including how often you're using a straw or pursing your lips. It could also depend on your skin color: Most of the TikTokers who are warning their followers about this are white. And based on research from the National Library of Medicine, they're more prone to wrinkles in general. That's because they have less melanin, which means their collagen is less compact — making them more likely to get smokers' lines.
Got it. Tell me more about this anti-wrinkle straw.
It’s a TikTok-approved curvy straw that’s supposedly designed to fight smokers' lines. Because you don’t have to suck from the straw to drink your beverage. Instead, you place your lips on top so you can drink without pursing your lips. Watch the vid below to see it in action.
If you’d rather not take a chance getting any mouth wrinkles — and you don’t want to pay for a crazy straw-looking contraption — there’s always a traditional cup you can drink out. Because, yes, those still exist.
theSkimm
TikTok is warning us all that straws can cause smokers’ lines. But the truth is more complicated than it seems in the 60-second TikTok videos.
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