What Is the Best Facial Treatment for Wrinkles? BOTOX®, Facelifts, & More (Updated 2026)

The best facial treatment for wrinkles depends on what’s causing your lines: muscle movement (expression lines), volume loss, sun damage, or skin laxity. Treatments like BOTOX® Cosmetic, dermal fillers, chemical peels, and facelift surgery can each target different types of wrinkles, so the “best” approach looks different for different faces.

At Destin Plastic Surgery, we help patients choose the most effective approach based on their wrinkle depth, location, skin quality, and goals. Use the quick answer and wrinkle-type guide below to narrow down what may work best for you—then confirm the right plan with a consultation.

Wrinkle Treatments at a Glance

If you want the best treatment for wrinkles, start by identifying the wrinkle type:

• Expression lines (forehead lines, “11s,” crow’s feet): BOTOX® Cosmetic is often best because it relaxes the muscle that creates the crease.
• Wrinkles from volume loss (under-eyes, smile lines, marionette lines): Dermal fillers are often best because they restore fullness beneath the skin.
• Sagging skin + deeper folds (jowls, heavier lower face): A facelift is often the most effective option because it lifts and repositions deeper tissues.
• Fine lines + texture from sun damage: Chemical peels can be best because they resurface the skin and support collagen renewal.

What Causes Wrinkles?

Wrinkles form for a few main reasons: collagen and elastin slow down with age, facial muscles crease the skin with repeated expressions, and volume loss and gravity create folds over time. Lifestyle factors, such as sun exposure and smoking, can also cause lines to appear sooner and look deeper.

Why Wrinkle Creams Don’t Always Cut It

Wrinkle creams can help with dryness, dullness, and very fine lines, especially when they support hydration and skin turnover. But most topical products can’t fully address the biggest causes of wrinkles:

• They can’t relax the muscles that create expression lines (like forehead lines or “11s”).
• They can’t replace lost volume under the skin (which contributes to deeper folds).
• They can’t lift sagging skin the way surgical tightening can.

If your goal is to get rid of wrinkles (not just soften them temporarily), in-office treatments usually produce more noticeable results.

The Best Treatments for Each Type of Wrinkle

Wondering which treatment you should try for wrinkles that are bothering you? Here is a quick guide.

Type of Wrinkle	Description	Best Treatment
Forehead Lines	Horizontal forehead lines caused by raising eyebrows	BOTOX
Smoker’s Lines	Vertical lines between the eyebrows caused by frowning	BOTOX
Crow’s Feet	Lines on the outer corners of the eyes caused by squinting	BOTOX
Bunny Lines	Lines on the bridge of the nose caused by scrunching the nose	BOTOX
Tear Trough Lines	Glabellar Lines (Frown Lines or “11s”)	Dermal Fillers
Nasolabial Folds	Deep lines that run from the sides of the nose to the sides of the mouth	Dermal Fillers, Facelift
Smoker’s Lines	Vertical lines surrounding the lips caused by smoking or using drinking straws	Dermal Fillers, Chemical Peels, Laser Treatments
Vertical Lip Lines	Vertical lines on the lips caused by volume loss	Dermal Fillers
Smile Lines (Parentheses)	Folds on either side of the mouth that appear when smiling	Dermal Fillers, Facelift
Marionette Lines	Lines that run from the sides of the mouth down to the chin	Dermal Fillers, Facelift
Fine Lines	Small lines and wrinkles found on many areas of the face	Lines below the eyes caused by hollow tear troughs or “under-eyes”

How To Get Rid of Wrinkles: Treatment Options

The right treatment depends on the type of wrinkle, its location, and its depth.

BOTOX is an injectable neurotoxin that treats “dynamic wrinkles,” also known as expression lines. Dynamic wrinkles form as a result of repeated muscle movements. Horizontal forehead lines and vertical lines between the eyebrows are common examples, although these wrinkles appear in many different areas of the face.

How BOTOX Treats Wrinkles: BOTOX interrupts the signals between the muscle and the brain telling that muscle to contract. This allows the muscle to relax, causing the overlying wrinkles to smooth away.

