Nasolabial folds treatment in Singapore volume, laxity or expression, matched to the right route

Full guide: Non-surgical facelift in Singapore

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What nasolabial folds and smile lines are

The nasolabial fold is the crease that runs from the side of each nostril down to the corner of the mouth. It marks the boundary between the cheek and the upper lip. Doctors may call it the melolabial fold; most people call it a smile line or laugh line, and in Chinese it is 法令纹.

Having a fold here is normal. What people want to treat is a fold that has become longer, deeper or heavier, so the face looks tired in photos even when relaxed. It is different from marionette lines, which run from the corners of the mouth towards the chin, and from fine crisscross lines that come from skin quality.

Causes

Why nasolabial folds deepen

Several changes usually happen at once, and one tends to lead. Facial fat sits in separate compartments, and the nasolabial fat is its own distinct unit, so the fold ages in its own way.

• Midface volume loss: the deep fat pads of the cheek thin and shift, and bone of the upper jaw, including the area beside the nose, slowly resorbs. With less support underneath, the cheek flattens and the fold looks deeper, especially next to the nose.
• Skin laxity: skin makes less collagen and elastin each year, and sun exposure and smoking speed up the loss. Looser skin folds more easily along the existing crease.
• Sagging: the ligaments that hold the cheek in place lose resilience, so cheek tissue settles downwards and gathers against the fold. This often appears together with early jowls.
• Expression: the muscles that lift the upper lip pull on the skin every time you smile. Over years, the line becomes visible even when the face is at rest.
• Face shape and weight: fuller cheeks or a flatter midface make the fold show earlier in some people. Weight gain can make the cheeks heavier, and large weight loss can leave skin looser.

Self-check

How to tell which cause applies to you

A few checks in front of a mirror, in good daylight, give a useful first answer. They are not a diagnosis, and most people find more than one cause.

• Look at your face at an angle. A flat or hollow upper cheek, or a shadow running down from the inner eye, suggests lost midface volume.
• Place your fingertips on the upper cheek and lift the skin gently up and back towards the temple. If the fold softens noticeably, laxity and sagging are playing a large part.
• Look closely along the fold. Fine crisscross lines and thin, crepey skin point to skin quality.
• Relax completely, then smile. A line that appears mainly with expression is a dynamic line; one that stays at rest has become etched in.

Matching the cause

Cause, what you see, and the usual route

SkinRev Lab prices are per session, before GST. Medical treatments at IN Eternity Clinic are performed by Dr Sin Yong and priced at consultation by the clinic.

SkinRev Lab · Laxity

SKINLIFT Face: focused ultrasound for jowls, folds and jawline

SKINLIFT is a needle-free lifting session using N Pulse-Ultrasound, a multi-sequential focused ultrasound aimed at the deeper support layers beneath the skin. It addresses the part of a deepening fold that comes from loosening and descent.

SKINLIFT Face covers the jowls, nasolabial folds and jawline in about 30 minutes, with no numbing. Most clients go straight back to work; mild, short-lived redness can occur. Change builds gradually over a course planned at your assessment, as collagen remodels over the following weeks. It is S$888 per session, before GST.

It suits mild to moderate laxity. Lifting is not volume: if the fold is deep mainly because the midface has lost fat or bone support, tightening the skin over it will not put that support back, and your Aesthetic Specialist will say so and pass your enquiry to IN Eternity Clinic.

SkinRev Lab · Texture

SKINTIGHT: microplasma for crepey skin along the fold

SKINTIGHT is a microplasma resurfacing session on the Alma PrimeX. A pin-tip applicator forms tiny channels in the skin surface while warming the dermis, prompting collagen renewal over the following weeks. On the face it is used for crepey texture, fine laxity and uneven texture on the cheeks and jawline.

It refines skin quality rather than lifting deep tissue, so it pairs with a lifting treatment where laxity is also present. Sessions take about 30 minutes; tightening settings usually leave mild redness for a few hours. SKINTIGHT is S$588 per zone, before GST.

IN Eternity Clinic

Doctor-led options: fillers, energy-based lifting and threads

When a fold is deep mainly from volume loss or established sagging, the realistic options are medical. They are performed by Dr Sin Yong (MBBS Singapore, MRCS Edinburgh, MSc Practical Dermatology Cardiff) at IN Eternity Clinic after an assessment, and priced at consultation by the clinic. SkinRev Lab does not inject anything.

• Dermal fillers: hyaluronic acid gel placed to replace lost support in specific layers of the face, aiming for rested structure rather than added volume. It can be dissolved with an enzyme if needed.
• Cheek filler: filler placed deep along the cheekbone and midface. When the midface deflates, the soft tissue above slides down and deepens the nasolabial folds; restoring some of that support can soften the fold indirectly.
• Collagen biostimulators: injectable PLLA or PCL that prompt your own collagen over months, for gradual return of support rather than an immediate change.
• Energy-based lifting: HIFU places focused ultrasound at set depths down to the SMAS layer; VF Lift applies monopolar radiofrequency along vertical vectors; Svelte Touch combines radiofrequency and ultrasound, including for the nasolabial area. All tighten rather than add volume.
• Threads: RVR ProLift places absorbable lifting threads along vertical vectors to reposition a mid-face that has slid down, combined with energy-based lifting where planned. It uses local anaesthetic, with a few days of swelling and small entry marks.

Honest advice

Why filling the fold itself is not always the answer

It is tempting to fill a deep line. Often, though, the fold is deep because the tissue above it has lost support or settled lower, so filler pushed into the crease treats the shadow rather than the cause. Restoring a little support where it was lost, usually in the midface, tends to look more natural, and repeated filler in the fold can build into a heavy, wide look sometimes called pillow face.

There is also a safety reason for care. The facial and angular arteries run beside the nose, and an anatomical review notes that injecting filler into the nasolabial folds carries a potential risk of vascular problems. Some folds do benefit from a small, careful amount placed directly; that is a decision for the doctor after examining your face.

Relaxing injections soften lines made by muscle movement but cannot fill a deep fold. No treatment removes the fold completely, because it is normal anatomy; the realistic aim is a softer fold that suits your face. Results vary, and collagen remodelling after energy treatments develops over about two to three months.

Visiting

Where to start

If you are not sure which cause is yours, start with an assessment at SkinRev Lab, #B1-28 CityLink Mall, 1 Raffles Link, in the underground link between City Hall and Esplanade MRT, open daily 11am to 8pm. WhatsApp +65 8266 9585. If the fold is mainly from volume loss or needs a medical option, we will say so and pass your enquiry to IN Eternity Clinic.

To see the doctor directly, IN Eternity Clinic is at 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, beside Orchard MRT, open Monday to Saturday 11am to 8pm and closed on Sunday. WhatsApp +65 8815 3008.

Sources

References & sources

1. Hong GW, Song S, Park SY, Lee SB, Wan J, Hu KS, Yi KH. Why do nasolabial folds appear? Exploring the anatomical perspectives and the role of thread-based interventions. Diagnostics (Basel). 2024;14(7):716. doi:10.3390/diagnostics14070716. PMID 38611629.
2. Rohrich RJ, Pessa JE. The fat compartments of the face: anatomy and clinical implications for cosmetic surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2007;119(7):2219-2227. doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000265403.66886.54.
3. Mendelson B, Wong CH. Changes in the facial skeleton with aging: implications and clinical applications in facial rejuvenation. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2012;36(4):753-760. doi:10.1007/s00266-012-9904-3. PMID 22580543.
4. Cleveland Clinic. Nasolabial folds (smile lines): causes and treatment. Medically reviewed 18 May 2022.

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