Turned down mouth? (Photo)

Question

The corners of my mouth turn down slightly, but there is also a turned down look that seems to extend past my mouth and down toward my chin. Can Botox fix this??

Jennifer Reichel, MD · Answer

The turning down of the corners of the mouth happens with age. From your photo, it looks very mild. I like to put 2 units of Botox into the muscle that pulls the corners of the mouth down. You can also fill in the corners of the mouth with filler, such as Restylane, or Juvederm. The muscle that pulls the corners of the mouth down is called the Depressor Anguli Oris. The injection is actually done along the jawline where the muscle inserts. If you inject near the lip, or too medially, then you can hit the mentalis muscle - this will result in a crooked smile. Making sure you have the botox injection by someone that has done it many times will give you a great result.

Michael A. Zadeh, MD, FACS · Answer

A small dose of Botox can be injected into the Depressor Anguli Oris muscles (DAO) to help with your down turned smile. However, you need to find someone who is skilled in doing this procedure as very little Botox is required and if injected incorrectly can result in an uneven smile.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

Do not do anything for this since the various"treatments" will not correct this and you take a chance of distorting your smile.

Michele S. Green, MD · Answer

It is much safer and effective to use Restylane or Juvederm to turn up the lip.  Botox can cause the opposite effect and I would not recommend it.  Please find a board certified dermatologist with a great deal of experience in cosmetic procedures for the best results.

Vicki J. Levine, MD · Answer

the safest way to do this is with the injection of a hyaluronic acid filler.Botox can also be injected into this depressor anulill oris.I had my muscle injected and I did not speak normally even though it was performed by an expert. Now I only use filler to raise the angles of my mouth

Karen Stolman, MD · Answer

My colleague and I at my practice specialize in daily use of fillers and neurotoxins like Botox to correct problems like this in all ages.  I would recommend starting with a filler, and adding Botox if filler doesn't adequately lift it alone. The filler needs to be placed in the upper cheek to lift the corner of the mouth and jowl.  We get this "turned down" corners with age and accompanying bone resorption, and skin laxity in the upper cheek.  If you want to see how this works, check out the before/after pictures for cheek filler (and s or ogee curve) for either Voluma,Sculptra or Radiesse on the manufacturers websites (Allergan, Medicis and Merz, respectively).

Ken Landow, MD · Answer

that responds nicely to a combination of botox and a filler...the dynamic duo should markedly improve your issues...just make sure you see a competent physician...good luck

Turned down mouth? (Photo)

Answers (7)