Q/A: Fillers or facelift for marionette lines, sagging around mouth, looking sad?

Question: Due to 30lb weight loss I have sagging in the marionette line area. Its not too bad but it bothers me that I look sad. I talked to a plastic surgeon about a lower lift. He said this would also help my jaw line. What would this entail. Is the recuperation difficult. I am 48. Would juvederm help to hold off the surgery for awhile? Can it help the neck? I have already had my eyes done and rhinoplasty so surgery isn't new to me.

Dr. Marotta's response: Both fillers like Juvederm and a facelift can help marionette lines and sagging or looking sad around the corners of the mouth. You would probably get the most improvement in marionette lines doing both because they work by different but complementary mechanisms. A facelift will tighten drooping skin, fat and muscle and fillers can help finish the job by filling in areas of skin with depleted collagen. Fillers will not help the neck at all and only a facelift helps to tighten neck skin. The recuperation from a facelift varies by technique and surgeon. Bruising and swelling usually lasts for a 10-14 day period with most patients returning to work in 10 days.