Nasolabial folds are the lines that run from beside the nose toward the mouth. Treatment is less about erasing that line than about separating a hollow groove from descended cheeks and making it shallower.
Even along the same nose-to-mouth line, the first question is whether the site needs filling or lifting. Before a product name, you sort where the groove you see now came from.
3-line summary
1. The nasolabial line deepens as fat compartments, the maxillary bone, and skin collagen change together.
2. A hollow groove is addressed with hyaluronic acid filler, descended cheeks with lifting, and surrounding skin texture with a skin booster.
3. Swelling and bruising are common at filler sites, and if a vessel is blocked, it can lead to skin ischemia or vision changes.
A hollowed site versus a site where the cheek has dropped
If the side of the nose creases only when you smile broadly, it is closer to a line made by expression. If a groove is visible even with the mouth closed, volume, sagging, and skin texture overlap at that site. Both patterns often appear on the same face.
Facial fat is not one mass but is divided into compartments, and the nasolabial site is one of those compartments. In measurements comparing midface bone, the maxillary angle was smaller in older age groups.
In measurements of the line by age group, length and width increased between the 20s and the 30s. The upper line changed more from the 30s through the 50s, and the lower line in the 40s~60s. Sunlight is a major environmental factor in skin aging, so sun protection is kept across the whole face.
| Category | When it is seen | Procedure looked at first |
|---|---|---|
| Expression line | Creases only when smiling or talking | Confirm the cause before filling the groove |
| Hollow groove | A hollowed site even at rest | Hyaluronic acid filler |
| Descended cheeks | Cheeks drop and the line looks deeper | Lifting and midface volume |
| Surrounding texture | Skin beside the groove is thin and dry | Skin booster |
Fine lines that run downward from the mouth corners sit in a different place from the nasolabial fold. The mouth-corner side is covered separately in the mouth-area fine-line guide.
For a hollow groove, hyaluronic acid filler
Hyaluronic acid filler places a gel made so that a water-holding material stays longer into the groove, so volume is felt right away at the site. When the material changes, how it is maintained and how it is dissolved also change, so a comparison of types continues in the filler types guide.
In literature that pooled trials of filler in the nasolabial fold, wrinkle scores fell after one month and those scores were followed through the 1-year time point. Common reactions are lumps, tenderness, swelling, and bruising.
Formulations that include lidocaine had less pain immediately after placement. The degree to which wrinkles were made shallower, and swelling, erythema, and bruising, were similar to formulations without lidocaine.
Facial vessels pass near this site. If a vessel is blocked, skin color changes, and it can rarely lead to vision changes. In literature that pooled cases of vision changes, the nose, forehead, and glabella were common, and the nasolabial fold is also on that list. In a substantial share of reported cases, vision did not return.
Descended cheeks are not treated by filling the groove alone
When the cheeks have dropped and the line looks deeper, filling the groove alone can leave volume sitting on the line and looking heavy. Records note that where the maxilla has receded, cheek fat is pushed toward the line, so whether to fill or to lift is looked at together.
Non-surgical lifting is a procedure that pulls tissue up or heats deep layers. The layer of sagging and device choice are covered in the facial sagging guide, the Ulthera treatment guide, and the thread lifting guide.
Surrounding texture is looked at separately
If the skin beside the groove is thin and dry, an injection that looks at texture—separate from filling—enters the plan. A PN (polynucleotide) skin booster is an injection that places nucleic-acid chains into the skin; it does not fill the groove directly. The product line is in the Rejuran treatment guide.
Juvelook is an injection that stimulates collagen; texture is looked at over time rather than volume right after placement. Ingredient and schedule are in the Juvelook treatment guide. Filling the groove directly is the role of hyaluronic acid.
| Item | Hyaluronic acid filler | Lifting | Skin booster |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Fills a hollow groove right away | Lifts descended tissue | Looks at surrounding texture |
| When it is felt | Right after placement | Varies by procedure | Split across several sessions |
| Common reactions | Swelling, bruising, lumps; vascular emergency | Redness, swelling | Redness, swelling, bruising |
※ The filler 1-year scores and swelling and lumps are based on literature that pooled nasolabial filler trials; pain is based on lidocaine comparison literature. Session count and volume differ, so cost is given as a consultation estimate.
What to confirm before placing filler
The items below are what separate the material and site used today.
