Deep creases around the mouth are often mistaken for signs of ageing. If you prefer your skin to be wrinkle-free, then laughing lines are no laughing matter (excuse the pun). What are laugh lines and are they really as a result of laughing? How can you get rid of laughter lines and do they keep coming back? This article shares a few tips from dermatologists and aestheticians to help understand more about laugh lines and what you can do about them if they are bothering. Let’s get started, shall we…
What Are Laugh Lines And What Causes Them?
You see those vertical lines extending from the sides of your nose, curving around the mouth and often extending to your chin? They are extremely common, so don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Without getting too scientific, there are two types of laugh lines. Namely:
- Nasolabial crease – these are the lines that you see between your top lip and the cheeks.
- Nasolabial fold – this is the skin or tissue that overhangs the nasolabial crease.
Ageing and lifestyle factors contribute to the appearance and severity of both types of laugh lines. Look at some of your younger photos, and you may see more delicate lines in the areas around your mouth. The creases may deepen with weight gain and poor dental health where the skin loses support from your teeth.
Static vs Dynamic Laugh Lines
It is essential to know if your laugh lines are static or dynamic before seeking treatment. What does this mean? Static laugh lines or wrinkles are the lines that appear when you have a neutral facial expression (your face is not moving due smiling or laughing). Getting early treatment for static lines is vital because they become harder to treat over time.
Dynamic wrinkles are those lines you see with the movement of your face. They appear when you laugh or smile and are as a result of the muscles expanding and contracting. The muscles around your eyes and lips all work together to create the facial expression you make when you blink, laugh or smile.
Treating Laugh Lines with Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers offer excellent treatment to softening laugh lines. Understanding facial anatomy is essential, so you should always go to a doctor with board-certification. If a doctor applies filler in the wrong place, or too much of it, the results may create a puffy appearance. Another way to prevent introducing too much filler is to perform the treatment in small increments and allowing the filler to settle before the next one.
The results of treating laugh lines with dermal filler are almost immediate. Unlike Botox, you don’t have to wait up to a week to see the effects. The single downside of dermal fillers is that they will wear off in under 12 months. Therefore, maintenance treatments are vital to keep laugh lines at bay.
Anti-Wrinkle Injections and Laugh Lines
The eyes’ animation is an inevitable part of your smile or laugh, which always accompanies the mouth’s movement. Creases form as the muscles around the mouth and eyes move, leading to deeper lines over time.
Imagine balling up a sheet of paper and straightening it out over and over. Initially, you’ll smooth out most crinkles, but after a while, the creases remain. This is the same with dynamic laugh wrinkles and any other wrinkle on your face.
Botox works well in the top regions of the face around the eyes, between the eyebrows and the forehead. Within a week, you will be able to see the results and the smoother skin on your face lasts up to six months.
Are There Non-Injectable Options For Laugh Lines
If you’re not sure about injectable treatments or would instead try some at-home options first, dermatologists recommend exfoliation. While exfoliation won’t reduce the appearance of laugh lines, gentle exfoliation can help smooth out your skin’s overall look.
Choose an exfoliator with physical or chemical exfoliants and perform gentle cleansing daily. Alpha hydroxy acids, including glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids, are essential ingredients in exfoliating products, helping with cleansing.
Facial massage is another effective tonic to help tone and strengthen your facial muscles so they can resist the force of gravity better. Massage and exfoliation are holistic therapies that can go a long way to softening wrinkles. The lines will not entirely go away – instead, the massage will help keep your facial muscles and skin taut.
We all love to smile and laugh, but if your laugh lines are causing you distress and you’d like to do something about it, we are here to help. At Vinci Aesthetics, we specialise in offering the best client satisfaction you can hope for. Let us help you soften those laugh lines by giving us a call to book your consultation today.
