Do you see some wrinkles around the side of your mouth when you smile? Do not mistake them for dimples because these are smile lines.
While these are usually present on the side of your mouth, they can also be present on the corners of your eyes or around them.
Age is one of the factors that can inevitably result in wrinkles. While initially they only appear when you laugh or smile, as you age, they become visible even if your face is at rest.
That said, you can always get treatments to stop them from deepening.
This article discusses the treatments you can avail and how to prevent them in the first place. So let’s dive in!
Non Surgical Treatments for Smile Lines
Nonsurgical treatments for laugh lines include non-invasive injections of fillers and botox, to OTC creams.
- botox
- fillers
- topical creams
- laser treatments
- collagen induction therapy
- home light treatments
In order to decide what you need, discuss your condition with your doctor. They can determine the extent of your lines and what treatment will produce a visible result.
Botox
Botox is primarily an injectable filler. Though, they rejuvenate the face by weakening the muscles rather than adding volume.
As the muscles temporarily paralyze, the wrinkles and lines in the area relax. This reduces the visibility of wrinkles.
Using Botulinum Toxin in all forms (such as Botox, Xeomin and Dysport) is going to work on the wrinkles around the eyes. However, it may not be as effective around the mouth.
The best part is that there is hardly any downtime and you can see results within a few days.
You can continue your daily activities after 24 hours. There will be some redness, headaches, discoloration or irritation.
That said, Botox is not a permanent solution. You will need regular injections as one treatment only lasts 3 months.
Hence, you can implore other options as well.
Fillers
Hyaluronic Acid fillers are injected into the crease that goes from the mouth to your nose.
Unlike Botox, fillers replace the loss of volume in your skin that usually occurs due to aging.
Along with that they also fill the wrinkles, hence, giving your face a smoother look without any lines.
Fillers last longer than Botox. The results can stay for 6 to 12 months. In fact, some fillers give even more permanent effects that last longer. But the best part is that the results are immediately visible and are also reversible.
Not happy with how it turned out? You can easily reverse it.
Smile Lines Treatment
Laser
Laser skin resurfacing treatments can work on their own or alongside botox and fillers to hide the wrinkles.
They can improve the quality of your skin one step further. However, even if you use them with botox and fillers, the injections will last the same amount of time.
Skin resurfacing reveals a new layer of skin by removing the upper one.
The wrinkles and skin spots present on the top layer are replaced entirely by the new lower layer of skin.
The treatment lasts for a few months and recovery time is around 1 to 3 weeks. There will be some pain, scarring and swelling, though that subsides after a few days.
Collagen Therapy
The loss of collagen and elasticity in the skin causes wrinkles and fine lines.
So by introducing collagen into the skin, you can fill in the wrinkles and regain elasticity.
The collagen induction procedure does not involve an external dose of collagen but rather, increasing its natural production in your skin. That too using a small roller with needles. Another name for the therapy is microneedling.
The needles do not produce an immediate result. In fact, you will have to wait 9 months to see the full results.
Plus, one treatment is not enough, you may have to get 3 to 6 treatments to achieve desired results.
After the treatment, there can be bruising, discoloration and redness during the healing process.
Home Light
Want to increase collagen in your skin at home? Easy! Use home light treatments.
These use LED lights in order to produce more collagen around your eyes.
Use it daily for 3 minutes in one go. Though, the efficacy of such home products is still questionable. Consult your doctor before using it on sensitive areas such as near the eyes.
Surgical Treatments and Creams
In order to get a long-lasting solution to the lines, a surgical facelift is your go-to option.
Whether it is fillers, botox, lasers or collagen induction therapy, all these options need repeated treatments.
However, a facelift will give you longer-lasting results that too, are all-inclusive.
Some treatments only target the eyes or the corners of the mouth but a facelift can get rid of the lines around your mouth as well as the eyes together.
The plastic surgeon can recommend eyelid surgery, neck lift or brow lift with your new proportions.
The pro of this procedure is that it will last you longer, however, no treatment is ever permanent. The cons include that it is certainly the most expensive of all procedures and requires the longest to heal.
