Does having lip filler help with those ‘smokers’ wrinkles on the top lip? (Photo)

In some patients, just a few units of Botox used in the upper and lower cutaneous lips softens the creases. This is an off-label use of Botox. It is not used in all patients as it depends on how saggy the upper lip has become with time, and it can affect the pronunciation of certain letters, the smile and how we eat and brush our teeth. Of course these symptoms are temporary and resolve as the Botox wears off.Fillers are used underneath the individual creases or as a scaffold under the skin of the entire cutaneous lip to build up support without making it look overdone. Belotero, Volbella, Juvederm and Restylane are used for this most commonly. The information provided in Dr. Shelton's answer is for educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice.  The information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with a qualified health professional who may be familiar with your individual medical needs

Thank you for your question and photos . The "smokers" wrinkles can be easily corrected with fillers but my preference is Nova Thread Treatment. NovaThreads® is a great option  to smooth out the "smokers" wrinkles  with immediately noticeable and naturally appearing results without adding any volume to the upper lip. It’s a synthetic absorbable surgical sutures that have been used for decades in different surgical specialties. It’s one of the safest materials to be implanted in the body. The skin fully absorbs it within 4 to 6 months and won’t leave with any scar tissue. The foreign body stimulates the collagen synthesis and the skin structure created will hold for the next 12-15 months.

Both Botox and fillers can be used for the smoker's lines. In my experience, I find Botox a bit disappointing. About 1/2 my patients don't like the way it makes the mouth area feel with pronouncing or using a straw etc., and for those that do like it, because such low doses are being used, you have to repeat treatments roughly every 2 months or so. I like fillers because the mouth doesn't feel weird and it lasts 6-9 months, sometimes longer. The main issue with fillers is a higher risk of bruising, and 1-2 days of some swelling. Injecting filler into the body of the lip can also help reduce smoker's lines, and sometimes I do both lip and smoker's line fillers for optimal results, or even combine a little botox with filler into the smoker's lines. Most importantly is to find a highly trained and experienced cosmetic physician injector such as a dermatologist.

Vertical lip lines are best treated using combination therapy. I usually start with a softer hyaluronic acid filler like Restylane Silk and then add Botox/Dysport as needed. Fractionated lasers, chemical peels, and microneedling help as well. I also recommend that patient use a retinol to help with these lines. 

Those vertical upper lip lines cause a lot distress for many women, both young and old. As long as you make clear to your provider that you are looking for both lip augmentation and treatment for vertical lip lines they should be able to reassure you, before treatment, if filler or Botox of both will be helpful. 
Good luck and let us know with some close-up before/afters so we all can learn!

I like to combine Botox and filler. I prefer Volbella or Vollure for these areas. Botox is annoying to some people as you may not be able to drink out of a straw easily etc. but it is a very cost effective addition to filler 

Fillers are a great choice.  Resurfacing with J Plasma may also be very helpful for you.  You may need a full combination to get the best effects.

Sometimes you need a combination of treatments....botox, filler, and even laser resurfacing.  It can be a challenging area to treat given the number of lines, and movement of them.

In addition to filler, you may consider ablative laser resurfacing, either as an alternative or as an additional treatment. This can definitely be helpful but requires a bit of downtime. Find an experienced Dermatologist or plastic surgeon who performs this procedure to get their opinion in person.

Yes, smokers lines can be minimized with injection of fillers.  You can try Belotero, Restylane original, silk, or Refyne, Juvederm original or Volbella.

Some physicians add a tiny amount of Botox if the lines are deep.  But, this can affect speech, whistling, and playing wind instruments.