Filling smoker's lines

When filling smoker's lines, your doctor places small amounts of hyaluronic acid in the lines themselves, so the line softens and your mouth area looks calmer.

The name is misleading: anyone can get smoker's lines, even if you've never smoked. They come from the movement of your mouth, not the cigarette.

Our doctors look at the line itself and at how your mouth moves:

• Lines that stay: a filler replenishes the line where volume is missing.

• Lines only with movement: then the doctor also considers Botox.

• A thin or dry upper lip: then the doctor also looks at lip fillers.

• The fold from nose to mouth corner: that's the nasolabial fold, a different zone.

You decide together during a free consult what suits you. Your doctor assesses your mouth at rest and in motion, because that difference decides which approach works.

Filling smoker's lines takes fifteen to thirty minutes. This is what your appointment looks like:

• Before: at Soap you can always book a free consult, with the option to be treated straight away. You get personal advice tailored to your face and desired result.

• During: with a fine needle your doctor places small amounts of hyaluronic acid in the lines above your upper lip, and assesses the result along the way at rest and in motion.

• After: you carry on with your day straight away.

Your mouth area looks softer immediately and then settles a little more: after two to four weeks the result is at its best, once the hyaluronic acid has fully set.

After that it stays visible for six to twelve months on average, depending on the zone and the hyaluronic acid used. Your body then breaks it down naturally, so you decide yourself whether and when to repeat it.

The area above your lip moves all day, so the first days of rest count extra here.

What our doctors tell you:

• Leave it alone: touch the treated area as little as possible, so the hyaluronic acid settles calmly in place.

• Take it easy: drink enough water and preferably sleep with your head slightly raised the first night.

• Skip heat for a while: avoid intense exercise, sauna, sunbeds and hot showers for the first 24 to 48 hours. Alcohol too, on the first day.

• Don't massage: don't press or massage the area, unless your doctor explicitly advises it.

• Postpone other treatments: plan a facial, peel or face massage a week or two later.

Skip makeup for the first few hours. During your treatment you hear exactly what to pay attention to, and if you're unsure about anything, your doctor is there for you.

On our price list, Smoker's lines are from €350. Rates are the same at all our stores, so you pay the same in Amsterdam as in Maastricht.

How much hyaluronic acid you need depends on how deep the lines are. During the free consult you hear what's possible and what it costs in your case, before you commit to anything.

Many people search for removing smoker's lines. Honest answer: a filler makes the line softer and less deep, and that's exactly what you want to see in the mirror.

If the line mainly comes from missing volume, a filler is the approach. If it's mainly caused by movement, Botox relaxes the small muscles around your mouth. They do different things and are regularly combined; during your free consult the doctor advises what suits your wish.

The skin above your lip is fine and moves a lot, so precision counts heavily here.

Every treatment at Soap is performed by one of our experts, a BIG registered doctor, after a personal consult. We only work with safe, temporary fillers based on hyaluronic acid. During your intake we discuss your wishes and what's realistic.

Results and experience may vary per person. Filler treatments (Restylane) involve a medical device and fall under the European regulation for medical devices (MDR).

Curious whether a filler softens your smoker's lines?

You plan a free consult, with the option to be treated straight away. Your doctor looks at your face, tells you what's possible and what it costs, and only then do you decide.