Nasolabial Folds: Causes, Treatment, And Prevention

Your smile is one of the best parts about you! The more time you spend happy and smiling the better. The unfortunate thing is that smiling can give you permanent wrinkles that leave you frowning.

Years of smiling can create lines called nasolabial folds. Commonly known as smile lines or laugh lines, “nasolabial folds” is the technical name for the lines that begin at the bottom of your nose and extend down toward the corners of your mouth.

And they’re called “folds” for good reason — they’re not really wrinkles as you might normally think of wrinkles.

Causes Of Nasolabial Folds

True nasolabial folds are just that — folds of skin in the area between your nose and your mouth.

But Mark G. Rubin, M.D. and dermatologist, differentiates between nasolabial folds and nasolabial “creases,” which “can be a result of repetitive muscle movement and represent actual creases in the skin.” You can think of the latter as fine lines or wrinkles rather than larger folds.

Dr. Rubin says that the creases are “not created by overhanging skin. This type of [nasolabial fold] is more common in younger patients and in patients with thin skin.”

Whether you’ve got creases or folds, they can become more pronounced due to several (controllable) factors. Sun exposure or smoking can make the lines worse, and they may become saggier with age as you naturally lose collagen and elastin.

While everyone has a fold when they smile (which we think is great!), some people are left with a noticeable skin overhang even when they aren’t smiling.

Whether you’re dealing with creases or more noticeable folds, there are tons of treatment options and prevention steps (like SiO Beauty patches) for you!

Treating Nasolabial Folds

Since smiles are beautiful and these folds on your face are normal, there is no real cause for concern. However, if you’ve got deep smile lines that bother you, the good news is that there’s plenty you can do!

1) Laser Resurfacing

You probably don’t think of skin care when you hear the word “laser,” but it’s one option to treat nasolabial folds.

This treatment is designed to help with wrinkles and problem areas. It resurfaces your skin, removes damaged skin, and helps with collagen production.

Laser resurfacing is a quick treatment (think during your lunch break) that you can have done at a clinic. However, it can be pricey, your skin may be red after treatment, and skin discoloration or scarring is a potential side effect.

2) Dermal Fillers

Fill it up! This treatment involves an injection of a dermal filler into the skin around your nasolabial fold.

The injection “fills” your skin, reducing the appearance of the targeted wrinkles — in this case, reducing the appearance and depth of the nasolabial fold.

Like laser resurfacing, this is a quick procedure. But you’ll probably want to go for treatment more than once, which means the cost adds up quickly. Plus, because it’s an injection, there are risks like infection, scarring, bruising, and swelling.

That said, if you choose dermal fillers, try combining them with other products for an even more effective approach.

Dr. Dendy, SiO Beauty’s medical advisor, says you “can use the SiO Beauty patches in conjunction with injectables. Because SiO patches create the optimal microclimate for the skin, they can enhance the effects of injectables and potentially prolong their effects — creating a beautiful synergy between in-office and at-home outcomes.”

3) Botox

Botox is a common treatment for ladies who want to do away with their nasolabial folds. Similar to dermal fillers, Botox is an injection, but it works a little differently.

Botox reduces wrinkles by weakening muscles in a specific area. You’ll need this treatment every few months.

The bad news? Having Botox treatments done every few months gets expensive. Plus, since Botox is a toxin injected into your skin to weaken the muscles, it has its risks.

You could experience pain, swelling, or bruising at the injection site, as well as unintentional muscle weakening that causes drooling or eye drooping. Lastly, in rare cases, patients may develop botulism-like symptoms.

4) Facelift

For very deep nasolabial folds, a facelift is an option to get rid of them once and for all.

Surgery will improve the appearance of your not-so-happy smile lines, especially when used along with dermal filling and other products, like SiO Beauty patches.

But not so quick — a facelift is an expensive procedure, and any surgery comes with side effects. The risks include infection, bleeding, skin discoloration, and long-term numbness in the area. Recovery time is a couple of weeks (and longer for your face to feel completely normal).

5) A Good Skin Care Routine

Even if you’re considering one of the above treatment options, it should be in addition to a good skin care routine.

When thinking about skin care habits, here are a few things you’ll want to consider: cleansing (twice), exfoliating, using serum, applying eye cream, moisturizing well, and using SiO Beauty patches.

If you take good care of your skin during the day, your SiO Beauty patches will take care of your skin at night. Put them on before you go to bed, and they work while you sleep, hydrating and renewing your skin. That sounds easy!

Preventing Nasolabial Folds

You might be wondering what you can do to prevent (or at least slow down) the development of nasolabial folds

As we mentioned earlier, nasolabial folds are a normal part of your face structure when you smile. Other than telling you to stop smiling (and we wouldn’t do that!), there is no way to completely prevent this type of wrinkle.

However, there are tons of things you can do on a daily basis to make them less noticeable and leave your skin glowing!

1) Use Sun Protection

You might be tired of hearing it, but it really is important. Sun damage causes collagen and elastin (two crucial skin components for minimizing lines like nasolabial folds) to break down.

Take care of your skin by always putting on your sunscreen and your hat! Your skin will thank you for it.

2) Stop Smoking

Cigarettes are no friend to your skin. Smoking hurts your skin from the inside out — it damages collagen and elastin and reduces blood flow to your skin.

Plus, smoking (or other bad habits, like pursing your lips) can contribute to fine lines around your mouth. So put the cigarettes down!

3) Keep Your Skin Hydrated

Taking steps toward hydration improves your overall skin health, which means more youthful, wrinkle-free skin.

Drink lots of water, use the right moisturizers, and incorporate wrinkle-fighting products, like SiO beauty patches, which hydrate your skin effortlessly overnight.

4) Get Some Extra Sleep

While you’re snoozing, your body is hard at work repairing and rebuilding itself. A lack of sleep can reduce collagen production, so getting enough sleep is important to keep your skin healthy.

In addition, your time in bed is when your SiO beauty patches get to work, leaving your skin hydrated and rejuvenated.

5) Sleep On Your Back

In addition to the amount of sleep you get, how you sleep matters.

When you sleep on your stomach or your side, your face gets smashed into the pillow. That’s a lot of pushing and pulling that, over the years, can contribute to wrinkles and lines.

Try sleeping on your back — but don’t lose sleep over it if you can’t!

Bringing Back Your Smile

Hopefully, you’re feeling positive (and smiling) about these ways you can treat and prevent nasolabial folds. And if you need one more thing to make you smile, know that SiO Beauty has patches specifically designed for you.

SiO Eye and Smile Lift is a set of patches that treats smile wrinkles and lines while you sleep. It’s an option that just keeps giving, as you can reuse these patches up to 10 times. That’s a lot of wrinkle reduction!

Check into a treatment option for your nasolabial folds, pick up your own SiO Beauty patches, and wake up to a smoother smile that will keep you grinning the whole day!