Is Botox Appropriate for Nasolabial Lines?

Dear Thesky
BOTOX works by weakening muscles. The muscles that pinch the brow are best treated with BOTOX. However from about the eyes down BOTOX can create problems with the muscles of facial expression and mouth movement. In particular, BOTOX has no role in treating the nasolabial fold.
Fillers are much better and safer treatment choices for the nasiolabial folds.

Botox is generally used to soften wrinkles mainly between the brows, forehead, crows feet, and bunny lines. Fillers are more appropriate for correcting the deeper folds  at areas below the eyes. It is best to have a consultation with an experienced injector in order to determine what will best address your needs.

Botox is good for wrinkles that appear when making facial expressions. Nasolabial folds are visible even when your face is neutral. In addition, if you had Botox administered here, it will negatively affect the movement of muscles you need for daily facial movement. For this reason, fillers are better for this area.

Hi Sky,
Botox is great for wrinkles caused by muscle contraction like the frown lines between the eyes and the crow's feet at the outer eyes. Muscle activity in these areas are responsible for the development of fine lines and wrinkles. Using Botox in these areas can halt the muscle contraction and therefore get rid of the wrinkles.
The smile lines (nasolabial folds) are caused by an altogether different problem. Gravity and loss of volume in the skin combine to cause the lines that appear between the sides of the nose and the corners of the mouth. In this area dermal fillers like Restylane, Juvederm and Perlane are a much more appropriate choice as they are designed to add volume.

Botox is not used for nasolabial lines. Generally it is not advised to weaken these muscles as it can create the appearance of a stroke..
Fillers are generally used for this purpose.

Depending upon your skin quality filler are the best option. If your skin is very loose you my also need a skin tightening procedure such as a facelift. This can be determined by a qualified plastic surgeon.
Good luck!

No, No, No
It is dangerous to use it for this purpose. You should use a filler instead. There are a lot of great fillers to use in the area. My favorite are Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse and Sculptra.
Regards

The best treatments for nasolabial folds are fillers.  Fillers are injectable substances that plump up the skin from below, reducing the depth and shadowing that occurs as nasolabial folds deepen.  I try not to completely eliminate the nasolabial folds because this begins to look un-natural.  With fillers I start slow and build up if the patient requests it.  In Austin my patients want to look better, but they don't want to look like they've had "something done".  Fillers I use include Juvederm, Restylane and Radiesse.

 Botox is not a good treatment for nasolabial folds.  The best thing to treat the deep nasolabial folds are filler products like restylane, juvederm, and radiesse.

The folds you are referring to result from time, gravity, and a weaking of the mid-face structures moving forward and downward.  Botox works by weakening muscles that cause wrinkles.  Therefore, fillers would be more apporpriate, or even a mid-face lift.
sek