Is this the DAO muscle and am I a good candidate to get Botox in this area?

Thank you for sharing your question and photograph. That is not the DAO and is more of the jowl region of the face. Botox would not improve this appearance.

botox can help mildly but you need skin tightehing, threads, fillers, even chin augmentation to help this area. this is early sagging what we call the marionette area.
Nasolabial/marionette folds -- Fillers (juvederm, radiesse, restylane, belotero), sculptra, lasers, microneedling/prp, ultherapy, threads

at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and aerify along with dermarolling (EmerageSkin roller with anteage AERIFY MD ampules weekly, see link) should be started now to prevent further aging.

For facial rejuvenation, I would suggest a combination approach of
1) skin care with products and PRP/microneedling
2) PDT light therapy few times a month with growth factors
3) laser treatments like clear and brilliant regularly and a few times a year Fraxel/halo Viva, Co2/Erbium
4) Sculptra injections a few times a year for collagen production with fillers like juvederm/restylane/belotero/radiesse/bellafill
5) thermage/ultherapy for yearly skin tightening with or without PDO or cone based instalift threads for lifting
6) botox every 2-3 months to stop movement lines and prevent lines at rest
7) deep microneedling RF like Fractora/morpheus8 for tightening of the skin
8) Vascular laser like vbeam/excel V or BBL forever young treatment every quarter (3-4 months)

Best, Dr. Emer.

Thank you for your question. This area is not the DAO muscle. Botox can be used to help the area which would depend on the amount of laxity of your skin. In this area we can use items such as Bellafill to enhance the collagen in the area due to the downward turn of the lips and sagging in the area. I recommend you consult a physician who is experienced with procedure to help in eliminating these types of issues.

From the photo the area indicated seems more of skin laxity than hyperactive muscle activity. You may want to consider Morpheus8 treatments which can stimulate the body's collagen production, improving skin tone and texture.

Most people who have downturned corners of the mouth are candidates for Botox treatment to the DAO. It is still advisable to be evaluated first by a plastic surgeon who will see if your muscles in that region are hyperactive. If that is the case, then the Botox treatment is indicated. I hope this helps and good luck from New York City plastic

To find your DAO muscle make a facial expression to show only your bottom teeth. The muscle contracting is the one injected with Botox to relax that contraction to deter pulling the sides of the mouth down toward the jaw. Botox alone will not achieve correction of the downward direction of the lips. Filler is usually necessary also. If you want to go for full correction even more procedures can be added but injections may be enough for you depending on your desires and budget.

The yellow arrow does not appear to be related to the DAO. The Depressor Anguli Oris is reponsible for turning the corners of the mouth downward.
The yellow arrow seems to be soft tissue.
Dr. T

It is difficult to tell from the picture but it looks more like fat than the DAO. see a board certified dermatologist for an inperson consultation to determine whether or not it is fat or DAO

Hello and thank you for your question. We would always recommend a face to face consultation to get an accurate idea of treatment however in this case the DAO is a depressor so injecting it can help lift a downturned most. Usually this is best addressed with filler or non surgical lifting devices such as ultracel. I hope that answers your question and please always seek a qualified and experienced medical professional for treatment, best wishes