Are your mouth corners turning downward, making your face look dissatisfied, stern, or tired, even when you feel good? Downturned mouth corners are a common sign of aging, but they often give a wrong impression of your mood. With a targeted filler treatment, we can subtly support the mouth corners and give them a more neutral, softer expression. On this page you'll read what fillers exactly do for downturned mouth corners, who the treatment is suitable for and when it's better not, how it proceeds at Dr T., and what you can realistically expect. Honest and respectful, with a result that suits you.
As you age, the skin around your mouth loses firmness and volume, and the tissues sag downwards slightly. This can cause your mouth corners to point downward, even when your face is at rest. That quickly gives a dissatisfied or tired expression that doesn't match how you feel.
With a fine hyaluronic acid filler, we provide support back in the right places around the mouth corner. We fill the lost volume just below and beside the mouth corner, so that it is gently lifted and the downward fold becomes less deep. The goal is not to change your mouth, but to restore the neutral expression.
Sometimes this also includes treating the so-called marionette lines, the grooves that run from the mouth corner towards the jawline. During your consultation, we will look together at which combination gives the most natural result.
This treatment is suitable if you notice that your mouth corners have started to droop, your marionette lines have become deeper, or your face at rest looks stricter or sadder than you feel. It often concerns people from the age when the first volume loss appears, but there is no fixed age: we look at your face, not your birth year.
Fillers are not the right choice for everyone. With severely sagging skin or significant tissue loss, a filler alone may be insufficient or even look heavier, and a different or additional approach is wiser. We never treat during pregnancy and breastfeeding. With active skin infections or inflammation around the mouth, or with certain autoimmune or coagulation disorders, we do not treat, or only after consultation.
If fillers are not the best solution in your situation, we say so honestly. Better appropriate advice than a treatment that doesn't meet your expectations.
Everything starts with a calm consultation. We look at your mouth corners, the surrounding skin, and your overall facial balance, and listen to what bothers you. Dr T. explains what is realistically achievable and proposes a plan that fits a natural and respectful result.
The treatment itself usually lasts a short time. The filler typically contains a numbing agent, and where necessary we use extra anaesthesia or cooling to keep it comfortable. With fine needles or a blunt cannula, Dr T. precisely places the filler at the points that support the mouth corner. Afterwards, you can usually continue with your day right away.
After the treatment, you receive clear aftercare instructions. We ask you not to massage the area vigorously for a few days, to avoid heat such as sauna, and to skip intense sports for the first hours, so the filler stays nicely in place.
Part of the effect is often visible immediately: the mouth corners look less downward and your face looks softer. The first few days there may be some swelling, causing the appearance to change. The true, settled result is best assessed after about two weeks, once everything has settled.
The effect of hyaluronic acid fillers is temporary. How long it lasts varies from person to person and depends on the filler used, the area, and your own metabolism. Over time, your body gradually breaks down the filler, after which you can choose to have a touch-up.
We consciously aim for subtlety. The goal is for others to notice that you look fresher, not that you've had something done. With downturned mouth corners, less often works better than more.
Fillers in the mouth corners are generally safe when placed by experienced hands, but no treatment is entirely without risk. Common and temporary are redness, slight swelling, tenderness, or a small bruise at the injection site. This usually subsides within a few days.
Rarer risks include lumps, an uneven result, or an inflammation. Very rarely, filler can hit a blood vessel, which has more serious consequences. That is why anatomical knowledge and careful technique are crucial, and we work with a hyaluronic acid filler that can be dissolved again in case of emergency.
Dr T. discusses these risks openly with you before the treatment. If you have any doubts afterwards, you can always contact us so we can check in good time.
The price of fillers for downturned mouth corners depends on a number of things: how much product is needed, whether we also treat the marionette lines, and which plan best suits your face. Therefore, we do not give a fixed amount in advance that is correct for everyone.
