Smile lines have a way of announcing themselves. One day the crease that appears when you laugh simply stays put after the laugh is over — first faintly, then unmistakably, running from the sides of your nose toward the corners of your mouth. They're among the most searched-about signs of facial aging, and among the most misunderstood. Fillers promise to plump them, retinoids promise to soften them, and red light therapy — the gentlest option of the three — is increasingly the first thing people reach for. But does red light therapy for smile lines actually work? The honest answer: it depends on which kind of line you're looking at. Here's what the research supports, what it doesn't, and how to set expectations you'll actually be happy with.
Smile Lines vs. Nasolabial Folds: They're Not the Same Thing
The terms get used interchangeably, but dermatologists draw a useful distinction, and it's the key to understanding what light can and can't do.
Smile lines (sometimes called laugh lines) are the fine, superficial creases that radiate around the mouth and lower cheeks. They start as expression lines — visible only when you smile — and gradually etch into the skin as collagen and elastin decline. These are primarily a skin quality problem: thinner dermis, less collagen, slower cell turnover.
Nasolabial folds are the deeper structural creases running from the nostrils to the mouth corners. Everyone has them — even children, when they grin. What deepens them with age isn't mostly the skin itself, but what's happening underneath: the cheek's fat pads gradually descend and deflate, the bone beneath slowly remodels, and the ligaments that once held everything taut begin to relax. Skin quality plays a supporting role, but the fold itself is largely an architecture problem.
This distinction matters because red light therapy works on skin, not on fat pads or bone. Keep that in mind as we go through the evidence.
How Red Light Therapy Affects the Skin Around Your Mouth
Red and near-infrared light in the 600–1,100 nm range penetrates the skin and is absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase, an enzyme in your cells' mitochondria. The proposed result — supported by a substantial body of laboratory and clinical research — is a modest boost in cellular energy production, improved local circulation, and a calming of low-grade inflammation. In skin, that cascade appears to nudge fibroblasts, the cells responsible for manufacturing collagen and elastin, into higher gear.
That mechanism is directly relevant to the perioral area (the skin around the mouth), which is thinner than cheek skin, moves constantly with speech and expression, and loses collagen at the same steady rate as the rest of the face — roughly 1% per year from our mid-20s onward, with a sharper drop around menopause.
What the studies actually show
The most frequently cited trial is a 2014 controlled study by Wunsch and Matuschka, published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, in which 113 participants received red and near-infrared light treatments twice weekly over 15 weeks. Compared with controls, treated participants showed measurably increased intradermal collagen density on ultrasound, along with blinded-evaluator-rated improvements in skin complexion, roughness, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Earlier split-face research from 2007 (Lee and colleagues, in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology) found that combined 830 nm and 633 nm LED treatment over 12 weeks reduced wrinkle depth and improved elasticity versus the untreated side, with biopsies showing increased collagen and elastin fibers. And a widely referenced 2013 review by Avci and colleagues at Harvard's Wellman Center concluded that photobiomodulation shows consistent promise for skin rejuvenation, while noting that protocols across studies vary considerably.
Two honest caveats. First, most trials measure overall facial wrinkling or the eye area rather than the nasolabial region specifically, so we're extrapolating from adjacent evidence. Second, results in every study are gradual and moderate — think "skin looks noticeably better in photos taken 12 weeks apart," not "line erased." Red light therapy is a legitimate, well-studied tool, but it is not a cosmetic procedure in mask form, and any brand telling you otherwise is overselling.
What Red Light Therapy Can Realistically Do for Smile Lines
Applied consistently, red light therapy is best positioned to help in four ways:
- Soften fine, early smile lines. Because these creases live in the skin itself, they respond best to anything that thickens the dermis and rebuilds collagen. This is where users tend to see the most satisfying change.
- Improve the skin quality over deeper folds. Firmer, denser, better-hydrated skin drapes more smoothly over a nasolabial fold, making the crease look softer and less shadowed — even though the underlying fold is still there.
- Slow the etching-in process. Expression lines become permanent lines when skin loses the resilience to bounce back. Supporting collagen production earlier is easier than rebuilding it later — a case we made in our decade-by-decade guide to starting red light therapy.
