38 years old - What would be the most effective treatment for smile lines, other than fillers? (Photo)

Question

I’m 38 and have used tretinoin and sunscreen since my early 20s. 10 years ago these smile lined started showing and got worse about 3 years ago. I had Voluma on my cheeks but it made no difference to the lines. The lines are getting more pronounced and I would like to avoid fillers. I’m after a treatment that is effective but not a facelift yet. I’ve heard about Ultraformer, ultherapy, microneedling and lasers but it’s hard to find unbiased information. What would you suggest?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

38 years old - What would be the most effective treatment for smile lines, other than fillers? (Photo)

Answers (1)