Like other types of facial wrinkles, marionette lines are caused by natural collagen losses that occur with age. Collagen itself is a protein that naturally plumps up your skin. Gravity also plays a role in sagging skin around the chin, making marionette lines more noticeable.
You can minimize marionette lines with various cosmetic procedures and treatments. Most of these options don't require surgery or incisions. Instead, healthcare providers use injections, peels, lasers and threads to minimize marionette lines.
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.
Treating Marionette Lines
Small amounts of Botox are injected into the DAO muscle to relax it, virtually erasing the marionette lines. The Botox injections also create a slight lift in the area around the mouth for a more pleasant facial expression. Dermal fillers temporarily add shape and volume to the treated area.
Marionette folds are hard to improve with just surgery alone. Many times patients who state they are overweight like you mentioned, don't want to add more volume to their face but many people, when they lose weight, start to show it in their face because they lose support that was holding the skin upwards...
Causes of marionette lines
As early as your 20s, your skin starts losing elasticity as well as hydration, which increases your risk for fine lines and wrinkles. Long-term sun exposure, stress, and poor nutrition may also contribute to facial wrinkles by prematurely breaking down collagen and elastin.
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."
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 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.
The effects of the treatment will be visible after 3-10 days and they'll last between 2-4 months. It's important to note that some patients dissolve Botox faster than others, so the longevity of the results is variable.
Botox is useful for relaxing the muscles that pull down the corners of the mouth, while dermal fillers are the “go-to” treatment for erasing marionette lines because they are more effective in adding volume to the lower parts of the face. Doctors may also recommend combining both treatments to achieve the best results.
Juvederm Voluma is the best filler to achieve this result and can last up to two years. results. In most cases during this office visit, Juvederm Ultra Plus is injected directly into the marionette area to lessen the lines and add volume to the area around the corners of the mouth.
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.
If your marionette lines are only just forming and are yet to really make their mark, microneedling is another great option. Also known as collagen induction therapy, microneedling works by creating tiny, controlled pinhole injuries in the skin.
Like foundation, concealer will even out your skin. If your purpose is to hide marionette lines, dab your liquid concealer into the area around your mouth using a concealer brush or your finger until it has completely absorbed. Lastly, apply a setting powder all around your face using a large makeup brush.
After dermal filler injections into the marionette line area and lower face, side effects can include redness, swelling, and tenderness in the injection site. These effects usually subside within two days.
There's a common misconception that Botox makes you look older when it wears off. On the contrary, regular Botox treatments make you look younger even after the neurotoxin wears off.
Procedures with fillers generally take between 15 and 30 minutes and results can be seen for up to 6 months. Marionette lines are often treated with other wrinkles including nasolabial folds (also known as smile lines and which form from the nose to the mouth), frown lines, and forehead lines.
Any side-effects? As with any injection, it is possible that you may experience some redness, swelling, tenderness and bruising. These may take a 2-3 days to resolve and bruises sometimes longer.
How does the treatment work? Dermal fillers are applied to the marionette lines and the corners of the mouth. This hides the shadow between the 2 areas creating a flatter shape. This smoothens out the marionette lines and reduces the appearance of the jowls.