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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Unfortunately, at 3 weeks what you see is largely what you get.  However, it is not uncommon for marionette lines to be softened but not completely gone after facelift.  HA fillers, like Juvederm, still have an important role in your post surgical transformation.  They will last 18-24 months.

There would still be some expected swelling at three weeks after a facelift, so your overall appearance will change with more time.  In regards to your specific question about your marionette lines, it is possible that they still could improve, but they may not.  Your surgeon would have the most knowledge in regards to your particular case, so I would discuss this issue at your next office visit.