- □ Whether the groove is visible at rest, or creases only when smiling
- □ Whether the cheeks have dropped and the line looks deeper, or only the site is hollow
- □ Whether the material used today is hyaluronic acid, and whether a dissolving enzyme is available
- □ Immediate action if skin color changes or vision changes occur
- □ Pregnancy or breastfeeding, anticoagulants, lidocaine allergy, inflammation at the injection site
Temporary redness, swelling, and bruising at the injection site are shared. Shared precautions are in the treatment safety guide.
Frequently asked questions
Q1. Does a nasolabial fold injection hurt?
It stings when the needle goes in. Formulations that include an anesthetic are often used. Avoid rubbing the site hard or using a sauna on the same day.
Q2. How many filler sessions are needed?
The groove is often matched in a single session. Skin boosters are split across several sessions.
Q3. How long does filler last?
It varies with product, amount, and site. Hyaluronic acid decreases over time at the placement site, and the next appointment is set when it has decreased.
Q4. Can filler and lifting be done together?
When a hollowed site and descended cheeks overlap, they are placed in one plan. Whether they are done on the same day is decided after looking at where swelling would overlap.
Q5. Who postpones the appointment?
The appointment is postponed if there is inflammation at the injection site. Pregnancy or breastfeeding, anticoagulants, and lidocaine allergy are disclosed before booking.
Results, duration, and suitability vary with individual skin condition, age, and lifestyle, and the same outcome cannot be guaranteed.
Procedures may cause temporary redness or swelling, and contraindications may apply, so please confirm these during your consultation.
This article is general information and does not replace individual medical care. Please confirm diagnosis and treatment suited to your condition during a consultation.
Sources
- PMID 40765990 Quan et al., age-group measurements of the nasolabial line (abstract + PMC full text). 150 people aged 21~70, 30 per 10-year band. Single-ethnicity Chinese sample. Academic research funding. Reported no conflicts of interest. Length 2.81-fold between the 20s (21~30) and 30s (31~40). Upper line 30s~50s, lower line 40s~60s. Discussion lists collagen, dermal thickness, and maxillary (piriform aperture) resorption as background to deepening. Ages over 70 and other ethnicities not included.
- PMID 17519724 Rohrich·Pessa, facial fat compartments (abstract). 30 cadaver hemifaces. The nasolabial site is an independent compartment with a boundary. Not a living-person or Korean sample.
- PMID 17230106 Shaw·Kahn, midface bone CT (abstract). 60 White participants, 10 per sex and age group. Cross-sectional comparison. Maxillary and glabellar angles decreased with age; piriform aperture area increased from young adult to middle age. Not longitudinal follow-up.
- PMID 34255156 Stefura et al., literature review of randomized nasolabial filler trials (abstract + PMC full text). 51 papers, 4097 people. Reported no conflicts of interest. Wrinkle scores: 1.79 at one month → 2.02 at 6 months → 2.46 at 12 months (baseline 3.23). Pooled adverse events 0.58; common items lumps, tenderness, swelling, bruising. Countries, products, and methods mixed; heterogeneity large. Two editor letters exist (not a retraction).
- PMID 29740661 Wang et al., lidocaine-containing hyaluronic acid (abstract). 12 papers, 908 people. Pain immediately after injection was lower, and correction at 24 months was similar with or without lidocaine. 24 months is a formulation-comparison time point, not a duration claim.
- PMID 38630871 Doyon·Beleznay et al., update of vision-change cases after filler (abstract). 365 new cases in 2018~2023. Many sites were the nose, forehead, and glabella. In location counts over the full period, the nasolabial fold was a minority. Hyaluronic acid was the majority (also because of usage volume). Of 318 vision-reported cases, complete recovery 6.0%, partial 25.8%, no recovery 68.2%. A review that pooled published cases only.
- PMID 26356847 Beleznay et al., 2015 prior review (abstract). 98 cases. Nasolabial fold 13.3%. Not a retraction. Later 2019·2024 updates widened the scope.
- PMID 12437452 Fisher et al., review of photoaging mechanisms (abstract). Frames sunlight as a major environmental factor in skin aging. Did not measure nasolabial-procedure effects.
Related reading
Sources
Discuss options for your current needs
We review your current health and prior procedures before explaining appropriate options and their limits.
