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Mabrie Facial Institute
166 Geary Street
Floor 1300
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 445-9513
Text/SMS: (866) 618-9459
Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
There’s nothing wrong with nasolabial folds. Everyone has these lines that run from alongside the nostrils to the corners of the mouth. It’s impossible to smile without creasing the skin in this area, and nasolabial folds are the result. But when the creases deepen and remain prominent on your face even when you’re not smiling—those are the nasolabial folds we treat with filler and BOTOX at MFI in San Francisco.
How To Get Rid of Smile Lines: Your Nasolabial Fold Treatment Options at MFI
Midface Rejuvenation
At MFI, our Injectors understand that treating smile lines is about more than filling them in. Our signature treatment approach for this common issue is our Midface Rejuvenation Package, which creates real, lasting improvements by layering filler over the course of two or more appointments.
Lift With Support & Structure
Adding volume to the midface and cheeks creates subtle lift above the nasolabial folds, which helps smooth and brighten the area. With that structure in place, we can conservatively add filler in the area of the smile lines.
Smooth & Refine
Without restoring volume to the midface, injecting filler directly into the nasolabial folds can actually make smile lines look worse. After creating support in the midface, we conservatively layer fillers to the smile lines to soften them and create an even, shadow-free surface that reflects light.
Three treatments over three months erased this young woman’s nasolabial folds AND dark circles for stunning results.
This gentleman flies in from Texas for treatment. With three appointments spread over 10 months, Midface Rejuvenation helped him look more awake, healthy, and youthful.
Single Area Nasolabial Folds Treatment
Sometimes, a person can benefit from a single-area treatment, so we offer a scaled-down, 1-appointment procedure that uses less filler and comes at a lower cost. Less than 10% of our patients benefit from this limited approach, but it can work for those with minimal volume loss in the midface and who don’t wish to address their cheeks and under eye area.
For this longtime patient (pictured in 2004), we initially injected filler just into the nasolabial fold area and saw a very nice improvement in the lines.
This is the same patient a few years later when our approach to nasolabial folds had evolved to Midface Rejuvenation. With our new approach, her dark circles, cheek volume, and face shape all improved—not just the nasolabial folds.
BOTOX for Nasolabial Folds
Some people have prominent nasolabial folds caused by an overactive levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (LLSAN) muscle, also known as the “snarl” muscle. We use two quick, easy BOTOX injections (one on each side of the nose) to relax it, reducing its ability to pull on the skin, and softening the appearance of nasolabial folds.
Injections into the LLSAN on both sides of the nose relaxed the muscle and softened this woman’s nasolabial folds.
This woman had BOTOX and hyaluronic acid filler, resulting in a harmonious balance, addressing both volume loss and muscle dynamics.
How Much Does Nasolabial Fold Filler or BOTOX Cost?
The cost of nasolabial folds treatment varies depending on the Injector, the treatment plan, and how much product is used. Visit our site’s dedicated pricing page for updated price information on all our procedures.
Qualified borrowers may be eligible for 0% financing for 6 to 12 months through CareCredit and Alphaeon medical financing.
The MFI Advantage
MFI focuses exclusively on injectables, and has set the bar in the art and science of fillers for more than 15 years. Dr. Mabrie, trained as a facial plastic surgeon, has dedicated thousands of hours to carefully selecting and training our talented Injectors in the most innovative, effective, and safe techniques for injectables. There is no other practice in the Bay Area with the level of experience, education, and passion for injectables you'll find at MFI.
Schedule Me
The MFI Advantage
MFI focuses exclusively on injectables, and has set the bar in the art and science of fillers for more than 15 years. Dr. Mabrie, trained as a facial plastic surgeon, has dedicated thousands of hours to carefully selecting and training our talented Injectors in the most innovative, effective, and safe techniques for injectables. There is no other practice in the Bay Area with the level of experience, education, and passion for injectables you'll find at MFI.
Schedule MeWhat Causes Nasolabial Folds?
Repeated Facial Expressions
It’s inevitable that any repeated fold will create a crease in the skin. So, after years of smiling and laughing, you’ll develop deepened creases, sometimes called “parentheses,” that frame the corners of your mouth. Over time, they get deeper, causing more shadowing and becoming more visible.
Thinning Skin
Older skin is less resilient due to the loss of collagen and fat—the substances that give skin its firmness and ability to “bounce back.” This is why smile lines begin to “set in” or stay put when we get a little older.
Volume Loss in the Midface
While volume loss and the skin quality in the area of your smile lines may contribute to deepening lines, the real culprit is volume loss in the midface and cheeks. Fat and bone create the structure in the middle of your face that lifts the cheeks and gives them their youthful contours. As these break down over time, the lack of support causes the midface to sink and droop. Nasolabial folds deepen, and the sagging tissue above them casts a more prominent shadow.
Overactive Snarl Muscle
Some people have more prominent nasolabial folds due to an overactive LLSAN muscle (snarl muscle), causing tension in the area. Tension in this muscle, responsible for elevating your lip or sneering, can cause a deepening of the crease along the bottom of the cheek.
