What are jowls & marionette lines? Jowls are loose skin and flesh that hang beneath the lower jawline. Marionette lines or “puppet lines” are lines that run from the corners of the mouth to the chin. Both are a sign of ageing and volume loss in the face.
While wrinkles like marionette lines are a part of the natural aging process, it's possible to temporarily reduce their appearance. There are no medical treatments besides surgery that'll remove wrinkles permanently, but certain options like injections and dermal fillers may last longer than others.
Laser resurfacing works for many people, but comes with risks like hyperpigmentation and scarring. It's also likely that you would need additional treatments every few months, because laser resurfacing is just temporary. Between the surgical and non-surgical, there are myriad options for treating marionette lines.
Surgical facelift/cosmetic surgery
The “gold standard” to fix marionette folds is to have a surgical facelift. This is because surgically pulling the folds back from the mid-face area and above is the best way to fix them.
Using a retinol or retinoid cream can help, too. "Retinol slowly thickens the deeper layers of the skin, while thinning out the superficial layers," says Levine. "This softens fine marionette lines, making the skin look more youthful."
Facial volume loss can create hollows, prominent jowls, deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines around the mouth, and other signs of aging. Even with a healthy skincare regimen, many weight-loss patients have a difficult time getting rid of these aging indicators.
As Juvéderm® dermal fillers are largely composed of hyaluronic acid - a natural substance responsible for the creation of plump, hydrated skin - facial volume will be restored instantly and results will last for up to 12 months.
When the dermal filler is used as a jowl filler, it is injected along the jawline in the pre-jowl sulcus and the marionette lines to regain jawline definition. Treatment of jowls with jawline fillers often involves treating the chin area.
Over time, your body naturally breaks down and absorbs jawline fillers. How long they work depends on the filler type: Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) filler lasts for up to 12 months. Hyaluronic acid filler lasts six to 12 months (and sometimes up to two years).
To counteract the formation of jowls, fillers can be injected to lift both the cheeks and the skin around the jawline and mouth.
Almost everyone eventually gets jowls, but several factors can contribute to their development. Factors include damage, poor diet, repetitive facial motions, and sudden weight loss. While jowls are harmless, some people may feel uncomfortable about how they look.
If you are overweight, sensible dieting and a regular cardiovascular workout will burn fat from all areas, including your face. For some people, the difference will be dramatic; for others, less so, but all should enjoy some improvement in facial appearance.
More often than not if you're over the age of 40, the root cause is marionette lines. Marionette lines are some of the most commonly lamented wrinkles for women middle-aged and older, though they can grace our faces as early as our 20s or 30s, depending on genetic predisposition.
Causes of Marionette Lines
Marionette lines, also known as oral commissure lines, occur when the depressor anguli oris muscle, or DAO muscle, pulls down the corners of the mouth, causing noticeable lines and a sad expression.
In the case of marionette lines, a hyaluronic acid-based filler such as Juvederm can be used to restore lost volume for a plump and youthful appearance. Radiesse (another popular filler) instantly adds volume back into the skin while also utilizing an ingredient that stimulates the production of collagen over time.
Botox works by relaxing the muscles around the mouth, but it cannot soften the deep folds in the nasolabial area. In this case, a volume-adding injectable like dermal fillers is often the better choice because it can fill the deep wrinkles and smoothen the skin.
Marionette lines can be treated with hyaluronic acid. The treatment needs to be repeated approximately every 6-12 months. One of the most common methods of reducing marionette lines is the dermal filler, an injection under the skin. For this purpose, so-called fillers (usually hyaluronic acid) are used.
As for the cost, it depends how many areas are filled and how many threads are used. The cost is about $200-300 for a pair of laugh lines or marionette lines.
Juvéderm for Marionette Lines? To treat the vertical lines between the mouth and chin to reduce the look of sagging, you're likely to need one syringe per side.