Smile lines, also known as nasolabial folds, start to creep up on both sides of the mouth as we get older. They’re one of the significant features that indicate a person’s aging appearance and these lines are present even when the face is expressionless. Your expression can appear to be unhappy and tired – even if you are not actively activating a facial expression.

A youthful appearance will only show smile lines when patients smile, laugh or perhaps brush their teeth. At a young age, many individuals have surplus supplies of hyaluronic acid within their skin layers, between the grooves of the nose and mouth, which means smile lines may be present, but not yet pronounced.

Smile lines can also create the impression of drooping cheeks. Using hyaluronic acid gel to smooth out these two creases on either side of the mouth, improves the volume level while also ironing out the droopiness of the cheeks, tightening the overall facial appearance.

Minimizing the appearance of these laugh lines can make patients look rejuvenated, young, and energetic again.

What makes nasolabial folds more prominent?

Nasolabial folds can become more deep and noticeable in patients under the following conditions:

• Increased sun exposure
• Skin texture changes
• Decreased collagen levels
• Weight loss
• An unhealthy diet
• Smoking

The key to keeping smile lines at bay, is plenty of hydration (e.g. drinking lots of water) and good skincare such as sunscreen, to protect against collagen loss. These natural methods help ensure there is optimum volume and hydration. Also, the use of a high quality topical moisturizer and serum applied each morning can assist.

If smile lines are much more defined, no superficial moisturizer will work it’s magic on them now — at this point, dermal fillers are a proven way to work from underneath the skin to help combat excessive smile lines

How to erase smile lines

Different dermal fillers are suitable for different situations, based on the patient’s situation and the intensity of the folds. Here are some popular nasolabial fold (smile line) fillers used by practitioners worldwide.

Restylane Defyne is largely considered the number one filler choice for treating deep smile lines.

Restylane Refyne is the second-most popular filler for smile lines – typically, for smile lines which are not as deep.

Both of the above fillers are 1 ml each, so if you require a more durable brand that comes in 2ml, then Juvederm is recommended.

Juvederm Ultra 4 is used for deep folds, whereas Juvederm Ultra 3 is popularly indicated for medium severity smile lines.

The hyaluronic acid molecules inside these dermal fillers stimulate the body’s natural production of beneficial bio-chemicals, and is a non-invasive way to combat aging without surgery.

Collagen production is also increased, as well as improved dermal elasticity. Results can last for up to 1 year, but given that the mouth area is a high-use area, these results will greatly depend on lifestyle factors and metabolism.