Are there permanent options that can minimize the appearance of smokers lines? 44 y/o (photos)

Hello Ladyaa my name is Melanie I am a Medical Aesthetician at Aesthetic Skin located in Chicago IL. Long lasting results are attainable through a combination of treatments. please give our office a call schedule a virtual consultation with one our providers. During consultation we will have a better understanding to your specific needs and develop a treatment plan that best suits you. Our office number is 312-944-0117

​Fillers such as Restylane Silk, Belotero, or Juvederm can work well to treat lines around the mouth, but the best first option is laser resurfacing or deep peels to induce collagen production. Superficial radiofrequency devices and microneedling can help as well and are less invasive. I suggest going to an experienced cosmetic dermatologist with expertise in lasers and fillers. Best, Dr. Emer​

Hello Ladyaa. Show us a practice (or spa) that tells you that microneedling is the best way to treat smoker's lines and we will show you a business that does not own a laser. Whether it's CO2 or Erbium (which we use), treating smoker's lines is best done with an ablative laser resurfacing procedure. We prefer deep full field resurfacing (see link) and use the Sciton MicroLaserPeel procedure to accomplish the results you see in the photos. For the brown spot, you can navigate to the page for age spot removal photos and we would get rid of that in 1-2 visits with our q-switched Palomar laser.

I have been performing manual and automatic microneedling (without the need for the additional expense and risks of added RF) for over two decades with gratifying results. Microneedling, however, is best reserved for treating very fine and superficial wrinkles and crinkles. It is not a good treatment for anything more deeply etched into the skin. In this particular case, at least from the photos, the smoker's lines appear rather superficial, so this is reasonable to consider. CO2 laser, much like traditional dermabrasion, is an aggressive procedure that engenders both a prolonged period of downtime and healing and carries the risks for scarring and prolonged or permanent dyspigmentation. Moreover, it is worth emphasizing, especially when someone asks for a permanent to solution to an aesthetic issue, that no treatment can really offer permanent improvement, if for no other reason than nothing about us is really permanent. Continued smoking and exposure to the sun and even chronological aging will lead to a return of the lines even if full improvement is obtained with initial treatment. . So, you might even wish to reconsider the notion of "permanent" and consider other possible treatments that have been employed successfully to treat this problem besides microneedling, including Botox microdroplets; and/or the use of a cohesive, low viscosity HA filler' and/or a series of high concentration superficial peels. These engender little to no significant downtime. You would be wise to consult with a board certified cosmetic dermatologist. Best of luck.

Hi there

Either of those treatments are a good option for you. You need an in person consultation so that you can understand the difference between the two procedures and the results along with the side effects.

Best of luck!