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Causes and Treatment of Laugh Lines (Nasolabial Folds)

Nasolabial folds are grooved lines on both sides of the mouth that extend from the edge of the nose to the outer corners of the mouth. These lines become more visible when smiling.

These folds also tend to deepen with age. Some individuals develop creases and wrinkles alongside these lines, which may become more prominent when smiling. These lines are often referred to as smile lines or laugh lines.

What are Nasolabial Folds (Laugh Lines)?

Nasolabial folds are often recognized as smile or laugh lines.

Nasolabial folds are lines located on both sides of the mouth that become more noticeable when smiling.

Except for infants and individuals whose faces are paralyzed for medical reasons, almost everyone has nasolabial folds.

Folds made of dense fibrous and muscular tissue become more prominent with age.

As the skin becomes thinner and sags, many individuals notice that their nasolabial folds become more pronounced.

Causes of Laugh Lines

Nasolabial folds are a natural part of human anatomy, not a disease or a sign of aging. However, these folds may deepen and sag with age.

As individuals age, some may develop lines alongside laugh lines. In some cases, lines may form that extend towards the chin, which are sometimes called marionette lines.

Laugh lines deepen for various reasons, including:

• Sun exposure, which damages the skin and leads to the formation of creases and wrinkles and changes in tissue.
• Loss of collagen with age, making the skin appear weaker and thinner.
• Loss of fat, which can make the jowls and surrounding areas appear saggy.

With aging skin, facial expressions can lead to the development of deeper lines and wrinkles. Just as frowning repeatedly can create lines near the eyebrows, smiling can deepen nasal folds.

Other factors that play a role in skin aging include:

• Smoking
• Exposure to environmental pollutants
• Rapid weight loss or frequent weight fluctuations

Treatment of Laugh Lines

Nasolabial folds (laugh lines) are a beauty concern but don’t pose any health risks and don’t necessarily need treatment. Some individuals who notice their folds deepening may prefer to get rid of them. Some cosmetic treatments can reduce the appearance of these lines or make them disappear.

Treatment methods for laugh lines include:

Skin fillers or injectables

Skin fillers are implants placed directly under the skin that can lift the skin and reduce wrinkles and creases.

A doctor can precisely inject skin fillers under the skin in the nasolabial area or upper cheek area to lift the cheeks. This injection can make the nasal folds less noticeable. This procedure can be done in a doctor’s office.

Fillers cannot eliminate laugh lines, but they can make them more prominent. They can also help volumize and make the skin around these lines appear younger.

Doctors can also inject fat into the lines area to reduce their appearance. Fat is taken from another part of the body and used for injection to fill the area, similar to skin fillers.

Skin rejuvenation treatments

Some skin rejuvenation treatments can make the skin around laugh lines appear younger. For example, skin rejuvenation with lasers can reduce the appearance of scars and age spots.

Microdermabrasion creates deep exfoliation that makes the skin look younger and thicker. These treatment methods can help diminish laugh lines, but they do not make these lines disappear.

Surgical procedure

A doctor can significantly reduce the appearance of laugh lines using subcision surgery.

This method is usually used to treat scars and acne scars, but it may also help reduce laugh lines.

During subcision surgery, the doctor uses a needle to break up the tissue. This action can help reconstruct the area around the nasal folds, reduce the depth of the folds, and make the skin around them appear younger.

Another treatment method is Excision. This method involves removing damaged skin and attempting to reshape the surrounding area. This approach requires surgery but may have more noticeable results.

Experimental treatments

Doctors continuously test new strategies to reduce the appearance of laugh lines without surgery.

One of these methods involves the use of a growth factor, a chemical that stimulates cell growth. A study in 2015 evaluated the injection of concentrated growth factors in 80 individuals with nasolabial folds.

Researchers concluded that this treatment method is a safe and potentially effective option.

Appropriate exercises to reduce laugh lines

Facial muscles, like any other group of muscles, are trainable. Strong facial muscles make it easier to control facial expressions. Just as a toned stomach may appear less saggy, a trained face may appear firmer.

While repeated smiling

Puckering your lips upward is like kissing the ceiling. Hold it for 15 seconds and repeat 4-5 times.

• Pucker your lips and then pull out the corners of your mouth. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat 4-5 times.
• With a slightly open mouth, pull the corners with both small fingers and separate the corners of the mouth. Hold for 2-3 seconds and repeat 25 to 50 times.

A person can do these exercises every day.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent laugh lines from forming – even children have them when they smile.

Those who want to prevent them from deepening and becoming more pronounced should use sunscreen and protect their faces from the sun. This can help reduce the harmful effects of UV rays from the sun.

There is no other research-based method to prevent laugh lines from forming.

Conclusion

Laugh lines are a natural part of the face, not a flaw. Although they may grow or deepen over time or with smiling, there is no need for medical treatment.

Individuals who are unhappy with their laugh lines should consult a skilled plastic surgeon or beauty specialist.

Proper treatment depends on many personal factors, and what may not be useful for one person may be effective for another.