During your consultation, you will receive an honest estimate of what your treatment will cost, with no surprises afterwards. That way you know exactly where you stand before you decide anything.
Do you recognize yourself in that stricter or tired reflection in the mirror, and do you want to know if fillers are a suitable choice for you? Feel free to plan a consultation with Dr T. in Ghent. We will look at your situation and give you honest advice, even if that advice is not to do it.
Book a personal consultation with Dr T.
Make an appointmentDownturned mouth corners don't just result from skin sagging or volume loss. The main culprit is the depressor anguli oris muscle (DAO), a muscle that runs from the mouth corner to the jaw and pulls the mouth corner downward. In some people, this muscle is naturally stronger or becomes more dominant with age, causing the mouth corners to permanently assume a downward position. What many people don't know is that the skin in this area is thin and the subcutaneous fat pads shift. Fillers can work on two levels: they directly provide volume under the mouth corner to lift the downward fold, and they can indirectly weaken the pulling force of the DAO by offering support to the surrounding tissue. This gives you a lift that is not only anatomically correct, but also feels natural.
A filler treatment for downturned mouth corners always starts with a personal conversation. Dr T. takes the time to study your facial expression in motion, not just at rest. He precisely feels where the muscle attachments and bone structures are. Only then is the product chosen, often a firm, elastic hyaluronic acid filler that is well resistant to muscle movement.
The injection itself is performed extremely precisely, usually with a cannula for extra comfort and to reduce the risk of bruising. The area is cooled beforehand, so the sensation is minimal. Some patients only feel a slight pressure. After the treatment, you receive clear instructions: how best to cool, which movements to avoid for a while, and when you may massage the skin again. A follow-up appointment after two to four weeks is standard, so that Dr T. can evaluate the result with you and, if necessary, make subtle touch-ups.
Although fillers are an excellent first choice, it's good to know that other options also exist. Botulinum toxin (muscle relaxant) specifically targets the DAO muscle itself: it does not pull the mouth corner up, but weakens the downward force, causing the mouth corner to perk up slightly at rest. The effect is subtle and temporary (three to four months). For deeper marionette lines or looser skin, a combination of filler and Botox can give beautiful results.
A thread lift with dissolvable threads offers a mechanical lifting, but requires more recovery time and can increase the risk of irregularities. For a permanent correction, a surgical mouth corner lift is an option, but that is invasive and leaves a scar. Fillers, on the other hand, remain the least invasive, reversible, and natural method, especially in the hands of an experienced doctor who knows the anatomy inside out. During your consultation, Dr T. will look at which path suits you best, always with an eye for your comfort and a natural result.
Dr T. welcomes you to his clinic, centrally located in Ghent. Patients come not only from Ghent itself, but also travel from nearby towns such as Sint-Amandsberg, Destelbergen, Merelbeke, Ledeberg, Wondelgem, Mariakerke, and Zwijnaarde. Thanks to the easy accessibility and discreet location, you will immediately feel at ease. If you have questions beforehand, you can always contact us, I will answer them personally.
In addition to hyaluronic acid fillers, we also work at Dr T. with a biostimulating filler such as Radiesse. It not only fills, but also stimulates your skin to produce its own collagen. Especially with early volume loss around the mouth, when the skin becomes thinner and the mouth corners lose light support, this can give a natural effect that continues to work for months. We do not use Sculptra in the corners of the mouth.
Radiesse (calcium hydroxylapatite) provides immediate support and stimulates collagen long-term. It is suitable when you don't want to be recognized by a 'filled' mouth corner, but aim for a fresh, rested look without a visible procedure.
Certainly. Sometimes we place a small amount of hyaluronic acid filler exactly in the mouth corner crease for an immediate lift, and choose a different product for the surrounding zones, suited to that region and to the goal. In this way, we achieve a three-dimensional improvement: correcting and preventing. During the consultation, Dr T. discusses which combination best suits your anatomy and wishes.
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