Laser not best choice for nasolabial folds

Nissan Pilest, MD answers: Affirm vs Titan, Thermage, and Fraxel for nasolabial folds?

I have read mixed reviews on results from Titan, Thermage, and Fraxel Laser all claiming to build collagen and tighten skin. I'd like to know, of these treatments, which is best for overall lifting, plumping, and minimizing the beginning sag of nasolabial folds? I've been reading a lot about Affirm Laser and would like to know how it stands next to Titan and Thermage and even Fraxel in what I'm looking to achieve. I'm 37 years old and my skin is starting to show age.


Nissan Pilest, MD
2 months ago

Any tightening technology will likely not give you the effects you are looking for. Nasolabial folds are normal and having some definitive fold in that area provides a certain normalcy to your face.

Where Titan or Thermage is effective is in over all facial sagging. The most appreciated treatment areas are the jowl and upper neck and the eye area. Nasolabial folds are typically best minimized with a filler.

Fraxel is designed for changing the appearance of the skin surface and not for reversing facial folds. With Fraxel or other lasers you'll improve skin tone, color and texture, but you won't see dramatic differences in the hills and valleys created by major muscle movement.

If you've had fillers previously -- such as Perlane, Radiesse or Juvederm - and you've been pleased with the improvement, you may want to look into Artefill. Artefill for all practical purposes is a permanent filler since the inert beads stay in the skin permanently to support the new collagen fibers which are part of the response to the injected material.

I typically don't recommend Artefill as a first filler since it does not go away, does not degrade, and can' t be removed.  But for the longest term resolution, at this time Artefill would best suit your concerns. Just be conservative. It's easy to add more but impossible to lessen overcorrection.

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