Unlocking Noninvasive Skin Tightening Technologies

In this engaging episode, Dr. Teri Fisher delves into the common concern of downturned mouth corners, a condition that often contributes to a sad or tired facial expression. Inspired by a recent client’s inquiry, Dr. Fisher explores multiple aesthetic treatment options aimed at rejuvenating the area around the mouth, enhancing both appearance and self-confidence.

Dr. Fisher begins by explaining the causes of a downturned mouth, including aging, muscle tone loss, and genetic factors. These elements can lead to the appearance of marionette lines and drooping corners as we age. Understanding these underlying factors is crucial in choosing the most effective treatment approach.

Among the solutions discussed, neuromodulators such as Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin play a pivotal role. By targeting the depressor anguli oris (DAO) muscle, these injections help relax the muscle, lifting the mouth corners subtly. Additionally, a “lip flip” using Botox enhances lip fullness, further counteracting downturn.

Fillers, particularly hyaluronic acid-based fillers, provide another option, offering immediate results with minimal downtime. These fillers add volume and support around the mouth and marionette lines, achieving a natural and harmonious lift. Dr. Fisher emphasizes that combining neuromodulators and fillers often yields optimal results.

For more severe cases, thread lifts offer structural support by inserting biocompatible threads under the skin. While slightly more invasive, they are highly effective in providing a lifted appearance and encouraging collagen production.

Lastly, Dr. Fisher highlights the benefits of laser resurfacing and skin tightening treatments. Though they may not directly lift mouth corners, these procedures enhance skin texture and firmness, offering an indirect yet noticeable improvement.

Ultimately, Dr. Fisher advises that treatment plans should be tailored to individual needs, often requiring a combination of options to achieve the desired outcome. For those curious about any of these treatments, Dr. Fisher welcomes inquiries to help you achieve the best version of yourself.

Key Insights

• Dr. Fisher discusses treatments for downturned mouth corners, addressing client concerns about appearing sad or tired.
• Neuromodulators like Botox can relax the depressor anguli oris muscle (DAO), subtly lifting mouth corners and brightening expressions.
• Dermal fillers, particularly hyaluronic acid-based, add volume near mouth corners and marionette lines, enhancing a neutral or lifted appearance.
• Thread lifts offer structural support for sagging, providing a more invasive but effective treatment option with some recovery time involved.
• Laser resurfacing and skin tightening promote new skin growth and collagen production, indirectly enhancing skin texture and firmness around the mouth.

Episode Transcript

Hey there, and welcome back to the podcast. Today’s episode we are tackling something that was actually inspired by one of my clients recently, who wanted to improve the look of her mouth, specifically because she felt like she was looking sad, like the corners of the mouth were downturned. And we had a discussion about different treatment options for for this. And I thought it would be great to share this with you because this isn’t all that uncommon. I’ve had a number of clients over time ask me how they can improve the appearance of their mouth, make them look a little bit less tired, make them look a little bit less sad, and because of that I thought we would take a podcast episode to share some of my thoughts.

So this type of treatment can make a big difference in someone’s overall appearance and their confidence. Because when they are giving off the impression that they are more energetic and more happy, that has an effect on the relationship and the way people communicate with each other. So we’re gonna get into that today. The good news is there are safe, effective treatments to address this issue, and I want to break down, first of all, why this happens, what options exist, and a little bit about the pros and the cons of each of these approaches. So if you’re ready to turn that frown upside down, literally, uh, let’s dive in.

So, first of all, why do the corners of the mouth turned downward in the first place? There are a couple of key reasons. One factor is simply aging. As we age, we tend to lose volume in our cheeks, in our lips, and that can affect the way that our anatomy is configured. And this can cause the mouth area to droop or to look hollow. The orbicularis Oris muscle, which is the muscle that encircles our mouth also also can lose a little bit of its tone, leading to a little bit more sagging. The marionette lines, which are the lines that run from the corners of the mouth down towards the chin, over time and due to repetitive muscle movements and skin laxity, they can start to exaggerate that downturned look, and genetics, unfortunately, does play a role. That one is a little bit harder to deal with, but nevertheless, if you have those particular genetics you may notice that you have a little bit of a downturned corner at the side of your mouth at a younger age.

