A: Botox and/or Dysport not for laugh lines

Hello,

The laugh lines (aka smile lines, naso-labial folds, melo-labial folds) are not treated with a botulinum toxin.  Certainly these products would work, but you would no longer be able to smile (or move your upper lip much at all) if you treated them this way. 

Good news, however, fillers work great for this purpose.  Hyaluronic Acid products such as Restylane and Juvederm are excellent choices in this area.  You can expect to use 1cc for mild creases, 2cc’s for moderate creases, and 3cc’s for deep creases.  Most patients see long term improvement from these products on the order of 1 or more years.  For moderate and severe creases, I typically will do 2 or 3 cc’s to start, another 1 or 2 cc’s 6 to 12 months later, and 1cc every 12-24 months for maintenance.