The lips can be classified according to their external shape, but they are also different when it comes to superficial wrinkles and footprint. A tour of lip variants.
In a face-to-face conversation, 65% of the message load transmitted is done nonverbally. Mammals have the evolutionary advantage over other taxa of presenting voluntary facial musculature, which allows us to perform gestures, grimaces and perfect the phonatory mechanism to emit any given message in the most perfect way possible.
In the case of the human being, more than 30 facial muscles allow us to express ourselves beyond the word. For example, all of us use at least 12 muscles to smile (up to 17, depending on the type of smile), while frowning occupies a total of 43 muscle structures. As you can see, any facial gesture is preceded by an intricate underlying mechanism of muscle contractions and strains.
Today we are going to focus our attention on the most striking muscular structures of the face: the lips. These have a critical role in facial expressions, phonation, sensation, physical attraction and in creating a feeling of intimacy. The lips are essential both socially, individually and species, so it is worth knowing their particularities. For all these reasons and many more, here are the 7 types of lips and their characteristics.
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What are lips?
From a physiological point of view, the lips can be defined as the fleshy and movable outer part of the lower part of the faceor jaws that, together with another, covers the teeth and forms the opening of the mouth of mammals. This structure is composed of two distinct sections: the upper lip (labium superius oris) and the lower lip (labium inferus oris), both formed by a mucous membrane, vermilion and skin surfaces.
Although the labial considerations at the social and anatomical level are delimited to the vermilion edge, it should be noted that the lips, as muscular structures that they are, extend from the nasolabial folds to the lower margin of the nose (in the case of the upper ones) or, failing that, to the labiomental fold of the chin (lower lips). Thus, the labial structure is not just the reddish section that we observe with the naked eye.
The central muscular portion of the lips corresponds to striated (voluntary) musculature, covered in its outer section by hypodermis, dermis and epidermis (from inside to outside), while the internalized part presents a mucosal lining tissue. In summary, the lip as an anatomical structure is a musculocutaneous fold of membranous nature.
These muscle sections surround the oral cavity and play an essential role in chewing, phonation, tactile sensation and creation of intimacy (kissing is indicative of pairing and love in many cultures). The lips allow food to remain inside our mouth during chewing, so without them, nutrition as we know it today would be impossible.
In addition to this, it should be noted that the labial structures allow us to form the sucking apparatus necessary for breastfeeding to take place during the first months of our lives. They also allow us to emit sounds of a bilabial/labiodental nature and enable substantial facial movementsinvolved in the formation of certain gestures, such as smiles and faces of anger or disgust.
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How are lips classified?
The most obvious way to classify labial structures is their shape, encompassing the upper and lower lips and taking into account their role in facial harmony. Let’s get to it.
1. Thick lips
For social reasons, thick lips are the most desired by the female population. Due to their fleshiness and volume, they usually become the center of attention of the faceand are a symbol (generally) of eroticism and sensuality. For all these reasons, some people decide to obtain this labial structure synthetically.
Lip augmentation can be achieved with permanent or transient fillers, from materials that are understood under the general name of “fillers”. Today, the most widespread procedure is based on hyaluronic acid, whose effects last 12-16 months and which is introduced into the injected patient, on an outpatient basis and with minimal negative effects.
2. Upper lip larger than lower
A rather strange lip shape, at least by normative standards. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA), the “perfect” mouth is one in which the lower lip is twice as thick as the upper lip (and should occupy 10% of the lower third of the face). For this reason, a large upper lip is a deviation from the norm.
3. Lower lip larger than upper
As we have said, this labial form is the most typicaland widespread in the phenotypic variety of our species. From a standardized point of view, the lower lip should be twice as thick as the upper lip.
4. Thin lips
Thin lips are the counterpart of thick ones, as it is not a very desired trait in the general population. We only need an internet search to verify it, because the first results that appear in relation to this subject are tips to swell them artificially.
In addition, it should be noted that, with age, the lips become thinner, because there is less and less layer of vermilion exposed and the skin wrinkles and loses its firmness over the years. Having thin lips is completely normal (especially if you are older), so do not think of them as a bad thing.
5. Heart-shaped lips
The upper and lower part are equal in terms of volume, but unlike the rest, the upper lip in this case acquires a heart-shaped shape. It is also an aesthetic value that has become fashionable in recent years and, to achieve this lip structure, it is necessary to inject filling into the central part of the upper lip.
6. Medium thickness lips
Its very name indicates everything. They are the lips that findthe absolute balance between thickness and excessive fineness.
7. According to the lipstick
You will be surprised to know that human beings have their own unique lip imprint, just like the fingerprint. The lip roughness pattern is of enormous interest at the forensic level, as cheiloscopy is a very powerful tool for the identification of suspects at the crime scene. Its method of validity is comparable to that of dactyloscopy, since lip wrinkles are unique, invariable, permanent and classifiable.
Within the classification of the lips according to their footprint, we can highlight the following types:
- I: vertical lines that run along all or most of the lips.
- II: branched, Y-shaped lines.
- III: lip pattern with intersectional lines.
- IV: lattice lines, that is, in quadrants in the form of a network.
- V: mixed lines without a determining pattern.
To obtain lip prints, different methodologies can be followed. The most obvious and simple is the macroscopic photographing of the lip structure of the suspect, with high quality cameras that allow to collect an exact image of the lines of the lip. Another much more accurate way is to apply a colorful solution on the lip surface (such as a red lipstick without lumps) and then have the suspect kiss a paper or cellophane surface. These samples receive the same treatment as fingerprints, since their validity has been tested with conclusive results on many occasions.
Summary
It is very curious to see how, in many informative sources, it is assured that “the shape of the lips dictates the personality of the individual”. We refuse to believe these postulations in all cases, because a labial structure can encourage the appearance of certain psychological traits if it is accompanied by an unusual facial harmony or beauty, but little else.
The types of lips, especially at the level of footprint, do say a lot about us, but in a completely different area: they are a sign of our own identity and, thanks to something as simple as a brand of lipstick on a shirt, you can differentiate a suspect from hundreds of them thanks to his lip print. The lips do not determine our way of being, but they are an unequivocal sign of identity on a physical level.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.