Sent photos. Awful face. Smile lines? Filler? What can I do ? Help !

[Pinkytwoshoes]

Smile Lines! Desperately down! AIBU? Help me !

I’ve always had deep smile lines ( nasolabial folds) - my mother has them . I’ve got other wrinkles too but I have learnt to accept those. The issue iwith my smile lines is that they drag my whole face down and make me look miserable.

I have started to hate looking in the mirror over the past two years and I dread putting on make up or getting ready as all I see is this miserable looking face. The lines are deep and prominent.

I was sent pictures of me from
an event and I was absolutely floored by how deep they were and how awful I looked. These were not posed. Just me ‘being’ . I had no idea these were being taken.
I dislike my face and I have issues with these lines but these pictures were taken off guard - they were terrible! I was taken aback .

DH who is lovely said l- you have got wrinkes- I think your gorgeous just accept it.

I sound pathetic but it is making me so down. I am 39. 3 children !

Other than Accepting this is my face or getting some filler what can I do?

I have previously had a consultation for filler but did not go ahead as I was nervous about it and migration. But two years on I am at a point where my daily life is dominated by these lines and I would love some advice !

I am not bothered about my frown lines or crows feet. These smile lines just make me look so so miserable .

You're gorgeous, believe your husband.

Botox helps my crows feet. I tell myself I’ve got them from being happy and laughing a lot but honestly the Botox takes the edge off.

Fillers would help Op. Getting Botox and fillers was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.

Other peoples opinions don’t matter if you are doing it for yourself.

Mumsnet hates fillers and will tell you that you’ll look like a troll because the general consensus is that every person who’s had Botox or filler looks hideous - but done well - it’s a game changer.

Worst case scenario, you hate it, you can have filler dissolved.

A ml of filler on each side of your mouth into the folds will lift your entire face.

followimg as i am interested in fillers and botox too

Smile more ? You tend not to smile when you look in the mirror but when other people see your face it’s active and happy and then smile lines are perfect

The lines probably look muccchh deeper to you than they do to anyone else. When you look at yourself in a mirror or photo, you're taking particular notice of the features you're insecure about, and they stick out like a sore thumb. But other people looking at you are seeing the whole picture, the whole person. They acknowledge some flaws yes, but you are hyper aware of them so they look worse to you. They probably look entirely normal and not at all notable to everyone else.

Get filler if you like though, nothing wrong with that. Just go somewhere really reputable.

Prescription tretinoin has helped me. I am 53 and no wrinkles. I get it from overseas but you can get it from Dermatica or Skin and Me.

You can have a little filler in the grooves, but ideally they shouldn't be filled in they should be lifted up. If you gently place your fingers below your cheek bones and lift the skin, you'll see. This can be done by filler in the cheek bone area, a thread lift or treatments like RF skin tightening if you don't want substances or invasive procedures. If you're set on doing 'something' I'd advise you to go to a reputable doctor. You won't need to know the procedure you want, they will ask you what's bothering you and suggests the most appropriate options. You can then go away, research the pros and cons and make an informed choice.

Hey OP, I'm same as you and a similar age. I have no wrinkles anywhere but quite deep smile lines. My smile lines are caused by losing my puppy fat round cheeks, it's not something that would be fixed by Botox or face creams. I also heard a plastic surgeon say he would never recommend fillers there as it's the prime spot for looking "muzzley".

I've basically come to the conclusion that the options are a) put on weight to fill out my cheeks b) get a face lift or c) live with it. I've chosen the latter. Sorry!

I had to Google smile lines as I'd no idea what they are. I know you'll find this hard to believe but as soon as I saw them I thought 'oh, but they look really nice" I think we all have hang ups, especially when you see awful photos of yourself. Mine is my gummy smile. I looked into getting botox, veneers , surgery. I don't have the money to go ahead with any of them though.

Before you consider any treatment, why don’t you try facial exercises every day for three months. Take a photo in the same light conditions once a week.

https://luvly.care/blog/exercises-for-nasolabial-folds