What can be done for the vertical lines around my lip? (Photo)

Dear janinelozano:Yes, we all hate those liplines and thin lips! They can be made worse by smoking or by years of enjoying oneself in the beautiful California sun. But they don’t have to be yours forever.Having used many different modalities for these lines including topicals, fillers, radiofrequency, peels, laser, and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), I have concluded that the most effective treatment is a combination of a very small amount of hyaluronic acid filler and HIFU treatment with #Ultherapy. Combining this with appropriate topicals with proven increased production of collagen and elastic fibers, such as #Retinol, #TNS serum, and#Alastin, has hasten and deepen the response.  The filler will make the lip lines look less obvious even when placed in the lips themselves. I do not recommend fillers to the lines themselves for most patients, especially for someone with thin lips, as it it common to see a ‘fat,’ overhanging upper lip with this approach. There is little to minimal downtime and no serious side effects when the fillers are injected conservatively and by an expert; this is not a procedure to have with anyone but a board-certified, core specialist.Sheryl Clark, MD, FAAD

If you want to eliminate the lines then J plasma resurfacing or Erbium laser resurfacing.  If you want to temporarily soften them, then a fine filler such as Restylane Refyne would do well.  A bit of Botox or Dysport will also help prevent lines from worsening.