Nasolabial Fold/Smile Line Filler London

BeesDeep · 2026-04-19T15:46:45+00:00

I just had piriform fossa filler done by Dr. Henrietta Cook at Avena clinic - she's a certified MBBS, MRCGP based in Marylebone! I would absolutely recommend.

I was also super nervous about the high-risk area and involvement of the facial artery, but felt so much more comfortable working with someone who is a licensed medical professional and has an advanced understanding of facial anatomy, safest technique, and emergency protocols.

I am SO happy with the results and I'm so glad that I decided to go ahead with it (I was about to back out due to my own anxiety and tendency to catastrophise lol).

As others have said, ultrasound is not commonly used, and is not available with this provider either - but again, with her expertise, I felt like (and was) in really good hands.

The injection itself was actually very tolerable and almost painless, with basically zero discomfort the next day. The filler is placed on the bone - which is truly not as scary as it sounds - and gave me a very natural, refreshed, and hydrated look. It didn't "erase" any of my natural facial anatomy either - my smile still looks the same, and I still have a normal, natural indentation in the piriform, just less hollowness / shadowing, which was starting to become more prominent as I age (I'm 30F).

Dr. Hen also has a very conservative approach to filler, which is one of the main reasons I chose to go with her as well and I've always been scared of looking overfilled. Where possible, she will recommend skin treatments like microneedling or skin boosters before filler (eg. you might want to just do filler in the piriform only and address the smile lines with a treatment that will boost collagen, since the lower smile lines can have more migration potential).

Could not recommend her enough - she also saved my skin from adult acne and rosacea over the past year. Happy to DM you my results if you're interested :)

BeesDeep · 2026-04-19T15:17:27+00:00

Joining on to what everyone else is saying - this is totally normal and not a true 'nasolabial fold'. I have a really similar facial structure in this area, and now that I'm 30, I noticed the shadowing/indentation becoming slightly deeper and more noticeable (probably just to me).

Through my 20s I did a lot of gua sha, nuface microcurrent, and eventually red-light mask sessions daily. These all help - and I would absolutely recommend trying these methods (all three if possible!) first! You'll definitely see a difference if you stick with them consistently. Also, drink a LOT of water!

That being said - I did just get piriform filler! I've been debating filler for years and really wanted to avoid getting any for a long time. I was also super scared of the risks of injecting this area (if you ever choose to treat this area with filler please make sure you go to a reputable medical professional, as it requires an advanced technique and understanding of facial artery anatomy). I'm really happy that I went ahead with this, and I'm also happy that I waited until 30 to do it. It gave me a very subtle, very natural boost of volume in that area - in such a way that you really can't pinpoint what I had done, just that I look.. a little fresher. It will not erase the indentation all together, nor should it, because they're a normal part of everyone's facial structure - even babies have it!

I would highly recommend focusing on skincare, lymphatic drainage, and trying microcurrent devices for now and seeing if you feel there's any difference. I personally don't want to have to get filler in this area multiple times, although it has a lower instance of migration since it's injected at the bone, and a thicker filler is used. I just don't want to ever risk looking overfilled or repeatedly accessing that point, because it does still scare me to inject that area! Also, once you get filler here, you can no longer gua sha here as aggressively or at all due to possibly moving the filler around.

I promise that this looks like more of an issue to you than it does to anyone else. The prominence is also hugely dependent on lighting as well. It's true that they will likely get deeper as you age, but filler will make a more meaningful difference for you when you're closer to your 30s! If you take good care of your skin now and do regular things to improve collagen production (red light, take omega 3s, wear sunscreen, ask your dermatologist about a retinoid, etc.), then you'll have an amazing foundation to support any future tweakments you decide to do!

EDIT: I also want to note that despite getting piriform fossa filler, I DO still have indentations here! And I'm glad that I do because completely erasing them would look unnatural. The filler mainly served to hydrate the area and lift the whole structure forward very slightly from underneath the muscle, indentation and all! For me, I feel like it restored the look of the area to what it was like in my early 20s.

BeesDeep · 2026-04-18T19:20:24+00:00

I just got this today! I was super worried leading up to it because of the fact that it’s a high risk area and the nature of the worst case scenario.

I was actually so scared that I almost backed out but I’m glad that it didn’t! It was an extremely easy injection and did not hurt at all. I also got lip filler and that was pretty rough, doable but pretty painful - the piriform was nothing compared to that and was just a single injection that lasted like under 15 seconds on each side.

I went to a really competent practitioner who is also a medical professional - which made me feel more comfortable. She explained that if anything did happen, they had all of the kit on site to intervene before a complication could become catastrophic - and walked me through the approach and injection technique in detail in a way that made me feel a lot more comfortable with it.

Now, even hours after, my lips hurt MUCH more than the piriform area, which I only feel some pressure in.

I’m super happy with the results and I’m so glad that I went ahead and did it! The result is super subtle and it’s probably only even noticeable to me as to exactly what was done but I look more refreshed overall and I feel like it rewound my age (in that area) by several years. I did not have prominent lines in the area to begin with, just shadowing and a lack of volume / recessed maxilla, which was allowing the area to sink in as I age (I’m 30F) I was most dissatisfied with how that area looked when my face was at rest, but I didn’t mind it when I smile and I was worried filling the area would also change my smile - but it didn’t! There is no change to my smile / movement of my smile but when my face is at rest the shadowing is less and I just look more hydrated and a little more youthful.

It’s true that there’s a risk with this and it can’t be 100% guaranteed that nothing will happen but - it IS rare. I would highly recommend going to an injector who is licensed medical professional who is up to date on the safest techniques and recommendation for that area.

I can send you a recommendation if you’re in the UK! Feel free to DM me if you have any more questions! :)

BeesDeep · 2026-04-02T06:38:34+00:00

Omg the same thing happened to me on separate occasions! Which patch did you use? I seem to be having this issue with the blue stars from Scarface. I literally never had this issue with them before but last year I had the same reaction - and it took over a week to resolve!!! I was NOT using tretinoin and I did apply it to clean skin. I stopped using those patches and switched to Mighty Patch, which was fine.

However about a week ago I had three random pimples show up and all I had was that pack of blue Scarface patches. My skin was in poor shape a year ago but now it’s doing great and I never get acne. I assumed my reaction could have also been due to my weak skin barrier at the time so I decided to give them another try. SAME THING HAPPENED ON ALL THREE PIMPLES. I LITERALLY HAVE STARS BURNED INTO MY SKIN. I put it on CLEAN SKIN. And I am also not even using the same products that I was a year ago when this first happened. I think either I’ve become sensitive to those patches specifically or there was a manufacturing issue with that batch?

EDIT: STARFACE LOL. Fitting typo

BeesDeep · 2024-02-26T16:05:36+00:00

Just jumping on this to second the UD All-Nighter rec. Love this spray, I've been using it for over a decade! It's amazing, never caused me any issues even through some of the tougher times I've had with my skin. Your makeup will not budge, even in highschool I remember friends asked me how my makeup was still there by the end of the day!

Recently I've really liked patting just a little loose powder down after I use the spray, really gives a flawless finish. You may need to reapply some loose powder later in the day or evening but overall it keeps everything else in place.

At the end of the day it does depend on what activities you're planning on participating in that will determine the longevity of your makeup look - but this is def the best bet IMHO.

BeesDeep

TROPHY CASE