Will my Marionette Lines Lessen over Time After Facelift?

Marionette lines are not treated with facelifts alone.
They can be treated with multi-modal therapy of 1. “Lifting” with a “Lift &
Fill” Facelift, 2. plumping by “Filling”, and 3. “Resurfacing” with
Laserbrasion.

Marionette lines (the lines formed from the corners of our mouth around the chin) are not addressed with a facelift.  The “pull” from a facelift will not (nor should) address the corners of the mouth because this would give unnatural results as it would result in the distortion of the mouth.  Marionette lines are best treated with fillers or fat transfer.  Fillers or fat transfer are the best means of elevating the depressions of the marionette lines.  A long-lasting option to fill these depressions would be fat transfer which is a permanent solution and can be performed at the time of the facelift.

As this is the furthest region from the location of pull for a facelift, it can be difficult to attain a good result in the marionette lines. Options to obtain a better result are to use a deep-plane or sub-SMAS technique, add fat grafting to the region, or to tighten the overlying skin with a chemical peel or laser.

You are still early on in your recovery and there is a chance that your lines will improve. Give it some time.

Unfortunately, marionette lines rarely improve over time and actually may become more visible once the swelling is fully resolved.   They are difficult to treat with a facelift. I suggest discussing options with your surgeon. But it's best to wait a few months before contemplating doing anything else. Sometimes fat grafting or filler can augment the results of the facelift.

A facelift tightens the skin and muscles along the lower face and neck, which can improve marionette lines, but not significantly. You may notice a slight reduction in the prominence of these lines as you heal from surgery (final results won't be visible for about 3 months). However, the best way to correct marionette lines is with dermal fillers like Restylane® or with fat injections.

In general, a facelift works best for improving the appearance of sagging skin. Marionette lines will respond best to Perlane or Restylane. I would recommend speaking with your physician about this option. They will not dramatically improve over time following the facelift.

Unlikely that you will see much more of an improvement to the marionette
lines at this time-  they typically are at their best within a few weeks
of a facelift, then with time will slowly get somewhat deeper.

If you are disappointed with the marionette lines after only 3 weeks, you will be more disappointed after 6 months. You may discuss injectable filler treatments with your surgeon as these creases will only worsen over the next weeks.

This is a great question. A facelift generally results in improvements in the jawline and jowls, as well as the neck. The area around the mouth, however, may only improve slightly or not at all. This includes the marionette lines. Improvements in the contour of this area can be obtained through resurfacing treatments (e.g., chemical peels or dermabrasion) or fillers (e.g., Juvederm or even fat grafting). Best of luck going forward!