What Is the Nasolabial Fold and How to Treat It
The nasolabial fold is among the most common and earliest visible signs of facial ageing. While completely natural, these folds can become deeper over time, often giving the face a tired or less youthful look. Understanding why they appear and how to care for this delicate area is essential to keeping skin firm, radiant and balanced.
What Is the Nasolabial Fold?
The nasolabial fold is the line that extends from the side of the nose down to the corner of the mouth. While these folds are a natural feature of the face, they often become more noticeable with age, creating the appearance of tiredness or premature ageing. In everyday language, they are sometimes called “smile lines” or “laugh lines.”
Unlike fine surface wrinkles, nasolabial folds are structural changes in the skin. It develops as the skin loses elasticity, firmness, and volume, combined with the repeated facial movements we make every day. Because of its depth and visibility, the nasolabial fold is one of the ageing signs people are most concerned about. Even when the skin is otherwise healthy, these folds can make the face look older.
Causes of Nasolabial Folds
Ageing
With time, the skin naturally produces less collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, the key building blocks that keep it plump, elastic and hydrated. As this support structure weakens, the mid-face begins to sag and the folds deepen.
Repeated Facial Movements
Everyday expressions such as laughing, smiling or speaking cause the muscles in this area to contract thousands of times each day. Initially, these are dynamic wrinkles (only visible when we move), but over time they become static wrinkles, marked even at rest.
Sun Exposure
UV radiation accelerates skin ageing by breaking down collagen and elastin fibres. Photoageing not only makes the skin thinner and less resilient, but also leads to pigmentation irregularities that make the folds appear more pronounced. Lack of daily sun protection is one of the main reasons why nasolabial folds develop earlier than expected.
Loss of Facial Volume
One of the lesser-known but most important factors is the reduction of fat and support tissues in the mid-face. As the cheeks lose volume, the skin descends and accentuates the depth of the nasolabial fold. This is why these lines are often more visible after the age of 40, when volume loss becomes more noticeable.
Other Contributing Factors
Smoking, which reduces oxygen supply to the skin and accelerates collagen degradation.
Oxidative stress, caused by pollution and lifestyle habits, leading to cellular damage.
Genetics, which influence skin thickness, elasticity and how early wrinkles appear.
How to Detect Nasolabial Wrinkles Early
In the early stages, nasolabial folds are visible only when smiling or moving the mouth. This is the best moment to act preventively. If you notice that the lines remain faintly visible even at rest, or if a shadow starts forming in this area, these are signs that the fold is beginning to set in.
Identifying these changes early is key: anti-ageing skincare is much more effective when the fold is in its initial stages, before it becomes a deep crease.
How to Prevent the Nasolabial Fold
Although it is impossible to stop the natural ageing process, it is possible to delay and soften the appearance of nasolabial folds with consistent care and healthy lifestyle choices.
Daily Sun Protection
UV exposure is one of the leading causes of premature skin ageing. A broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against UVA, UVB, infrared and blue light should be applied every day, including to the folds around the mouth.
A Complete Anti-Ageing Routine
Include this delicate area in your skincare routine. Products rich in hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and peptides can help maintain hydration, stimulate collagen production and protect against oxidative stress. These ingredients are essential for keeping the skin firm and luminous.
Hydration and Skin Plumpness
Well-hydrated skin is more elastic and better able to recover from facial movements. Dehydration makes the folds more pronounced. Using hydrating serums and creams, especially those containing multi-weight hyaluronic acid, helps to maintain a plumper, smoother look.
Lifestyle Habits
A diet rich in antioxidants helps fight free radical damage.
Avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption protect skin health.
Regular rest (around 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep) allows natural repair processes to take place.
Managing stress and practising exercise improve circulation and skin vitality.
Facial Massage and Exercises
Massage techniques and facial yoga can help improve circulation, stimulate collagen production and maintain muscle tone. Massaging upwards along the fold line helps keep the skin firm and supple.
Treatments to Reduce Nasolabial Wrinkles
At Germaine de Capuccini we offer targeted treatments to visibly soften nasolabial folds, both with professional cabin protocols and at-home care routines.
At-home treatments for nasolabial folds:
Pro-Collagen Serum: a high-efficacy concentrate that smooths deep wrinkles and improves elasticity, ideal for acting on nasolabial folds from the very first applications.
Pro-Collagen Cream: provides intense hydration and firmness for all skin types, helping to plump static wrinkles such as nasolabial folds.
Pro-Collagen Day Cream SPF30: available in Soft for combination skin or Rich for dry skin, these versions not only hydrate and treat wrinkles but also protect against photo-ageing.
Pro-Collagen Eye and Lip Contour: perfect for softening fine lines in delicate areas and improving firmness around the eyes and lips, where marked folds may also appear.
Professional cabin treatments
The Timexpert Wrink·Less line also includes a professional anti-wrinkle cabin treatment, with neuromodulating and filling action that combines next-generation peptides with Pro-Collagen technology. This protocol delivers immediate results on expression wrinkles and static folds such as nasolabial lines, leaving the skin visibly smoother and firmer.
These products, integrated into a consistent daily routine, help reduce nasolabial folds progressively and maintain youthful, radiant skin for longer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nasolabial Folds
HOW CAN I GET RID OF NASOLABIAL FOLDS?
Complete elimination is only possible through surgical procedures. However, advanced cosmetic treatments can significantly reduce their appearance. An effective option is the anti-wrinkle protocols from the Timexpert Wrink·Less line, which smooth deep wrinkles thanks to their neuromodulating and filling action with Pro-Collagen.
WHICH CREAM SHOULD I USE FOR NASOLABIAL FOLDS?
The best creams for this area are those that combine hyaluronic acid, peptides and antioxidants such as vitamin C. The Pro-Collagen Cream from Timexpert Wrink·Less provides intense hydration, improves firmness and helps plump folds such as nasolabial lines. You can also choose the Pro-Collagen Day Cream SPF30.
WHY DO NASOLABIAL FOLDS APPEAR?
They result from a combination of factors: skin ageing, loss of collagen and elastin, facial volume reduction, repetitive muscle movements and sun exposure. Lifestyle habits such as smoking and stress, as well as genetics, also play a role. To treat them effectively, a comprehensive routine is recommended, including high-efficacy anti-ageing products like the Pro-Collagen Serum Timexpert Wrink·Less, which smooths deep wrinkles and improves skin elasticity.