So let’s talk about what can be done about this. Well, the first one is a relatively simple treatment in the scheme of treatments, and this is using neuromodulator. Neuromodulator you may know as Botox, Nuceiva, Dysport, Xeomin. These are chemicals that help to smooth outlines. And so you’re thinking, well, how does that work for a downturned mouth? Well, the thing is the way that these neuromodulators work by smoothing out lines is actually first of all, controlling muscle movement underneath those lines. And that’s particularly useful here. So here’s how it works. There was a muscle called the depressor anguli oric or DAO for short. And that pulls the corners of the mouth downward. So you’ve got one of these muscles on each side of the mouth. When we inject a small amount of Botox into the DAO, it relaxes the muscle just enough to allow the corners of the mouth to lift. Essentially, we are counteracting that down pull of the muscle. This subtle lift can brighten your resting expression and can soften any harsh or sad look. The other thing that we could do is we can actually put a couple of units of Botox along the top lip. This is sometimes known as a lip flip, and this allows your lip to slightly evert and flip up, and overall, this can create as well, a brighter, more full lip, which in some ways disguises some of the downturning at the corner of the mouth. These types of treatments are relatively painless. They don’t require any downtime and the results start to appear within a few days, and they can last about three to four months. But having said that, it’s not a standalone fixed for downturn corners. It’s usually best alongside fillers, which is the next treatment I want to talk about to give a more balanced look.

So what can we do with fillers? Well, first of all, fillers are also one of the most common non-surgical options for correcting this issue. Most often the type of dermal filler used for this are the hyaluronic acid based fillers, and they are injected near the mouth corners and the marionette lines to add some volume and to lift the skin. By supporting the corners of the mouth and filling in some hollow areas, we can create a more neutral and even a lifted appearance. It’s all about using a targeted amount to achieve a natural look without having a heavy or overfilled one. The other thing we can do is actually put a little bit of filler in the lips, if it is appropriate for the particular client. Sometimes, if you have a very thin lip where the lip almost appears hidden at the corners because it is so thin, putting a little bit of filler into the lip in that area can give the appearance that the lip has a little bit more volume and that in itself can create a little bit less of that down turned look. The nice thing about the fillers is that the results are visible right away. There’s also very low downtime and results can last from six to 12 months. So while fillers are great for a mild to moderate downturns, sometimes severe sagging might need some additional or alternative treatments.

Another thing that can be done is that you could look at doing threads, or a thread lift. Now, depending on where threads are oriented, they are structural threads, literally, threads that can be put under the skin and can pull up on on the tissues. They are a biocompatible material. They’re inserted underneath the skin, usually anchored somewhere closer to the temples, and then the bottom end of the thread it can be either in the chin or a little bit higher up near the corner of the mouth. And again, once these are tightened up, over time, they will create some bio stimulation as well of collagen to help support this area. The pros and cons. They do have a significant effect. They’re a little bit more invasive than filler because they do involve some freezing and some objections and the application of the thread itself. There may be some mild bruising or swelling, but this can be a very, very effective way to help upturn the downturn corners.

And finally it’s important not to overlook the power of laser resurfacing and skin tightening treatments. These don’t necessarily directly lift the corners of the mouth, but they can improve the skin’s texture, the firmness, the lasting city around the mouth, and that provides some indirect improvement. It basically removes some of the damaged outer layers of skin prompting, new skin cell growth and collagen production. This can be a really great way to overall soften the look of sagging skin and provide subtle lifting in the mouth area.

So, we’ve covered a lot of ground. Each treatment has its strength and works best for certain people, depending on the degree of downturn, the goals of the client, and how long you want the results to last. Typically the best approach is going to be a combination of treatments. And when I think about this particular client that inspired me to do this particular podcast we did discuss some neuromodulator as well as some filler for concerns.

So that’s it for today. Thanks for tuning in to explore the options for correcting those downturned mouth corners. And if you have any questions or you want to dive deeper into one of these treatments, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Until next time, remember confidence is all about feeling your best and sometimes a small lift is all that it takes.

So stay sculpted and I will see you next time.