You’ve likely read the standard skin-care advice: wear sunscreen, use retinol, and get enough sleep. But there’s a daily habit that dermatologists say could be subtly aging your forehead, and it’s sitting in your coffee cup or water bottle right now.
If you’ve noticed deeper horizontal lines or a vertical furrow between your brows that seems stubborn despite your skin-care routine, the culprit might not be your expression. It could be the way you drink.
What is the drink dermatologists are pointing to?
The specific drink that dermatologists flag as a potential cause of worsening forehead lines is any beverage consumed through a straw—especially when done repeatedly throughout the day. The issue isn’t what’s inside the cup (though sugary sodas and acidic juices can contribute to collagen breakdown), but the mechanics of the sipping motion itself.
Board-certified dermatologists have observed that frequent straw use engages the orbicularis oris muscle around the mouth, and that repetitive pursing action creates a chain reaction of muscle engagement all the way up to the forehead. Over years, this can etch in the same types of lines you get from squinting or raising your brows.
How sipping through a straw actually affects your forehead
When you drink from a straw, your lips contract. Most people naturally raise their eyebrows slightly to help balance the mouth movement. That constant micro-movement—done hundreds of times a day, week after week—places repetitive stress on the frontalis muscle. The frontalis is the thin, flat muscle that lifts your eyebrows and creates horizontal forehead creases.
Dr. Shadi Kourosh, a dermatologist at UCLA who has researched the topic, compares the effect to how you get a callus from a repeated rubbing motion. “With skin, repeated folding and creasing over years in the same lines creates permanent wrinkles,” she has explained. “For patients who drink from straws all day—especially commuters, nurses, or anyone who sips throughout a shift—we can often trace the pattern of their upper-face lines directly to that habit.”
It’s not just about coffee. Iced tea, cold water, smoothies, and protein shakes consumed via straw all produce the same repeated puckering motion.
Does the type of liquid matter?
While the movement is the primary concern, dermatologists also note that certain beverages can accelerate the aging process once that mechanical stress has already weakened collagen in the crease lines.
- Sugary drinks (soda, sweetened iced tea) promote glycation—a chemical process where sugar molecules bind to collagen fibers, making them stiff and brittle. Already-formed forehead lines may then appear deeper as collagen loses its spring.
- Acidic beverages (citrus juices, kombucha) can temporarily disrupt the skin’s pH barrier, making the outermost layer less resilient to folding and creasing each time you sip.
- Caffeinated drinks can have a mild diuretic effect, which may leave skin slightly dehydrated. Dry skin crumples more easily and shows fine lines with less provocation.
However, even plain water through a straw still causes the repeated muscle activation. The container and delivery method matter more than the contents for the mechanical aspect of the wrinkling.
What about the groove on each side of the mouth?
Yes, the same habit contributes to what estheticians call “lipstick lines” or perioral wrinkles around the mouth. But the forehead connection is less obvious to most people, which is why dermatologists now routinely ask patients about straw use when evaluating deep transverse forehead creases in patients in their 30s and 40s who do not have other aging risk factors.
If you have a pronounced vertical line between your eyebrows (the “11” lines), the straw habit can worsen that too, because the corrugator muscles that pull the brows together are often activated as a secondary stabilizer during the sip.
What dermatologists recommend instead
1. Switch to drinking from the rim
The simplest change is to remove the straw. Drinking directly from the rim of a glass, mug, or water bottle engages minimal facial muscle movement. Your lips part naturally, and your forehead stays mostly relaxed. This alone can eliminate the repetitive micro-motion over the course of a day.
2. Rethink your travel mug or water bottle lid
Many commuter cups are designed with a small spout that forces the same straw-like contraction of the lips. If you use a lid, choose one with a wide opening. Some hydrating water bottles now feature “chug” style caps rather than straw or narrow spout openings.
3. Be mindful of unconscious habits
Many people use straws without thinking—especially while driving, working at a desk, or watching television. A quick habit audit can help. For one week, note every time you reach for a straw. If the count is more than three times a day, try switching to a rim-drink alternative for at least part of your day.
The goal isn’t perfection. If you love straws for convenience or dental reasons, save them for occasional use rather than your go-to for every sip.
What dermatologists do not want you to worry about
It’s crucial to put this in perspective. Occasional straw use at a restaurant, or using a straw because you have sensitive teeth or a dental condition, is not going to create deep forehead furrows overnight. The concern is for chronic, daily, all-day-long sipping habits over years or decades.
Additionally, forehead lines are caused by many factors: genetics, sun exposure, smoking, sleep position, and natural facial animation like laughing or frowning. Stopping straw use won’t reverse existing deep wrinkles, but it may prevent them from getting deeper faster, according to the dermatologists.
A quick note on collagen and skin support
To support skin resilience as you reduce mechanical stress, consider adding a peptide-based moisturizer or a gentle AHA exfoliant to your evening routine. These help maintain the skin matrix that has to bounce back after daily movement. And as always, daily broad-spectrum sunscreen on the forehead prevents UV damage from making folds more visible.
This content is for general wellness education only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your dermatologist or healthcare provider for personalized skin care recommendations.
