What can I do to clear my nasolabial lines? I am VERY depressed because of them

Deep nasolabial folds are a problem at any age and there is no one single treatment that can remove them. The best you can do is to lessen their depth and the first place to start is with using a temporary injectable filler to see if volume addition produces a satisfactory improvement. There are other methods of plumping up the nasolabial folds but injectable fillers are the first and simplest place to start.

Dear Lana Caralee,

Although difficult to tell from
your photo, as you have a half-smile, which increases the nasolabial fold,
nasolabial folds can be quite complex.
Your particular clinical description of very full cheeks, an oval face
with deep nasolabial folds needs to be approached carefully and conservatively,
given your young age. Soft tissue
fillers can sometimes be an excellent option.
Products such as Juvéderm® Voluma™, Perlane® and
Teosyal to fill the nasolabial folds can usually improve the situation. Care and attention not to overinject the
cheek malar eminence, which may make your nasolabial fold (or smile line)
deeper, should be a precautionary measure.
The use of your own fat may also offer long-term improvements in the
nasolabial fold, although with your fit 16% body fat figure, this
represents an unlikely option. On rare
occasion, small endoscopic, midface approaches through the temporal hair area
to reposition cheek fat pads can alleviate some of the droopy effect of the
cheek fat pad on the smile line and improve the appearance of the smile line,
although this is likely too aggressive of an option for your young age.

Smile lines, although aesthetically
concerning to many patients, are actually a very normal anatomical
variant. Not to have a smile line is not
to be human and most individuals without a smile line look rather simian. Softening your smile lines should be the
goal. Least aggressive options should be
explored first. My advice would be to
seek a well-trained aesthetic injection specialist, plastic surgeon, facial
plastic surgeon or dermatologist or expert injection physician to discuss your
options. Please explore the following
link [My staff will insert the link for soft tissue fillers to my website].

I hope this discussion helps.

Sincerely,

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.,
Certified Plastic Surgeon, Yorkville, Toronto