Lines around the Mouth

I had a friend ask me last night about lines that bothered her around her lips and mouth.  This is a very common issue for folks wether or not they have a smoking history.  Today I thought, the response may be beneficial to others as well. 

As we age facial lines can appear in the skin from repetitive movements, loss of elasticity, and effects of sun damage, and gravity.  I will focus on non-surgical options in this post including injectable fillers like Juvederm, Skin tightening, and laser resurfacing.  

Filler can be injected into each wrinkle to smooth them.  It doesn't usually erase them completely but makes a significant improvement.  The downside is that a small syringe of Juvaderm is  approximately $575, and although the company states it can last 9-12 months in some areas, around the mouth it doesn't typically last as long, more like 6 months. Here is a photo of our patient after treating with filler. There is typically no downtime and improvement is immediate.

Before and Immediately After Injection with Juvaderm

A more long lasting option is Laser Resurfacing around the mouth. Although It make take more than one treatment, you should get a nice improvement with even with one treatment.  It is appproximately $500-600 to treat around the mouth,  The downside, is that it takes about a week to heal and looks red and inflamed during that healing period and feels like a bad sunburn. 

Before and 1 Month After Laser Resurfacing

Exilis Skin Tightening falls somewhere in between.  The advantages are that there is little to now down time or recovery, and any improvement should be longer lasting.   The results are typically not as dramatic as laser resurfacing, and we recommend at least 3-4 treatments.  Treatments are usually $400 each but we currently offer a package discount for 4 Treatments for $1200.

Exilis Skin Tightening Before and After , 3 Treatments

Hope this is helpful in providing you a few options to consider.  Feel free to call our office at 859-236-1670.