Parentheses. Marionette lines. Whatever you choose to call them, those unattractive nasolabial folds that form around the mouth can be difficult to hide. Over-the-counter creams and exfoliants do little to soften the lines, and makeup often enhances them by settling in the crease. Our instinct may tell us that “filling” the lines is necessary; however Daireds Nurse Practitioner Lynda Valdez explains why a "liquid facelift" might be the better option.

“What happens when we age is that we lose volume under the eyes and in the upper cheeks, and the skin starts to sag,” she said. “It’s when you lose this volume that the skin droops and folds over.”

That “folding” is due to a facial ligament that’s present around the mouth, says Valdez. Aging skin that has lost volume slowly begins to fall over the ligament, leading to deep creases and even jowls. Rather than injecting a filler in those lines (which may counteract results by adding more volume to the already sagging skin),

Valdez recommends a treatment such as Radiesse, a cosmetic injection which can lift the skin by adding volume in key areas located higher in the face. “We’re pulling everything back up rather than putting more down at the bottom,” Valdez said. “With Radiesse, I put volume under the eyes, so you don’t look so tired, and volume in the upper cheeks to lift the skin around the mouth.”

Valdez describes the end result as achieving the “inverted triangle,” or the shape of a youthful face. “As you age, you kind of get into an inverted trapezoid,” Valdez said. “We pull back up into an inverted triangle. You’re going to look younger by putting the volume up here.”