6 Ways to Prevent and Treat Smile and Laugh Lines

Smiling (or laughing) makes you more attractive, but it can also cause lines and creases on the side of your mouth. These are referred to smile or laugh lines, which can also be accompanied with wrinkles around the eyes. Apart from repetitive facial expressions, aging, UV exposure, bad habits (smoking) can also contribute to their formation.

Fortunately, you don’t have to give up smiling or laughing even if having these lines bother you. Since smiling is good for you and your health, it is better to look for other ways to prevent and treat smile or laugh lines. Here are a few things that can help:

1. Get plenty of shut-eye

A number of amazing things happen while you doze off. Your body and skin cells go into reparative mode when you sleep. It enables your skin to take a break from environmental stressors, as well as recuperate from daytime activities. You may also be glad to know that at nighttime, your skin is more receptive to the active ingredients in your skincare products. 

2. Protect skin from the sun

Sun exposure is the number one cause of premature aging, so it is only important to wear sunscreen daily. Be sure to apply on the overlooked areas, including the skin around your eyes and eyelid region. Choose a broad-spectrum formula with an SPF of 30 or higher and a sunscreen that is gentle on the eye area.

You should also wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun and keep you from squinting in the sunlight. Choose wraparound sunglasses (large lenses) that offer UV protection to protect both your eyes and skin. 

3. Use an anti-aging serum

Aging causes our skin to become drier than usual, which then prompts lines and wrinkles to linger. This only makes it important to include a night cream or an anti-aging serum into your nighttime routine, apart from your moisturizer. One good recommendation is Fibroblast Growth Factor Serum from Dr. Sylvia Skin Care.

Made from plant stem cell extracts, Fibroblast provides healing and age-delaying benefits. It helps stimulate new collagen growth while blocking collagen and hyaluronic acid breakdown due to aging. The product also serves as a stem cell activator that can increase dermal activity and decelerate age-related degradation.

4. Stay well hydrated

Dehydration can make your skin susceptible to wrinkling and dryness, so it is only important to stay properly hydrated. Drinking lots of water benefits your health, but it is not the only way to stay hydrated. You can do so by eating water-rich fruits and cutting back on habits that dehydrate skin like smoking and drinking alcohol.

5. Don’t rub your eyes

The skin around your eyes is delicate, so rubbing and scratching can irritate the area, and break down collagen and elastin. If you do this often, it can gradually cause your skin to become wrinkly or cause lines to become permanently etched into your skin. It is best to be gentle, especially when applying products and removing makeup.

6. Get help from injectables

If you already have wrinkles and smile/laugh lines that you want to smooth or get rid of, consider injectable treatments. Botox is one popular option for treating forehead and frown lines, as well as wrinkles in the corner of the eyes. It temporarily blocks the signal from a nerve to a muscle to relax the wrinkles.

Dermal fillers can also help, especially for filling in volume loss and smoothing fine lines. Fillers made from hyaluronic acid or HA (Juvederm) are commonly used, as they are also effective at restoring moisture to the skin to smooth away creases. HA fillers, furthermore, can plump up the lips and enhance facial contours.

Browse through our website today for more skincare tips and product recommendations. You can also contact Cutis Laser Clinics in Singapore today and schedule a consultation with our Harvard-trained aesthetic doctor, Dr. Sylvia Ramirez, to find out which treatments are right for you.