What It’s Like To Get BOTOX: Treatments typically take just a few minutes and involve a short series of injections using a tiny needle. There is little to no recovery time involved.

How Long BOTOX Results Last: BOTOX results last between 3 and 4 months before the product naturally wears off.

Dermal fillers address the types of wrinkles caused by volume loss under the skin. One commonly treated concern is nasolabial folds, which run from the sides of the nose to the sides of the mouth. These lines are caused by falling cheeks and hollowness below the skin. Fillers add volume to fill up the sunken areas and create a smooth surface.

How Dermal Fillers Treat Wrinkles: Dermal fillers add volume below the skin in several ways. Most of the fillers we use contain hyaluronic acid, a sugar found naturally in your body. It’s injected in a gel form to add fullness in precise areas.

What It’s Like To Get Dermal Fillers: Dermal filler appointments are typically quick and involve a few injections that carefully place the filler just beneath your skin. There is little to no downtime involved, although some bruising and swelling are common for a few days.

How Long Dermal Filler Results Last: Some formulations last longer than others, but most fillers last anywhere between 6 and 18 months.

Chemical peels use a specially formulated blend of ingredients to chemically exfoliate layers of aged or damaged skin, revealing smoother, softer skin below. These treatments are especially popular for addressing fine lines caused by sun damage.

How Chemical Peels Work: Using ingredients such as salicylic acid and glycolic acid, chemical peels cause the top layers of your skin to peel away. This lets the fresh, youthful layers of skin below come to the surface.

What It’s Like To Get a Chemical Peel: The treatment experience depends on which type of peel you receive. Some are more aggressive than others. After applying your peel, your provider will give you instructions for caring for your skin as it heals. Expect some flaking and redness in your skin for a few days.

How Long Chemical Peel Results Last: You will likely notice a difference in your skin for a few months, depending on the depth of your peel.

Read our related blog post to learn more about the Obagi Blue Peel, and see one patient’s day-to-day progress after treatment.

For deeper, more structural folds, a facelift may be the best solution. The surgery creates a natural-looking lift by addressing not just the skin itself but also the underlying structures that contribute to the face’s appearance.

How a Facelift Works: During a facelift, your surgeon lifts and repositions the deep tissues of your face to restore a naturally more youthful look. Your surgeon may also remove excess skin to create a subtly tauter skin surface, smoothing away deep wrinkles.

What It’s Like To Get a Facelift: At Destin Plastic Surgery, you will be cared for every step of the way by an experienced surgical team, including a board-certified anesthesiologist. After your surgery, you will need to rest for a few days to allow your body to heal. Most people resume work and social activities after 2 to 3 weeks, at which time most bruising and swelling have subsided.

How Long Facelift Results Last: Facelift results often last as long as 10 years. You can extend these results even longer with nonsurgical touch-up treatments, such as BOTOX and fillers.

Wrinkle Treatment FAQs

Have more questions about wrinkles? Find answers to a few of the most common questions below.

Q: Are wrinkles genetic?

A: Genetics determine the makeup of your skin and may affect how susceptible you are to wrinkles. However, lifestyle choices, like protecting your skin from the sun, have a major influence.

Q: Are wrinkles reversible?

A: Cosmetic treatments reverse wrinkles in many different ways. However, it is important to remember that nothing can stop the aging process altogether. With regular maintenance treatments, it is possible to keep wrinkles at bay and minimize their effect on your appearance.

Q: When do wrinkles start to appear?

A: There is no set age when wrinkles start to appear; it is different for everyone. Some people start to experience lines as early as their 20s, while others experience them closer to their late 30s or 40s.

Q: Can wrinkles appear overnight?

A: When you look in the mirror in the morning, you may notice you have new wrinkles that weren’t there the night before. These are called compression wrinkles, and they happen when your skin is pressed in as you sleep. They typically fade throughout the day, but they may become deeper and last longer over time.

Say Goodbye to Wrinkles

If you would like to learn more about smoothing away wrinkles and rejuvenating your skin with cosmetic treatments, please get in touch! Contact us online or call (850) 654-1194 to reach our Destin, FL, plastic surgery office.

This blog post was originally published in May 2021 and has been updated for 2026.