How Safe is Botox when Applied to the Upper Lip for Smoker's Lines?

Hello.  Botox for smoker's lines is very effective and safe when used properly for smoker's lines.  The risk would be overuse of the product which may cause a marked change in the sensitivity of the lip as well as changes in the shape of the mouth or smile.

Because we do not use a lot of Botox in this area, 6-8 units is maximum and we start at 4, we typically combine the Botox with Restylane.  Botox relaxes the muscles that "purse" or tighten the upper lip and Restylane fills the lines and provides volume.  The two together work very nicely although because of the conservative amount of product we use, the results typically last between 6-10 weeks.  

Results of this treatment can be seen in the before and after pictures link below.

However, this is less than an ideal treatment.  The smoker's lines are there because of loss of lip volume particularly at the junction of the white and red lip rolls.  This is best treated with filler volume.  Also too much BOTOX will cause incompetency of the orbicularis oris, the muscle the purses the lips.  This is not ideal.