Downturned Mouth CornersNewstead, Brisbane
Body Dezign House is a doctor-led clinic in Newstead, Brisbane. The corners of your mouth sit where three things meet: muscles that lift, a muscle that pulls down, and the tissue that holds them in balance. Where the corners rest when your face is still has a lot to do with how the lower face looks. At Body Dezign House in Newstead, Brisbane, every consultation is guided by your anatomy. We look at the muscle balance along with the volume and skin around it, and there is no obligation to go ahead.
Downturned Mouth Corners
in Brisbane
The corner of your mouth has a clinical name, the oral commissure, but it is simply the point where the lips meet. Several muscles come together there at a small knot of tissue called the modiolus, where the lifting and lowering muscles all join. A downturned mouth corner assessment is really about reading the balance at that point. Some muscles pull the corner up, like the zygomaticus major from the cheekbone and the levator anguli oris from deeper in the upper jaw. One muscle pulls the corner down, the depressor anguli oris, a triangular muscle that runs from the lower jaw up to the corner. When the lift and the pull-down are even, the corner sits about level. When the downward muscle is stronger, the corner sits lower, and a still face can look sad, stern, or tired even when you feel fine. Marionette lines usually come along with downturned corners, so we look at them together.
Downturned corners usually come from one of two places. The first is simply how your face is built. The strength of the downward muscle compared with the lifting muscles, the shape of the modiolus, and the way you naturally hold your expression all differ from person to person. Some people have always sat at the end of that range where the corner rests a little below level. Most describe it in everyday words: a sad-looking resting face, mouth corners that have always pointed down a touch, a frown that shows even when they feel neutral, or being told they look unhappy when they are not. The clinical name for this pattern is depressor anguli oris dominance, which just means the downward muscle pulls harder than the lifters. There is a wide, normal range between this and a perfectly level resting corner.
The second cause is change over time. The downward muscle does not weaken with age. If anything, it tends to take over a little, partly because it works harder as the soft tissue around the mouth slowly drifts down, and partly because we keep using the same expressions. At the same time, the small fat pads that propped up the corners deflate and slip lower. The bone of the lower jaw thins a little at the chin and along the jawline. Collagen and elastin in the skin around the mouth start to drop off. And the marionette line, which runs from the corner of the mouth down toward the jaw, deepens. Put together, the corner sits lower at rest, often with a faint groove forming below it. These changes usually go hand in hand with broader facial volume loss in the lower face. That is a big part of why interest in mouth corner support has grown so much over the past decade, especially approaches that look at muscle balance and volume together.
Masculine and feminine mouth corners differ in their anatomy, not just in how they look. A masculine face is usually thicker-skinned with more collagen, carries more tissue over the lower face, and has a stronger natural downward pull at the corner. So on a masculine face, downturned corners often show up as a deeper marionette groove and a firmer downward set. The change tends to arrive later, but it is more pronounced once it does. A feminine face is thinner-skinned from the start and loses collagen and hyaluronic acid, the moisture that keeps skin plump, more visibly around perimenopause. So feminine downturned corners are often the earliest sign that the lower face is changing, and they are frequently noticed in photos before anyone notices them in person. A good assessment takes these differences into account rather than treating every face the same way.
Our Newstead clinic serves clients across Brisbane, including New Farm, Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley, Hamilton, Ascot, and the broader inner north.
About Dr AsadiThe mouth corner is a tiny piece of the face doing a great deal of expressive work. A muscle that lifts, a muscle that pulls down, and a hub the size of a grain of rice all meet at each corner. Where it rests is the sum of every smile and every quiet moment your face has held. Reading that balance well is what the consultation is for.Dr Fatemeh Asadi, MD, FRACGP
Dr Fatemeh Asadi, MD, FRACGP brings two decades in cosmetic medicine and general practice to every consultation. She is a Key Opinion Leader for Merz Aesthetics and an Official Trainer for Aptos Threads. This reflects her ongoing role in cosmetic medicine education, including attending national and international conferences, training other doctors and nurses, and contributing her clinical knowledge to the wider medical aesthetics community.
Our approach is careful and honest. We look at what is really driving your concern. It might be loss of support at the bone, change in the deep or surface fat, looser skin, or a mix of these. We also look at whether any treatment is genuinely right for you.
Areas Commonly
Assessed
Downturned mouth corners can involve several parts of the area around the mouth. We look at the muscle balance at the corner, the volume support around it, the skin and lines below it, and how the lower face is changing overall. Most people have more than one of these going on. Clients come to our Newstead rooms from across Brisbane for this kind of careful, anatomy-led reading, and many prefer having a doctor do the assessment.