Consultation and Planning for Your Nasolabial Folds Treatment
Your First Visit
During your initial visit to our San Francisco office, you’ll meet with your Injector, who will listen to your goals and educate you about your options. Together you will:
- Go through a comprehensive facial assessment in multiple lighting scenarios (directional lighting, light and shadow, revealing lighting)
- Take clinical photographs for use in tracking your improvements
- Identify and clarify your goals
- Develop and document your personal treatment plan
In most cases, treatment can begin right away. Please plan to spend about 3 hours in the office for your first visit if you’re having Midface Rejuvenation. This covers consultation, prep, treatment, pre- and post-treatment photography, aftercare education, and scheduling your next appointment.
Your Nasolabial Folds Treatment
If you are having a single-area filler treatment for nasolabial folds or BOTOX for your snarl muscle, treatment is brief. Your Injector eases filler into the area beneath the nasolabial fold using a flexible, blunt-tipped cannula to minimize bruising and discomfort. BOTOX treatment for nasolabial folds involves two quick injections, one on either side of the nose. However, the great majority of our nasolabial folds patients choose Midface Rejuvenation for comprehensive, lasting results.
For Midface Rejuvenation, we begin by adding volume to the midface and cheeks using fillers like JUVÉDERM, VOLUMA®, and RADIESSE®. This creates subtle lift above the nasolabial folds, which helps flatten them. With that structure in place, we can conservatively add filler directly in the area of the nasolabial folds.
Your Midface Rejuvenation Takes Two Visits
At your second appointment, scheduled 1 to 3 months later when all swelling has resolved, we conservatively layer fillers from the Restylane® product family to the smile lines to soften them and create an even, shadow-free surface that reflects light.
The Midface Rejuvenation procedure requires a minimum of 2 appointments for results. This staged approach allows us to create structure, support, and truly remarkable yet natural-looking, healthy results. While we can accomplish a lot during one appointment, we have learned over the years that too much filler too soon can create obvious results, and a “layered” approach works best.
Example of 2 Treatment Process
Preparing for Your Procedure
For the best filler experience, follow these tips in advance of your appointment:
- A few days before your appointment, restrict blood thinners such as anti-inflammatories, fish oil, and alcohol. Limiting these will reduce your risk of bruising from nasolabial fold filler.
- DO NOT discontinue prescribed, medically necessary, medications.
- Eat and drink a normal breakfast or lunch prior to your appointment; low blood sugar can make patients lightheaded during treatment.
Recovery & Aftercare
Immediately after your nasolabial fold treatment, you may experience swelling, bruising, tenderness, and redness. These are normal side effects and are most apparent 24 to 48 hours after treatment. They can last several weeks but typically subside within 2 to 5 days. Most patients return to their routine activities the same day.
Swelling
- Initial swelling may appear full or puffy with maximum swelling the day after treatment
- This may cause temporary asymmetry, lumps, or bumps
- Will gradually resolve to reveal your final results over 4 to 6 weeks
Bruising
- While bruising is possible, it is usually minimal
Redness & Discomfort
- Often minimal and lasting just a few days
Downtime
- No downtime required
- May return to work immediately after treatment
- May resume normal exercise the next day
Because we know you have questions about your recovery process, we created an entire page dedicated to BOTOX and dermal filler aftercare.
Nasolabial Fold Treatment FAQs
How can fillers in my midface help nasolabial folds?
To understand the difference between a sunken midface and a structured midface, think of your midface like a soufflé or cake: When the middle sinks, the cake deflates down and inward, pulling on the edges and causing them to flatten and buckle. The same occurs when the midface loses volume. The bordering areas (under eyes, cheeks, and nasolabial folds) are impacted by the loss of support in the midface (the center).
Can you get rid of nasolabial folds without filler?
The internet will tell you that you can “fix nasolabial folds naturally,” which presumably means without surgery. There are also filler alternatives that are less invasive than surgery but invasive nonetheless. Suggested solutions include everything from facial exercises to adhesive patches to thread lifts. These “solutions” range in price from free to several thousand dollars. As far as effectiveness goes, none of them has a track record of consistent, reliable results.
What is the best filler for nasolabial folds?
Our Injectors use a variety of injectable fillers for your Midface Rejuvenation procedure. Filler selection is customized for each patient’s needs based on anatomy, skin thickness and laxity, and degree of volume loss. Common choices include various formulations from the JUVÉDERM and Restylane lines, as well as RADIESSE and Sculptra.
We’d Love To See You
If you are interested in learning more about nasolabial fold treatment with filler & BOTOX® in San Francisco, request a consultation online, or call us at (415) 445-9513 to schedule your first two appointments with one of our highly trained specialists. If you’ll be visiting us from outside the area, our Fly in for Your Procedure page was created just for you to help make planning your trip as smooth as possible.
A Reputation Built on Results
Dr.Mabrie has really good aesthetic judgment. He gave me a holistic suggestion for the entire face....
Well, Lets start with how LONG my treatments last. I went over a year between my last treatment and...
Love my experience here! My results are so natural! I really felt like they listened to my concerns...
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