Getting Rid of Smile Lines

Posted on: 9 February 2022

Some people can flash a perfect smile without even thinking about it. That's part of why it can be frustrating to look at pictures of yourself or in the mirror and to see a whole lot of your gums visible. This isn't considered to be a particularly attractive look, but trying to force yourself to smile less or keep your lips together can make you look awkward or uncomfortable in pictures. So shy of editing every single picture you take, what can you do about this? The solution is surprisingly easy. 

Gummy Smiles

The condition you have is called a gummy smile. There's nothing particularly wrong with having a gummy smile, except a cosmetic standpoint. However, most people want to look their best when they smile, whether they're on camera or not. If that's something you want, then you can get help easily without even going under the knife.

Simple Fix

In the past, fixing a gummy smile required pulling the upper lip down and stitching it to your upper gums to keep it from moving. That's almost never needed anymore, though. Now, you can get an immediate improvement to your appearance courtesy of Botox.

Botox is an injectable you've probably heard of as reducing wrinkles. However, the core mechanic of Botox is that it keeps muscles from moving. When used in a controlled medical setting, a tiny dose of Botox can be administered to reduce the amount that muscles move rather than paralyzing them entirely.

What this means is that when you smile, your upper lip won't move as far up as it ordinarily would. You won't need to think about it; your brain will still tell your lip to move the way it used to, but it won't respond in the same way anymore. 

What to Expect

It may surprise you, but an instant improvement can be delivered with as little as one treatment of Botox. The best part is that with Botox, there's no downtime. You may have a little bit of soreness at the injection site, but you'll be able to go back to your daily life with your immediate results already visible.

To get this treatment, you need to make an appointment with a local cosmetic specialist. They'll take a look at your smile in the office, but it's also a good idea to bring a picture or two of you showing a natural smile. From there, they'll determine how much Botox you need and where it should be placed in order to maximize your results. By the time you check the mirror after the injection, you should already be able to see the change. Click here to go to site with more information.