Healing requires 3 months and side effect includes infection, as well as a risk of scarring, nerve damage and pain.
If you want to skip any of these treatments and try an affordable option then turn to OTC creams.
Retinol creams can break down the free radicals that form wrinkles.
In a study, patients using 0.4 percent retinol lotion, three times a week for 6 months showed a difference in fine lines and wrinkles.
However, retinol is not the only ingredient that can work against wrinkles and fine lines.
In fact, hydroxy acids, Vitamin C and peptides can work in a similar manner too.
That said, there is a huge downside to using creams. Results can take time and will be rather subtle. Plus, they will not be permanent. You will have to keep using the creams regularly.
You may also get side effects such as burning, discoloration and rashes especially if your skin is sensitive.
So here are all your treatments to rid lines but do you want a natural solution?
How to Get Rid of Smile Lines Naturally?
The best natural way is to prevent the lines from appearing beforehand. However, you can also try a few exercises for the eyes and the corners of the mouth so that the wrinkles become less apparent.
Exercises for the Corners of the Mouth
- Strengthening cheek muscles
The cheeks help to lift and tighten the skin. If they lose volume and strength over time then the lines may start to appear around your mouth.
Hence, do the following exercise to strengthen the muscles in your cheek.
- Apply pressure to your lines by using your index fingers
- Then smile as widely as possible while keeping your lips apart
- Keep holding it for 5 to 10 seconds. Relax and then repeat the procedure 15 to 30 times.
- Strengthening muscles around the mouth
Do you laugh to your fullest? If you haven’t smiled a big full smile for a while, this is your chance.
Smiling to the fullest also strengthens muscles near the mouth along with tightening the lines.
For that:
- Smile to the fullest while keeping your teeth closed
- Hold the smile for 10 seconds.
- Relax your mouth and repeat it 15 to 20 times.
- Working out orbicularis oris muscles
You do not work out all the muscles in your mouth. Orbicularis oris muscles come in use for controlling puckering and closing the mouth properly.
Exercising these muscles can reduce your laugh lines.
- Hook your mouth’s corners with the index finger and pull out a quarter inch from the resting position.
- Apply some pressure and resistance using the fingers and mouth muscles to tighten the mouth’s corners towards each other
- Keep in position for 5 to 10 seconds. Relax and repeat 10 to 25 times
Exercises for the eye
Smile lines also appear near the eye and an exercise for that can help reduce their visibility.
- Position your thumbs on the outer corners of the eyes
- Now your fingers should be on the top of the head
- Shut your eyes and squeeze them tightly
- Keep them squeezed and pull the outer corners of both the eyes away from one another and lightly upwards
- Hold in position for 5 to 10 seconds. Relax and repeat 10 to 25 times
Prevention and Causes
Rather than having to treat the lines once they appear, try to prevent them beforehand.
Aging is a natural procedure and the lines will come one day or another. However, for some people, the lines appear at a very young age.
This is either because of dehydrated skin, smoking, sun damage, genetics, or loss of collagen and elasticity.
As you age, they may be inevitable, but living a healthy lifestyle can delay them.
For that, you can wear sunscreen whenever you are outdoors. It can prevent sun damage that forms wrinkles.
Drink more water and fewer diuretics such as coffee and alcohol.
Eat a balanced diet that is high in nutrients such as proteins. You can also eat a plant-based diet.
Try to avoid fluctuations in weight and wash your face with a moisturizer that caters to your skin type.
Do not forget that smoking is bad for your overall health but also your skin. Quit it before it is too late!
Keeping these things in mind, you can live a healthy lifestyle and also delay skin aging. Some people may have smile lines on face and eyes and 18 or 20.
That could be due to weight fluctuations and starting exercises may be helpful to prevent them from worsening.
Finally,
Smile lines are not unattractive. If you are confident in your body then you can flaunt the lines that come with age and wisdom.
Though, if they bother you then there are always treatments available to make you feel better about yourself.
