One of the commonest concerns of patients I review in clinic are dropping mouth corners.
Patients arrive in clinic after catching their appearance in the mirror and being concerned about how tired and sad their expression can appear, and notice a new sagging appearance to their lower face.
There are multi-factorial reasons for these dropping corners, and also a number of ways we can treat them.
What causes the drooping mouth appearance?
One factor is a set of muscles called the depressor anguli oris (DAO), which become stronger as we age. These muscles pull the mouth corners downwards as we frown, so with repetitive overuse in addition to other factors discussed below, this can cause drooping of the corners of the mouth.
During the natural process of ageing, our fat pads and bone are gradually lost, which is most evident on the face. Our levels of collagen and elastin, which help to keep our skin firm and plump gradually reduce. As these factors deteriorate, skin sags and becomes more lax, particularly around the mouth areas which can create a drooping mouth appearance.
These factors cause the formation of nasolabial (nose to mouth) and marionette (lines which run vertically down from the mouth) lines.
What can we do to treat these areas?
During our initial consultation, we will carefully consider your individual needs, using a whole face approach to assessment and treating problem areas. This will allow us to create a treatment plan which may include a combination of treatments.
Specifically placed botulinum toxin injections in the DAO region can help to weaken these muscles which, with age, have become stronger and create a downturn to the corners of the mouth.
Subtly placed dermal filler in the cheeks can recreate volume which was lost with ageing, almost like a scaffolding effect, which then helps to smooth out the areas in the lower face and reduce the skin sag appearance.
We may consider to further replace volume loss in the marionette region, and also provide structural support and volume to the lip region to create a refreshed and rejuvenated appearance.
How long will these treatments last?
Botulinum toxin injections to the set of strong muscles which pull down the corners of the mouth usually last 3 months on average.
Dermal filler treatment generally lasts between 12-18 months.
If you would like to find out more about these treatments
or book a consultation
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