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.
This patient had deep nasolabial folds intensified by strong LLSAN (levator labii superioris alaque nasi) muscles. A small amount of BOTOX was injected into this muscle on both sides of the nose, helping to relax the muscle and soften the nasolabial folds. Read More
ABOUT OUR PATIENT Our female patient in her 60s wanted to soften prominent nasolabial fold (NLF) lines, aiming for a natural and refreshed look.MFI TREATMENT PLAN Dr. Mabrie applied a tailored approach, injecting hyaluronic acid filler to address volume loss and strategically using Botox to relax muscles, preventing the "... Read More
ABOUT OUR PATIENT This patient had just turned 40 and despite already being beautiful, wanted to look absolutely perfect to celebrate her exciting milestone. She was bothered by nasolabial folds that made her cheeks appear puffier.MFI TREATMENT PLAN Dr. Mabrie skillfully injected a thin, delicate dermal filler along the nasol... Read More
ABOUT OUR PATIENT In her 40s, this vibrant patient wanted a non-surgical solution for nasolabial folds. She felt the lines made her look older than she felt.MFI TREATMENT PLAN Focusing on her nasolabial folds, we tailored a plan to rejuvenate her appearance. Using dermal filler were placed strategically to soften nasolab... Read More
ABOUT OUR PATIENT This vibrant woman in her 60s wanted to rejuvenate her appearance without surgery. Her main goals were to address under eye bags and dark circles, and to diminish the appearance of nasolabial folds.MFI TREATMENT PLAN To achieve the desired results, our Injector, Kimberly, customized a treatment plan first di... Read More
ABOUT OUR PATIENT This woman in her 30’s, wasn't feeling too happy about her nasolabial fold lines and wanted to give her face a little boost to soften them up.MFI TREATMENT PLAN Our secret weapon, Dr. Mabrie, had a plan. We didn't treat the folds directly. Instead, we went for the midface and cheeks with some f... Read More
How To Get Rid of Smile Lines: Your Nasolabial Fold Treatment Options at MFI
Midface Rejuvenation With Fillers
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.
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.
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.
Before
After
Three treatments over three months erased this young woman's nasolabial folds AND dark circles for stunning results.
Before
After
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.
Before
After
Three treatments over three months erased this young woman's nasolabial folds AND dark circles for stunning results.
Before
After
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 Filler Treatment
Sometimes, a person can benefit from a single-area treatment, so we offer a scaled-down, single-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.
Before
After
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.
Before
After
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.
Before
After
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.
Before
After
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.
Before
After
Injections into the LLSAN on both sides of the nose relaxed the muscle and softened this woman's nasolabial folds.
Before
After
This woman had BOTOX and hyaluronic acid filler, resulting in a harmonious balance, addressing both volume loss and muscle dynamics.
Before
After
Injections into the LLSAN on both sides of the nose relaxed the muscle and softened this woman's nasolabial folds.
Before
After
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 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.
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. This is also why some beauty gurus or practitioners recommend treatments like microneedling, which claim to stimulate collagen production. Although not predictable or proven, microneedling could help improve the appearance of smile lines at the surface level. But since the real cause is much deeper, microneedling can’t really fix nasolabial folds. The same goes for creams, serums, and patches.
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.
Nasolabial Folds
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 two 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 Two Treatment Process
Before
After 1 of 2 Treatments
After 2 of 2 Treatments
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.
Aftercare Pro Tips
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.
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.
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
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