Muscle Balance
at the Corner
The corner of the mouth is held by a tug-of-war. Some muscles lift it, like the zygomaticus major from the cheekbone and the deeper levator anguli oris. One muscle pulls it down, the depressor anguli oris. When the downward muscle wins, the corner sits below level. We read this balance at rest and while you express, looking at each side on its own.
Modiolus
& Corner Support
The modiolus is the small knot of tissue at each mouth corner where several muscles meet. Where it sits, and how well it is supported, shapes how cleanly the corner rests. We look at the volume around it and the tissue holding it in place.
Corner
Symmetry
It is common for the two corners to sit a little differently, with one resting slightly lower than the other. We look at each side on its own before any plan is considered.
Marionette Lines
& Lower Mouth
The marionette line runs from the corner of the mouth down toward the jaw, and it deepens as the corner drops. We look at the line and the corner together, because treating one without the other rarely looks right.
Perioral Volume
& Skin Quality
The tissue around the mouth loses volume and skin quality at the same time the corner is being pulled down, which is why downturned corners rarely show up on their own. We look at the fat pads above and below the mouth, the condition of the skin around it, and how each one is adding to the overall picture.
Resting Face
& Expression
How your face reads when you are not expressing anything is usually what people mean when they say they look unhappy or tired without feeling that way. We compare your face at rest with your face in motion.
At rest, the corners of the mouth carry a quiet downward set that the smile still lifts cleanly away from. What reads as a sad resting face is usually three things at once. A downward muscle that has grown stronger than the lifters opposite it. The small fat pads that supported the corners losing their fullness. And a marionette line beginning to deepen. A good consultation reads each one on its own, and is honest about which can be softened, which can be supported, and which sits closer to a surgical conversation.Dr Fatemeh Asadi MD, FRACGP · GP & Cosmetic Physician
Your Consultation
in Brisbane
Your consultation at our Brisbane clinic starts with a conversation about your concerns and what you would like to achieve. We review your medical history, carefully assess the mouth corners and surrounding area, and use VISIA skin analysis where appropriate to gain a better understanding of your skin's condition. We then explain our findings, discuss the treatment options that may be suitable for you, and answer your questions so you have a clear understanding of the benefits, possible risks, and alternatives before deciding whether to proceed. Risks & Complications →
Listening
We start with a private, relaxed conversation. You tell us what you have noticed about your mouth corners and what matters to you, including a resting expression that may be coming across differently from how you feel. Your clinician then goes through your medical history: past cosmetic treatments, dental history, any cold sores or relevant skin conditions, the medicines you take, allergies, and your general health. As part of good practice, your clinician also gently asks how you feel about your appearance, so that anything we discuss is truly in your interest.
Assessment
Your clinician carefully assesses the area around your mouth and the surrounding face. That means where each corner rests, the muscle balance between the lifters and the downward muscle, the volume support around the modiolus, the depth of any marionette line, and the condition of the skin around your mouth. We also use VISIA, the latest AI facial imaging, which shows in fine detail what the eye alone cannot: subtle lines, hidden pigmentation, surface texture, and the exact shape of the lower face. You see what we see.
Options
After the assessment, your clinician talks you through the options that suit you best. These might include approaches that address the muscle balance at the corner, structural support around the modiolus and marionette area, energy-based skin support, or thread lifting where it is suitable. If surgery or a specialist referral would serve you better, the honest answer is a referral. And choosing not to go ahead is always a fair choice, respected without any pressure. If something is not right for you, we will say so plainly.
Treatments We
May Discuss
The treatments listed here are examples of what may be considered. They are not a treatment plan and do not mean you will need all of them. Your recommendation may include one option, a combination, or a different approach altogether after your concern has been properly assessed at our Brisbane clinic.
Mouth Corner Muscle Balance
Here the focus is the balance between the muscles that lift the corner of the mouth and the one that draws it down, and how that sets the corner when your face is at rest. Whether anything is suitable for you, and what it would involve, depends on your anatomy and is assessed and explained in full at a consultation in Brisbane.
Mouth Corner Support
Here the focus is the support around the corner of the mouth, at the modiolus and the marionette area, and how that affects where the corner sits when your face is at rest. It is often considered alongside muscle balance, because the corner is shaped by both the muscles and the structure around it. Whether anything is suitable for you, and what it would involve, depends on your anatomy and is assessed and explained in full at a consultation in Brisbane.
Ultherapy
Focused ultrasound that sends energy into the deeper support layers of the skin and the firm tissue beneath it in the lower face. It may be relevant where mild looseness around the mouth and lower cheek is letting the corners drop, especially where the skin still has reasonable spring. A separate consultation is needed.
Aptos Thread Lifts
Fine threads placed along the lower cheek and the sides of the mouth to gently support the tissue that has drifted down and is pulling the corners with it. It may be discussed where that drift is a real contributor and the support underneath is still reasonably strong. Dr Asadi is an accredited Aptos Threads Official Trainer, and she performs thread treatments at Body Dezign House.
