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Treatment of the nasolabial folds, assessed and injected personally by Dr. Amir Mortazavi, MD.
The nasolabial folds run from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth. Everyone has them — they're a normal anatomical feature, and the goal is never to erase them. When they deepen with age they can make the face look heavier and more tired than it is.
The most important thing to know before treating this area.
Deep nasolabial folds are frequently caused by midface volume loss, not by a deficit in the fold itself.
As the cheek fat pads diminish and descend, tissue accumulates above the fold and deepens it. The fold is the result. Filling it directly treats the symptom — and often produces exactly the outcome patients are trying to avoid: a flattened, heavy-looking midface with a fold that's been packed rather than lifted.
Restoring midface support frequently softens the fold more effectively than filling the fold ever would, because it addresses what actually changed.
A number of patients who book this appointment leave having had their cheeks treated instead, with a better result and often less product. Dr. Mortazavi will tell you which applies to your face at consultation.
When treating the fold directly does make sense:
The midface is already adequately supported and the fold is still deep · a static crease has etched into the skin independent of volume · a small amount of refinement after midface treatment has been done · significant asymmetry between sides
In those cases, conservative placement into the fold is appropriate — and it's placed deep, in small amounts, rather than packed superficially.
Why overfilling here is so visible.
The nasolabial fold is one of the least forgiving areas on the face. Product placed too superficially can be visible as a ridge. Too much creates fullness that reads as swollen rather than youthful. And because the area moves constantly with speech and expression, errors show in motion even when they're invisible at rest.
This is one of the areas where conservative treatment and reassessment at two weeks matters most.
What to expect: 20 to 30 minutes with numbing. Results visible immediately, though swelling means the true result is at two weeks. Bruising is common. Duration typically 9 to 12 months.
If the fold is one of several things bothering you, facial balancing assesses the lower face as a structure rather than treating areas individually — which is usually the better approach when the fold is part of a broader pattern of volume loss.
Deep static creases that remain when the face is completely relaxed may need resurfacing alongside volume, since etched lines in the skin are a texture problem rather than a volume one.
New to filler? Read the full guide to dermal fillers in Newport Beach before booking.
Treatment of the nasolabial folds, assessed and injected personally by Dr. Amir Mortazavi, MD.
The nasolabial folds run from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth. Everyone has them — they're a normal anatomical feature, and the goal is never to erase them. When they deepen with age they can make the face look heavier and more tired than it is.
The most important thing to know before treating this area.
Deep nasolabial folds are frequently caused by midface volume loss, not by a deficit in the fold itself.
As the cheek fat pads diminish and descend, tissue accumulates above the fold and deepens it. The fold is the result. Filling it directly treats the symptom — and often produces exactly the outcome patients are trying to avoid: a flattened, heavy-looking midface with a fold that's been packed rather than lifted.
Restoring midface support frequently softens the fold more effectively than filling the fold ever would, because it addresses what actually changed.
A number of patients who book this appointment leave having had their cheeks treated instead, with a better result and often less product. Dr. Mortazavi will tell you which applies to your face at consultation.
When treating the fold directly does make sense:
The midface is already adequately supported and the fold is still deep · a static crease has etched into the skin independent of volume · a small amount of refinement after midface treatment has been done · significant asymmetry between sides
In those cases, conservative placement into the fold is appropriate — and it's placed deep, in small amounts, rather than packed superficially.
Why overfilling here is so visible.
The nasolabial fold is one of the least forgiving areas on the face. Product placed too superficially can be visible as a ridge. Too much creates fullness that reads as swollen rather than youthful. And because the area moves constantly with speech and expression, errors show in motion even when they're invisible at rest.
This is one of the areas where conservative treatment and reassessment at two weeks matters most.
What to expect: 20 to 30 minutes with numbing. Results visible immediately, though swelling means the true result is at two weeks. Bruising is common. Duration typically 9 to 12 months.
If the fold is one of several things bothering you, facial balancing assesses the lower face as a structure rather than treating areas individually — which is usually the better approach when the fold is part of a broader pattern of volume loss.
Deep static creases that remain when the face is completely relaxed may need resurfacing alongside volume, since etched lines in the skin are a texture problem rather than a volume one.
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