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Doctors Vanishing Smile Lines Using Patient's Own Skin

MIAMI (CBS4) - Sue Chase is 69-years old. She said her life has been great. She's had a wonderful husband, kids and grandkids. She's had a lot to smile and chuckle about.

"I laugh all the time," said Chase.

But all those good times have taken a told on her physically. She said it's time for those smile lines to go.

Enter Dr. Diane Walder, a Miami Beach Dermatologist.

"We are just going to take small pieces of skin," Walder explained.

It's the beginning of a brand new procedure just approved... called Laviv.

"This is different from filler or Botox cause you're actually using your own collagen producing cells to continue making collagen in your skin," Walder told Demos.

Dr. Walder will send these three pieces of skin from behind the ear to a lab. In three months the fiberblast cells will have multiplied and the cells that grow Sue's very own collagen will be injected into her smile lines. Right now the procedure is only approved for smile lines. But that is expected to be expanded.

"The studies are being done now to apply to neck, arm and eyes.. to go back to skin we had when we were babies," said Walder.

That's good news for Sue who is interested in more than just those smile lines.

"I would love to do my neck cause I don't want to go under a knife," said Chase.

The procedure is not covered by insurance. It costs $3,000 to get rid of these smile lines, but Sue says it's worth it. She said she'd rather have her laughs and smiles as memories with no evidence.

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