Morpheus 8
Radiofrequency microneedling, which sends gentle, controlled heat into the deeper layer of skin through tiny channels to help it rebuild collagen and improve skin quality around the mouth. Considered where skin quality and mild surface looseness are part of the picture rather than the main cause.
PRX-Plus
A treatment applied to the surface of the skin that may support its repair and quality around the mouth. Considered where the condition of the skin around the mouth is adding to how clearly the downturn shows at rest.
Surgical Consultation
Sometimes a surgical option is the better path. That can be the case where the downturn is severe, where there is a lot of loose skin in the lower face, or where the marionette area has deepened past what these approaches can meaningfully change. The surgical option might be a corner-of-mouth lift or a lower-face lift. In these cases Dr Asadi will refer you, with care, to a specialist surgeon. Knowing when to refer is part of an honest assessment.
All cosmetic procedures carry some risk and possible side effects. Whether a treatment suits you, what might rule it out, and the full range of possible complications are all discussed at your consultation. Individual results vary, and no outcome can be guaranteed. Read about Risks & Complications →
A few questions
before a consultation?
If you would rather talk to our team before booking, we are happy to take a thoughtful phone call. No pressure, no obligation. Just a conversation.
Frequently
Asked
Often, yes. For a mild to moderate downturn, treatment options can suit you well, especially when the muscle pattern is the main cause and the tissue around the mouth still has reasonable support. These options include addressing the muscle balance at the corner, rebuilding support around the modiolus and nearby tissue, and improving the quality of the skin around the mouth. Where the downturn is more pronounced, or there is a lot of loose skin, a surgical opinion may be the better path. Whether it suits you is only decided at a full consultation.
Three things usually work together. The first is muscle. The depressor anguli oris, a small triangular muscle that pulls each corner down, can start to overpower the muscles that lift the corners. The second is volume. With age, the fat pads in the cheek and around the mouth deflate and slip lower, so the corners lose the support they had. The third is skin. Collagen and elastin in the skin around the mouth drop off, marionette lines deepen, and the skin loses some of its bounce. A downturn assessment reads all three together.
The first step is an in-person assessment, so we can understand what is actually driving it for you. A downturn can come from the muscle balance at the corner, the support around it, the condition of the skin, or a combination, and the right starting point depends on which of these is most at play. At your consultation in Brisbane we explain what we find, talk through whether any approach is suitable, and answer your questions before anything is decided. Individual results vary.
It depends on which approach is appropriate for you, and on your own anatomy. There is no single timeframe that fits everyone, because different approaches behave differently. Your clinician will talk through what to expect, including how long results may last and any upkeep involved, at your consultation in Brisbane, based on the plan discussed with you. Individual results vary.
Yes, and this is one of the most common reasons people come in. When the corners of the mouth sit below level, a still face can come across as sad, stern, or weary, no matter how you actually feel. It happens when the downward muscle pulls harder than the lifters, and it is part of what a downturn assessment looks at.
Common reasons to come in are a mild to moderate downturn, marionette lines that are starting to form, one corner sitting a little lower than the other, or a resting face that looks sadder than you feel. Whether it suits you depends on your anatomy, medical history, the medicines you take, your dental health, and your goals, and that is decided in person at a consultation.
All cosmetic procedures carry some risk, including bruising, swelling, unevenness between the two sides, infection, effects on a blood vessel, and a result you are not happy with. The mouth corner needs particular care, because several muscles share the modiolus and the muscles nearby control your speech and smile. We explain the specific risks in full at your consultation, and again on the day of treatment. You can read more on our Risks & Complications page.
Dr Fatemeh Asadi MD, FRACGP
GP & Cosmetic Physician · Founder, Body Dezign House
Dr Asadi and our team share an approach that is led by anatomy and never rushed. Every consultation looks at the lower face as a whole before any treatment is discussed. That includes the muscle balance at each corner, the volume support around the modiolus, the depth of any marionette line, and the condition of the skin around the mouth, alongside your history, how your tissue behaves, and your goals. If an option is not the right tool, we will say so plainly. We will talk through what may suit you better, including a referral when that is the wiser path.
Dr Fatemeh Asadi, MD, FRACGP, draws on two decades in cosmetic medicine and general practice in every consultation. She is a Key Opinion Leader for Merz Aesthetics and an Official Trainer for Aptos Threads, and she remains active in cosmetic medicine education, presenting at national and international conferences, teaching other doctors and nurses, and sharing her clinical experience with the wider medical aesthetics community.
Ready for a
Consultation?
Book a time with Dr Asadi or her team at our Newstead clinic in Brisbane. New here? Begin with a consultation. Already consulted, or following a treatment plan you've discussed? Book your next session, or reach out with any other enquiry.