A nonsurgical, three-part approach to marionette lines and jowls: a thread lift to lift sagging tissue, filler to fill hollow areas, and retaining ligament filler to help the results last longer.
Hello from DAYONE Clinic. Many people tell us they’re simply too nervous to consider incision-based surgery like a facelift. At the same time, as we covered in an earlier post, at-home care only goes so far. Today we’ll explain a nonsurgical way to improve marionette lines and jowls—no scalpel required.
Step one: Lift sagging tissue with a thread lift
If radiofrequency or ultrasound treatments haven’t worked for you, or a facelift feels like too much, a thread lift can be a good option. It’s a procedure that can structurally restore tissue that has sagged.
There’s a secondary benefit, too: as the threads dissolve, collagen regenerates in their place, which helps the skin itself. For marionette lines, the foundation of treatment is using threads to lift the lower cheeks and any other areas that have dropped.
That said, if you have a lot of fat in this area, we recommend reducing the volume first with Ultherapy or a fat-dissolving treatment before a thread lift. When there’s too much fat, the threads may have trouble supporting the weight. We’ll check whether this applies to you during your consultation.
Step two: Fill hollow areas with filler
Marionette lines often involve more than sagging—the area just inside them is frequently hollow as well. Restoring balance with a small amount of filler in that hollow can lead to better results. Because the filler here is purely for filling, it’s important to use small amounts, placed precisely.
Step three: Make the results last with retaining ligament filler
Even after the tissue has been lifted with threads and the hollows filled, the results may not last long if the retaining ligaments have loosened. That’s why we place so much importance on retaining ligament filler.
The soft tissue of your face isn’t stuck in place like clay—it’s supported by the retaining ligaments. As we age, these ligaments slacken like an old rubber band, and no matter how well the tissue is lifted, it eventually slides back down. Precisely placing a small amount of filler—about 0.1–0.2 cc—at each ligament point reinforces the ligaments, which helps a thread lift last longer and helps prevent further sagging.
Some people worry this will make their face look bigger. But retaining ligament filler isn’t about filling anything in—the idea is to restore a stretched-out rubber band—so that’s not a concern.
The bottom line
To sum up, the key to improving marionette lines is a three-part combination: a thread lift to lift sagging tissue, filler to fill hollow areas, and retaining ligament filler to make the results last. Because skin thickness and the angle of sagging vary from person to person, we recommend visiting DAYONE Clinic near Gangnam Station for a consultation with your doctor. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out anytime.
This post is based on an interview from DAYONE Clinic’s YouTube channel, Face Design Lab.
This article is general information about the treatment and does not replace an individual diagnosis or treatment plan. Results and their duration vary from person to person.
Wondering what would suit you?
Whether a treatment suits you, and how to plan it, is best decided with a doctor.