- Complement other treatments. Red light plays well with retinoids, peptides, microneedling recovery, and even injectables. It's additive, not either/or.
What It Can't Do
Red light will not lift a descended cheek fat pad, restore lost facial volume, or tighten a fold that's primarily caused by structural aging. If your nasolabial folds are deep, present at rest, and cast a visible shadow, no light-based device will make them disappear — that's the territory of fillers and other in-office procedures. We've written before about how red light therapy compares to injectables: the honest framing is that they solve different problems, and the best results often come from treating skin quality and structure separately.
The same logic applies to significant skin laxity. Light therapy supports firmness at the margins, but as we covered in our deep dive on sagging skin, it's a collagen tool, not a lifting tool.
How to Use Red Light Therapy on Smile Lines: A Practical Protocol
1. Choose a device that actually covers the area
The nasolabial region curves — from the nose, across the mid-cheek, down past the mouth corners. Flat panels treat it from a distance; a contoured mask treats it at consistent, close range across the whole area at once. A mask built with medical-grade diodes and multiple wavelengths, like the Luxen Veil, delivers red and near-infrared light (including deeper-penetrating wavelengths) evenly across the perioral zone without you having to hold anything in place for ten minutes.
2. Start with clean, product-primed skin
Light has to reach the skin to work, so remove makeup and SPF first. A light, non-occlusive serum applied beforehand is fine — and there's a reasonable case for making it a copper peptide formula like PRE-LIGHT, since peptides support the same collagen-building pathways your session is stimulating. Heavy creams and mineral sunscreens, on the other hand, can scatter light before it lands.
3. Be boringly consistent
Every positive trial shares one feature: repeated sessions over months. Three to five sessions per week, roughly 10 minutes each, is the pattern most home-device protocols follow. Expect the first changes people notice — subtle plumpness, better texture, a healthier look — around weeks 4 to 8, with line-softening building through week 12 and beyond. We've broken down the full timeline in how long red light therapy takes to work.
4. Photograph your progress
Changes this gradual are invisible day to day. Take a front-facing photo in identical lighting every two weeks — it's the only fair way to judge whether your routine is earning its place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can red light therapy get rid of deep nasolabial folds?
No. Deep folds are driven by volume loss and structural descent, which light cannot reverse. Red light therapy can improve the quality, firmness, and texture of the skin over the fold, which often makes it appear softer — but the fold itself remains. For structural correction, consult a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon about your options.
How long does red light therapy take to work on smile lines?
Most clinical protocols run 8–15 weeks with three to five sessions per week. Early texture and tone changes may appear within a month; measurable changes in fine lines generally take 10–12 weeks of consistent use.
Is red light therapy safe to use around the mouth every day?
Red and near-infrared light at home-device intensities is non-ablative and generally well tolerated, with decades of safety data behind it. Daily short sessions are within the range most manufacturers and studies use. If you take photosensitizing medication or have a light-sensitive condition, check with your doctor first.
Which is better for smile lines: red light therapy or filler?
They do different jobs. Filler adds volume beneath a deep fold for an immediate structural change; red light therapy gradually improves the skin's own collagen and texture. Many people use both — and better skin quality tends to make any in-office result look more natural.
Should I use a serum before red light therapy for smile lines?
A lightweight, light-compatible serum is a smart addition — copper peptides in particular are popular before sessions because they support collagen synthesis through a complementary pathway. Avoid anything heavy, occlusive, or containing photosensitizing ingredients right before a session.
The Bottom Line
Red light therapy for smile lines is one of the better-supported uses of at-home light devices — with the crucial caveat that it treats the skin, not the architecture beneath it. Fine perioral lines and early creasing respond most; deep, structural nasolabial folds soften in appearance but don't vanish. If you're willing to commit ten minutes a few evenings a week for three months, the evidence suggests your skin will have measurably more collagen to show for it.
Ready to make it a ritual? The Luxen Ritual Set pairs the Veil laser mask with the PRE-LIGHT copper peptide serum — the complete prime-and-illuminate routine, designed to be the easiest ten minutes of your day.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Red light therapy results vary by individual, and no light-based device can replace professional evaluation of your skin.
