Filler for Lines and Folds in Washington, DC
Before and After Gallery *
Nasolabial Folds & Marionette Lines
The most traditional use of injectable fillers is for the correction of lines and folds of the lower face. This includes the nasolabial fold (parentheses lines) extending from the nose towards the corners of the mouth as well as the marionette lines extending from the corners of the mouth towards the chin. Treatment of these lines and folds involves filler injection directly under the skin in the area of concern, providing volume enhancement to the treated area minimizing the appearance of the lines and folds in this areas. Multiple treatment techniques are often employed depending on the depth and extent of the line or fold. Fillers utilized in the treatment of the perioral lines and folds include Restylane, Restylane Defyne, and Juvederm Ultra or Ultra+, however other fillers may be utilized or fillers may be layered if necessary for a larger degree of correction.
As knowledge of the facial aging process has advanced, we have developed a better understanding of the reason these lines and folds develop and deepen with age. Historically injectors would attempt correction of these folds by utilizing varying volumes of filler injected directly to these areas, often resulting in rounded appearances of the central face (the ‘homer simpson’ look) due to excessive volumes of filler being used to attain correction. More recently, we have come to understand that these folds around the mouth face occur due to normal age related loss of both bone structure and deep fat compartments of the upper cheeks, known as the mid-face, which leads to development and worsening of the nasolabial fold, marionette lines, and jowls. Modern injection techniques typically involves a multimodal injection technique that addresses both the loss of structure in the mid-face as well as direct treatment of the nasolabial fold and marionette lines. This combination corrective technique leads to far more natural and youthful appearance than overfilling the lines and folds of the central face.
Upper Lip Wrinkles (‘Smokers Lines’)
‘I have never smoked in my life, how do I have these lines’. While smoking can certainly hasten the development of vertical lip lines due to repetitive pursing of the lips, in non-smokers the natural loss of collagen and volume of the upper lip with age is the primary reason for development of these lines. Utilizing lighter and softer hyaluronic acid fillers such as Restylane Refyne it is possible to restore skin volume to this area as well as directly inject and soften deeper lines of the upper lip with natural results. Often we will combine upper lip filler treatments with ablative or non-ablative laser resurfacing treatments to further smooth out the skin in this area.
