What is the Best Treatment for Lip Lines, or Lipstick Lines? (photo)

You look to be an excellent candidate for Restylane.  It is a hyaluronic acid that can be inject superficially in the skin.  I would inject it first into the vermillion.  This would soften some of the whistle lines and enhance the transition from the skin of the lip to the red portion.  Then, I would inject a little into the red portion of the lip to give you extra volume.  One syringe should do the trick (1 cc) without overfilling and causing that duckbill look, a very natural final result.  

Lip lines do best with lasers and maintain with microneedling , microneedling RF or plasma pen (when done right this has a lot of complications if not done well). fillers like belotero can also be combined. at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and aerify along with dermarolling (MTS roller with anteage MD ampules weekly, see link) should be started now to prevent further aging. For facial rejuvenation, I would suggest a combination approach of 1) skin care with products and PRP/microneedling 2) PDT light therapy few times a month with growth factors 3) laser treatments like clear and brilliant regularly and a few times a year Fraxel/Halo, Viva, Co2/Erbium 4) Sculptra injections a few times a year for collagen production with fillers like juvederm/restylane/belotero/radiesse/bellafill 5) thermage/ultherapy for yearly skin tightening with or without PDO or cone based instalift threads for lifting 6) botox every 2-3 months to stop movement lines and prevent lines at rest 7) deep microneedling RF like Fractora/morpheus8/PiXel8 for tightening of the skin 8) Vascular laser like vbeam/ExcelV or BBL forever young treatment every quarter (3-4 months) Best, Dr. Emer.

Belotero is a relatively new hyaluronic acid filler. It is processed through a unique technology that gives the molecules a different light weight structure. It is unique because it can actually fill fine lines without the risk of clumping or discoloration. And doctors can inject it superficially. Therefore, it can be used to fill the lines around your lips.

Belotero can also be used to add volume and shape to your lips as well. But depending on the look you want, you may also consider older forms of hyaluronic acid like Juvederm and Restylane.


 

In general, this can be a challenging problem to permanently fix. Lip lines like you are concerned about are the rule in Denver given the dry climate and intense sun exposure so I deal with this often. Temporary options include hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm or Belotero to fill the fine lines as well as Botox to selectively relax the muscle that creates and accordion effect and deepens the line. Fillers last about 12 months and Botox in this area lasts 2-3 months typically. The best long-term option is dermabrasion or aggressive laser resurfacing of this area. This creates about one week of downtime and some redness that can last several weeks to a couple of months. However, the results are long-lasting. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

Temporary fillers such as restylane, juvederm or belotero @ $550/syringe do great to fill the lips and get rid of creases and last about 3-6 months. A permanent solution would be a lip implant which would not only inflate the lips but also get rid of and prevent further lip creases for $1500-2000/implant. All options are done under local anesthesia and easy to undergo.  Sincerely,

David Hansen,MD