Nasolabial lines; what are they?

Nasolabial lines are the lines that run between the nose and the outer corners of the mouth. They are often termed “smile lines” although they are generally not caused by smiling.

As we age, the bone that sits between the nose and cheeks starts to shrink, the facial ligaments become more lax and our facial fat pads slide down towards the lower face.

All of the above lead to a “hill and valley” between the medial (inner) cheek and the area above the upper lip. Anywhere where a “hill and valley” effect is seen, will cause pressure and as a result, line formation.

So how can we help this situation?

Facial filler

There are a number of ways we can address the issue. Our first option is to look at putting some filler just next to the outer edge of the nostril on both sides. This is done by a deep injection and can provide good support and structure for the cheeks.

Cheek filler

Our next option is to look at putting some filler into the cheeks themselves. We have a ligament that runs down the side of our faces, roughly from the outer aspect of the brow, down across the cheek and onto the chin. If we inject filler more laterally (towards the outer side of our face) to this ligament, it can have a great lifting effect on the tissues. As a result, the tissues of the cheeks are lifted up, and away from the nose and back into their more youthful position. This not only helps to give a lovely mid-face rejuvenation in general, but also helps to reduce the pressure from the tissues of the cheek and the “hill-valley” effect we spoke about earlier.