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How to Get Rid of Laugh Lines (Without Losing Your Sense of Humor)

woman laughing while touching hair

“The most wasted day of all is that in which we have not laughed,” declared French playwright Nicolas Chamfort in the late 1700s. A simplified version of this quote (“A day without laughter is a day wasted”) is often attributed to English comic Charlie Chaplin. Whichever one you prefer, the sentiment is the same, and we can’t help but agree. Laughter is a beautiful part of life.

When we’re laughing, we’re living in the moment—not thinking about the laugh lines that might be forming. And, let’s face it: when are the moments that you’re actually stressing over wrinkles? Pretty much only when you’re standing in front of the mirror. And even then, you sometimes might like your laugh lines—you can see them as physical memories of your joy. But other times, you just see them as wrinkles that you’d really rather not have on your face.

Laugh lines, or nasolabial folds, are the creases on either side of your nose, running to the corners of your lips. When you smile or laugh, they’re clearly defined as they push into the creases of your cheeks—so the more you laugh and smile, the more pronounced the lines will become. When we’re younger, this is no big deal, as our healthy, youthful skin bounces back quickly. But as we grow older, our skin starts losing some of its elasticity due to a loss of collagen and hyaluronic acid—further adding to the prominence of laugh lines.

The good news? You don’t ever have to stop laughing to keep laugh lines from turning into deep wrinkles. While some people swear by hyaluronic acid injections (over two million people in 2016, in fact), we realize they aren’t for everyone. The non-invasive methods listed here are designed to both prevent and reduce the appearance of those fine lines.

Top 5 Ways to Banish Those Laugh Lines

  1. NuFACE Trinity Facial Toning Kit - White (4 piece)
    Buy now with Dermstore

    NuFACE Trinity Facial Toning Kit - White (4 piece)

    1. Get Your Body Moving
    While the many benefits of exercise are well known, it’s a lesser known fact that exercising can have anti-aging benefits for your skin, too. The top biological thing at work for your skin when you exercise are myokines. Myokines are substances that jumpstart cell activity and are thought to be the main reason why those who exercise regularly experience fewer wrinkles and sagging.
    Additionally, exercising helps to regulate your cortisol levels by keeping them low, as too much cortisol (a stress-related hormone naturally produced by the body) can lead to a faster breakdown in collagen.
    Try: NuFACE Trinity Facial Toning Kit
    This award-winning device helps stimulate your facial muscles for an effortless workout. See what happened when we tried it out. 

    Buy now with free delivery
  2. Jan Marini Transformation Cream
    Buy now with Dermstore

    Jan Marini Transformation Cream

    2. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
    If you haven’t established a skin care routine that works for you, now’s the time to start. Just be sure you’re being strategic with what you use, as your skin will have much different needs in your 20s than it will in your 30s and 40s. However, the one thing that your skin will need no matter your age is a good moisturizer. Depending on the type of moisturizer you choose, the ingredients will either draw moisture into the skin or help prevent moisture loss (some even do both!) to keep the skin looking plump and smooth.
    Try: Jan Marini Transformation Face Cream
    This dermatologist-approved moisturizer uses hyaluronic acid, peptides and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) to truly transform your skin.

    Buy now with free delivery
  3. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic (1 fl. oz.)
    Buy now with Dermstore

    SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic (1 fl. oz.)

    3. Use Serums or Topical Wrinkle Treatments
    Once you’ve found the right moisturizer for your skin, you might want to go a step further and add something more intensive and targeted to your skin care routine. Without diving into the world of injections, serums and topical wrinkle treatments are among the best ways to reverse some of the fine lines, including laugh lines, that you want to minimize. Serums and treatments with key active ingredients like vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), vitamin A (retinol) and hyaluronic acid can penetrate deeper into your skin than a cream or moisturizer. Topical treatments designed specifically for wrinkles can stimulate collagen production for plumper, firmer, more youthful skin. 
    Try: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
    Just two drops a day can help smooth fine lines and wrinkles for firmer, more youthful-looking skin.

    Buy now with free delivery
  4. Wrinkles Schminkles Mouth Lip Wrinkle Smoothing Patches (2 count)
    Buy now with Dermstore

    Wrinkles Schminkles Mouth Lip Wrinkle Smoothing Patches (2 count)

    4. Sleep It Off
    Don’t have time to target your laugh lines during the day? While you’re sleeping is the perfect time to make a positive impact on your appearance. Get your beauty sleep in more ways than one when you add a product specially designed to slow down the aging process overnight. We love these innovative mouth smoothing pads and the ultra-soothing texture of the professional-grade lip treatment.
    Try: Wrinkles Schminkles Mouth Smoothing Kit
    These medical-grade silicone pads help stimulate collagen production while you’re sleeping. Plus, they’re reusable up to 30 times!
    Try: Dermalogica Nightly Lip Treatment
    Created with soothing, vitamin-rich ingredients, this lip treatment is designed to improve elasticity and smooth fine lines while you enjoy some R&R. 

    Buy now with free delivery
  5. Amazing Cosmetics Line Smoother Primer 0.5fl. oz.

    5. Cover Up With the Right Makeup
    Though your ultimate goal may be to reduce or prevent wrinkles, the reality is that it can take some time before you start seeing the results you want. In the meantime, the right makeup can work wonders in minimizing the appearance of laugh lines and other fine lines. The wrong makeup application can cause your products to sink into lines and make them stand out even more, so the secret is making sure that you have a good primer. Primer can fill in and smooth out your laugh lines—just make sure that you use it after putting on moisturizer. Then, laugh all you want, without a single thought about laugh lines.
    Try: Amazing Cosmetics Line Smoother + Primer
    This primer helps create a flawless base for makeup application, while active ingredients work to hydrate and heal your skin.

    Buy now with free delivery


Freelance Writer

Christina Knueven

Christina Knueven is an LA-based copywriter and editor. In the past five years, in addition to writing and editing, she's been a chocolatier, a horse trainer, a caterer, an in-home caregiver, a barista, and a middle school math teacher. She's written about everything from neuroscience to home design, and hopes to someday be an actual polymath so she can raise her trivia team's win rate. When she's not writing ads and blogs, she's reading or writing fiction, playing board games, dancing, or starting arguments for the sake of arguing. You can read more at christinaknueven.com.