How Many Units Of Botox Would I Need To Address Laugh Lines Around The Mouth?

Thank you for your question. Botox can help with the smile lines, but I is important to define where the lines are. Some patients refer to the crows feet (outer eye skin) as smile lines and Botox is very effective here. Some refer to the nasolabial folds as the smile lines. Fillers are much more effective here and Botox is not.

Although some doctors are very skilled and able to carefully place Botox in key areas to weaken some smile muscles to flatten the smile folds, there is a chance that one or more patients who have this done, will at one time, develop a droop of one side of their mouth. This can be a very emotionally upsetting and long three to four months of waiting for it to look better as it wears off.

Botox is not used to treat laugh lines, or marionette lines, around the mouth. You will need a filler to smooth out your laugh lines. There are a few different fillers your dermatologist can use to correct the marionette lines, depending on how deep your lines are and the results you want to achieve. Restylane and Juvederm are great filler options for many patients who want to smooth out their marionette lines. 

Since Botox is used to relax muscles, it is not generally the product of choice to address the laugh lines around the mouth.  Fillers -- such as Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane, Radiesse, among others -- are the most commonly used solutions to address this concern.

Think of botulinum toxin products like BOTOX and Dysport as being great for the upper face (crows feet lines and above) and think of the fillers as being great for the lower face (starting below the lower eyelids).  The smile lines around the mouth are best treated with fillers like Restylane and Perlane.

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.

Botox is used to treat fine lip lines that occur above and below the lips.  Fillers can also be used for lip lines along with Botox since they complement each other.

Laugh lines or smile lines are creases beyond the corners of the mouth.  Fillers are used to plump these creases but Botox is not indicated for these lines.

Consult a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon for the best possible results.

Because Botox works by relaxing the muscles, you may find some unpleasant side effects with the motion or symmetry of your mouth.

Soft filers such as Juvederm or Restylane will work better, and last about 3 times as long.

For laugh lines, also called the marionette lines and Nasolabial folds, typically filler is placed to smooth out these wrinkles.  Botox is not typically placed in this area.  Depending on how deep your lines are, there are different filler products which can achieve a natural result.

Dear Silvasda,  Since there was no photo attached to your question, I am going to make an assumption that the lines around your mouth that you are desiring to treat  are the ones that form on the upper lip and around the corners of your mouth.  These types of lines for the most part will not respond to Botox-which is a paralytic agent in that it weakens the muscles under the skin-and instead are usually treated best with a filler material.  Think of it this way, there are essentially three types of lines on our faces: 1-thin, shallow crinkled rice paper lines that are on the surface of our skin.  These are usually environmental in cause (sun, etc.) and are best treated with some combination of resurfacing, peeling, and skin management.  2-wrinkles and lines caused by aging as tissues deflate, migrate, etc.  These are best treated with fillers and surgery.  3-wrinkles caused by the constant action of our facial muscles that cause the skin about them to develop crease and folds with time and aging.  These are best treated with agents such as Botox or Dysport.  From what you are describing, it sounds a filler or fillers would be the best choice of treatment but only a consultation with a qualified board-certified doctor can answer your questions accurately.  Good Luck.