Fine Lines and Wrinkles in Montréal: Choosing a Treatment

Over time, skin gradually loses collagen, elastin, and hydration. It becomes thinner and less resilient, and fine lines begin to appear even when the face is completely still. These are quality lines, and they respond to treatments that improve the skin itself.

Daily skincare and sun protection are the foundation. Beyond that, microneedling has evidence behind it: a 2025 systematic review found improvements in fine lines and skin texture across the included studies (Foppiani et al., 2025). Injectable hyaluronic acid used for skin quality has also been shown to improve hydration and the appearance of fine wrinkles (Zhou & Yu, 2025). On the skincare side, topical retinoids remain one of the best-studied ingredients; a 2022 systematic review of randomized trials found tretinoin effective for the signs of photoaging (Sitohang et al., 2022).

Better skin also makes every other treatment read better. This is why we often address skin quality first, even when another treatment is planned.

Now the second category. Lines that appear when you frown, squint, or raise your brows are movement lines. They are caused by a muscle folding the skin in the same place, over and over, for years. No cream, peel, or laser relaxes a muscle, so resurfacing alone will not solve a movement line. That is the job of a neuromodulator.

A neuromodulator is injected in tiny amounts into a specific muscle, where it blocks the message travelling from nerve to muscle. The muscle contracts less, the skin above it folds less, and the crease softens. The effect is temporary and depends on the product, dose, placement, anatomy, and individual response. The aim is to soften the line while preserving natural expression. A Cochrane review found botulinum toxin type A effective at reducing facial wrinkles within four weeks of treatment (Camargo et al., 2021).

Most people find the effect lasts about three to four months, though the window varies with the person, the area, and the dose.

In real life, the categories overlap. A frown line often starts as a movement line and, after years of creasing, becomes etched into the skin itself. The most natural results usually come from relaxing the movement and improving the skin, rather than asking one treatment to do both jobs.

Reading a line means watching it move: how your skin behaves at rest, in expression, and under light. That assessment happens in person, before anything is recommended. If you have started noticing lines and are not sure what they need, a consultation is where we look properly and talk it through.