Does Botox improve smoker's lines and chin lines?

Dr. Dean Kane Q & A.

Q. Does Botox improve smoker's lines and chin lines? I am going to have Voluma in my cheeks on Monday and Botox on my forehead. Would Botox help smoker's line above lips and wrinkles on chin? Can Voluma be used on chin wrinkles?

A. ​White patients of northern european descent have the most 

trouble with lines around the lips and chin. This is due to:

1. ​Thinning aging lip skin
2. ​Thinning aging peri-oral fat
3. ​Inversion of the "pink" lip vermillion
4. ​Thickening (hypertrophy) of the lip and chin muscles

Depending on the findings at consultation, a well versed and competent Plastic Surgeon, Facial ENT or Dermatologist Injector may consider:

1. ​Botox or Dysport to relax the tightened lip and chin muscles
2. ​Various fillers to the fatty soft tissues under the skin or the thinning lip skin itself
3. ​Thicker gel fillers like Perlane and Juvederm Ultra Plus have worked very well for me in the pink lip
4. ​Silk has worked very well in the lines around the lips and chin in my hands.
5. Voluma may be to stiff and projecting in the chin unless you have a weak chin and wish more projection
6. For other improvements of the lip and chin lines, consider:
7. Retinoids to exfoliate the epidermis and stimulate thickening of the dermis
8. Chemical or laser peels to exfoliate the skin and stimulate collagen formation

I hope this has been helpful! All the best!

What would your advice be if I walked to your office? Botox?

Dr. Dean Kane Q & A. 

Q. I have this horrible lines on my neck (deep ones) and I am so young I shouldn't have to be worrying about it... I think its genetics so... there is only so much I can do, but I definitely will proceed on something against them since I'm fairly slim and I just want them to get toned out and vanished as much as possible. Ive tried aloe vera, collagen pills... etc. you name it; I've tried it. I feel hopeless... Oh, and when I was 15-18 I was a bit chubby but not anymore. Thank you in advance.

A.  ​​​​Thank you for sharing your photos!
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​As advancements are made in surgical and non-surgical cosmetic improvements, concerns not previously addressed are now facing (no pun intended) the limelight.
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​Neck creases or necklace lines may now be more apparent as the computer-cam generation and "selfie" revolution highlights these and other personal concerns including the weak chin, the open nose and facial asymmetries not previously appreciated. The necklace creases may be created by the more repetitive flexion of the neck looking down toward these devices.
​
​While there is a sheet of muscle called the platysma under the neck creases, it produces vertical folds more than horizontal creases. Botox will relax the muscles creating "dynamic" lines like those of the crows feet and not easily reduce the visibility of neck creases.
​
A continuous evolution of heating technologies (laser, ultrasound and radio frequency) to produce collagen thickening and skin tightening by combining the body’s own natural healing process to tighten loose skin has been less than overwhelming.
​
​I have experienced a greater improvement in "necklace" line reduction and thickening of dermal thinning with resistance to creasing with an off-label use and dilution of the injectible "filler" called Sculptra. This is very injector dependent and not for routine use but illustrates how technology and technique are helping enhance our personal lives and aging’s consequences.
​
​Please consult with a Board Certified, well experienced injector specialist to examine you and review with you, your options.
​
​I wish you well!

Can Derma Pen or Botox fix these little lines under one eye?

Dr. Dean Kane Q & A

Q.  I'm about to turn 26 in June. My skin is in really good condition as I've been vigilant about skincare since my teens (including staying out of the sun, SPF etc..) The past year however, I noticed a small patch of lines form under my left eye. I have spent quite a bit of money on under eye treatments & creams & they haven't diminished at all, but they haven't gotten worse either. Could these have been caused by sleeping on my left side? My right eye doesn't have the same lines. Thank You :)

A. ​Congratulations on maintaining your youth!​

​As we age, there is passive loss of elasticity and hydration of the skin. It no longer shrinks back but begins to crease. The inability of your skin to make more elastin, collagen, hyaluronic acid and other rejuvenating skin molecules leads to the skins aging. Weather, UV, tobacco all contribute too.
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At 25, you have the beginning of a rounding lower eyelid. Botox will relax the muscles which add to crinkles in the eyelid but also to drooping of the lower lid and puffiness of the eyebags. I don't believe this is for you.
​
​Derma pen or micro-needling of the eyelid is an option to stimulate the repair and rebuilding mechanism to reverse loss of these molecules but is risky next to the eye.
​
​Please consult with a well experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Ophthalmologist (one World Renown one in your town) or Dermatologist  (also World Renown an spouse of the latter on Vancouver) to review your options to REJVENATE such as:
​
1. ​Retin-A, Retinol therapy,
2. ​Fillers,
3. ​Peels and Laser
And ​others.
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​I hope this has been helpful! All the best.

Dean Kane, MD