Bizarre beauty trend sees women glue their top lip to achieve a plumper pout

Women are gluing their top lips in a bid to achieve a plumper pout [Photo: Getty]
Women are gluing their top lips in a bid to achieve a plumper pout [Photo: Getty]

A bizarre new beauty craze is seeing people glue their top lip to the skin below their nose, apparently giving the illusion of a fuller pout.

We’ve seen more than our fair share of strange beauty trends over the years.

From Glitter-emblazoned bums, eyeball-inspired lip art and regal brows, social media feeds are awash with weird and wonderful tricks to plump, preen and perfect your look.

But the latest one most definitely comes with a health warning, mainly because it involves the using of actual glue.

A clip of the technique reveals a young woman applying glue to her philtrum (the area of skin between the top lip and nose) before pulling up her top lip and pressing it to stick to the adhesive.

After letting go, her lip stays fixed in place, sort of giving the appearance of a fuller pout.

The video was originally posted to TikTok, but has since gone viral on Twitter, with many sharing their confusion about the new trend.

Health warnings

Unsurprisingly, as with many of the recent viral beauty crazes, this one certainly comes with risks.

While it isn’t known the type of glue used in the clip, one of the main concerns would be using super glue to stick down your lip, which is a major faux pas for your face and skin.

According to consultant pharmacist, James O'Loan at www.doctor-4-u.co.uk using super glue on your skin could lead to some pretty nasty consequences.

"Super glue is not usually capable of causing serious harm to skin but it can easily damage it if not removed properly,” he explains.

“Even though it's not hot, it is also capable of burning skin. Super glue contains cyanoacrylate which can create a reaction that leads to burning if it comes into contact with cotton clothing, tissues and certain other materials.”

There’s also risk of injury when you try to remove the super glue.

“When applied to an area of skin, super glue will stick quickly and trying to pull apart skin that has been superglued together can easily cause it to tear,” he adds.

“So while it's unlikely to cause any great danger, getting super glue on your skin can cause pain and create a messy appearance where it was applied for a temporary period.”

O’Loan explains that super glue should naturally dissolve off your skin within a few days, but you can speed up the process if you wash the affected area (whether it's your lips or another area) with a lot of warm water.

“After doing this, you could try gently peeling or rolling the patches of skin that have been glued together apart,” he says. But be gentle to try to avoid tearing the skin.

If you end up burning your skin with super glue, O’Loan advises washing the area with water and apply an antibiotic ointment and a sterile dressing.

“If glue doesn't come off your skin within a few days, or you develop a rash or particularly large burn, then you should go see a doctor."

Better still don’t make glueing your lips part of your make-up routine.