#beloterobalance

Nasolabial folds—also sometimes referred to as smile lines, laugh lines, or puppet lines—are completely normal. Women and men of all ages have them. Slight creases are generally considered to be fine, but some people feel that a problem arises when they reach their 40s or 50s birthday and their facial skin starts to noticeably change. Those slight creases that run from sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth can become even more prominent and noticeable. Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills recommends such dermal fillers as JUVEDERM®, Restylane®, and Belotero Balance® for aesthetic dermatology patients in Los Angeles who are hoping to reduce nasolabial folds.

A combination of bones, muscles, fat, and skin make up the structure of the face. In terms of contours, younger faces generally have high, rounded cheeks leading down to a more narrow, neat jawline. This is sometimes called the “Triangle of Youth.” With increased age, this shape reverses, becoming thinner and hollow around the forehead, tear troughs, and cheeks, while fat and skin accumulate near the bottom.

Unlike dynamic wrinkles such crow’s feet, which are linked to repetitive muscle contractions, nasolabial creases are caused by the age-related breakdown of skin quality. When collagen and elastin levels drop, fat pads beneath the skin thin out, the skin dries out, and new cell turnover stagnates, these types of depressions and wrinkles appear. Environmental influences like gravity and sun exposure only worsen the skin damage.

Since not everyone wants a droopy, basset hound-like appearance, fillers can help patients to manage some of their deep creases. These injectable fillers act in a similar way to implants, because they add volume and structure beneath the thinning, flattened areas of the skin. This added volume essentially “inflates” lax skin, restoring it to a more youthful condition. For some patients, their injectors may find it more effective to target the nasolabial folds directly, while others prefer to start off with the middle section of the face and work outward. An extensive level of volume loss may require a larger amount of filler.

JUVEDERM®, Restylane®, and Belotero Balance® are three popular treatment options, each of which has its own unique benefits. All three contain hyaluronic acid, a gelatinous substance that plumps up the skin from the inside out and holds onto moisture. These fillers can’t permanently eliminate your wrinkles, but they can help to make them less visible.

Generally, thicker formulations of fillers are injected deep beneath the skin to address more severe creases. There are a wide range of JUVEDERM® products available, and most are designed to soften wrinkles in the middle and lower parts of the face. JUVÉDERM ULTRA PLUS® is a more viscous product that significantly improves folds surrounding the mouth. Having flattened cheeks can make nasolabial folds look worse, so patients can also use VOLUMA® XC to lift and augment the apples of their upper cheeks. This cheek filler elevates the skin and tissues so that the entire jawline looks more sculpted.

Restylane® is a very similar filler used for some of the same treatment areas as JUVEDERM®. Like JUVEDERM®, there are various Restylane® products available, and they all have different uses. Most of them work well for nasolabial folds, but RESTYLANE-L® and RESTYLANE® DEFYNE offer the most dramatic improvements for advanced signs of aging around the mouth.

Belotero Balance® is a soft, malleable gel that is ideal for moderate smile lines around the mouth. It decreases the depth of folds while still blending in well with the skin to preserve a natural look and allowing you to move your face normally. It can also be injected into a more superficial layer of skin to improve the look of the surface.