The nasolabial fold, commonly known as smile lines, is now becoming the target of a war on an obscure facial feature. Celebrities and influencers are using a variety of methods, including PhotoShop, Facetune, plastic surgery, and cosmetic dermatology to eliminate these once normal signs of facial anatomy. This trend is driven by social media pressure and unrealistic beauty standards, with Google searches for nasolabial folds doubling since 2021. Plastic surgeon Jonathan Sykes from Beverly Hills noted that complaints about nasolabial folds are one of the most common he receives during consultations.
For some individuals like 27-year-old Sabrina Patriarca, the pressure to conform to these beauty standards led to her paying $800 to get filler injected into her nasolabial folds. She felt insecure about having more lines than the average person and believed it was aging her and adding heaviness to her face. However, after the filler began to migrate downwards, she experienced regret for the first time out of all the cosmetic procedures she had undergone. The filler had to be dissolved through a painful procedure, but still lingered and affected the appearance of her face.
According to Sykes, the unfair targeting of nasolabial folds as the main culprit for aging is a common misconception. He believes that it’s the area surrounding the folds that age a person, and treatment mainly focused on the folds might not be the most effective solution for many individuals. Instead, correcting aging in the cheeks through injections or surgery tends to yield better results. Despite the overwhelming demand for treating nasolabial folds, Sykes tries to steer clients away from focusing solely on that aspect.
In a bid to erase nasolabial folds without the risks associated with cosmetic procedures, many individuals turn to photo-editing tools like Facetune and PhotoShop. Celebrities like Bella Hadid, Julia Fox, and Ariana Grande have been accused of editing out their smile lines to achieve a flawless appearance. Los Angeles fashion photographer Marina Kaya mentioned that while some celebrities might edit out their nasolabial folds, clients generally only request removing them under specific circumstances, such as to alter a facial expression.
This trend towards erasing nasolabial folds is just the latest hyper-fixation on a minuscule attribute but reflects a somewhat sad obsession with achieving flawless perfection. Despite these lines being associated with joy and laughter, they are now seen as an undesirable feature that needs to be eliminated. The pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards has led to an obsession with erasing any signs of aging or imperfection, even if it means altering facial features that were once considered natural and normal. Ultimately, the trend represents a worrisome shift towards perfectionism and beauty ideals that may have negative consequences on individuals’ self-image and mental well-being.
