Downturned Mouth
Serving Cincinnati, Ohio & the Tri-State RegionA downturned mouth can make us appear angry or sad when we are not. This condition is usually associated with aging. Dr. Jeffrey Harmon is a fellowship trained double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who is specialized in treating a downturned mouth in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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What Is a Downturned Mouth?
A downturned mouth refers to a feature of the mouth where its edges, called the oral commissures, appear to be angled down significantly. A downturned mouth can make a patient appear frowny or angry at rest.
The skin above the red lip at its most lateral extent (oral commissure) appears to roll over the red lip, obscuring it.
A downturned mouth is often associated with other features like long philtrum and a thin, deflated red upper lip.
What Causes a Downturned Mouth?
A downturned mouth is usually a result of age-related changes to the mouth at the oral commissure. The soft tissue thins in this area. As a result, the skin of the upper lip folds over the red upper lip.
What Can a Downturned Mouth Be Confused With?
Some patients have a red upper lip that falls off abruptly before reaching the oral commissure. These individuals may have the appearance of a downturned mouth. Importantly, the treatment for this feature is the same as for a downturned mouth.
Other patients express concern with fullness immediately under the oral commissure. Fullness in this area is called a peri-oral mound. Unfortunately, Dr. Harmon is aware of no effective treatment for peri-oral mounds.
How Is a Downturned Mouth Treated?
A downturned mouth can be treated with a corner lip lift surgical procedure, which involves excising a precisely measured triangle of skin above the red upper lip and oral commissure.
A downturned mouth is often associated with long philtrum. Long philtrum can be treated with a subnasal lip lift. This is why a subnasal and corner lip lift are most often performed together.
A consultation with a qualified facial plastic surgeon is essential to determine whether you are a candidate for lip lift surgery.
Why Dr. Jeffrey Harmon Is a Downturned Mouth Expert
Dr. Jeffrey Harmon is a fellowship trained, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon with extensive experience treating downturned mouth and long philtrum with a corner lip lift and subnasal lip lift, respectively. He can perform these procedures under local anesthesia without sedation.
He has the expertise to determine whether the area of concern for a patient is due to a downturned mouth or, for example, peri-oral mounds, which do not have a safe and effective treatment option.
Furthermore, he understands when other procedures, such as a subnasal lip lift and/or filler to volumize the red lips, can enhance or complement the results of a corner lip lift.
Written by Dr. Harmon
Discover the expertise and compassionate care of Dr. Jeff Harmon, a fellowship-trained facial plastic surgeon deeply rooted in the Cincinnati community. A former collegiate athlete and Cornell University graduate, Dr. Harmon brings discipline, precision, and a global perspective to his surgical practice—refined through elite fellowship training in New York City.
Located in Hyde Park, Harmon Facial Plastic Surgery proudly serves patients throughout the Cincinnati area offering personalized facial aesthetics with world-class skill and a hometown heart.