Marionette Lines: 3 Daily Exercises and Treatments That Help

I'm Dr. Hongseok Kim, a board-certified dermatologist with 21 years of practice and the medical director of VOS Dermatology Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, right in front of Dosan Park. At VOS I see every patient myself, from the first consultation to the final treatment.

Marionette lines, the lines that run down from the corners of the mouth toward the chin, are one of the first things I look at when someone asks why they look older or tired. The lower face shapes how old we look more than most people expect. This page is based on my YouTube video from July 2024; I rewrote it for readers abroad, and the video above can be watched with translated captions.

Why do marionette lines form?

Short answer: the fuller tissue above the line droops onto a flatter area below it, and the muscles that pull the mouth down are stronger in daily life than the ones that lift it.

If you look closely, the area right above the line bulges slightly and hangs down, while the area beside the chin stays flat, and the line sits where the two meet (in the video at 01:03). The name comes from a puppet whose jaw moves on a hinge.

Around the lips there are muscles that pull up, muscles that pull sideways and muscles that pull down (in the video at 01:30). The ones we use most are the ones that pull down, because most of the day we are not smiling. Think of how you look when an elevator door opens, when you are reading your phone or when you are concentrating: the mouth corners usually sit slightly low. That habit gives the downward pull the advantage, so strengthening the lifting side is the logic behind the exercises below.

Three 15-second exercises for marionette lines

Short answer: two exercises strengthen the muscles that lift the mouth corners, and one relaxes the chin muscle that pulls them down.

Exercise 1, pulling the corners outward. Draw both corners of your mouth as far to the sides as you can, the way you might when giving a small sideways smirk, and hold for 15 seconds (in the video at 02:21). Rest for 10 to 15 seconds and repeat, three times in total. The muscle you feel working pulls the corners outward and slightly up.

Exercise 2, hooking the corners onto the cheekbones. Now lift the mouth corners upward, as if you were hanging them on your cheekbones, and hold for 15 seconds (in the video at 03:26). This works the larger and smaller cheekbone muscles that raise the corners. It feels a little strange and your face may ache afterwards, which mostly shows how rarely we use these muscles. I do exercises 1 and 2 as a set: 15 seconds on, about 10 seconds off, three rounds, once in the morning and once in the evening. You can do more if you like, but start gently, because the face can feel tingly at first.

Exercise 3, releasing the chin. Push your chin muscle up and notice that the mouth corners drop (in the video at 06:14). Many people, especially women, use this muscle out of habit when they talk, which gives the chin a dimpled, pebbly look. Find the point at the end of the muscle where a crease appears, press it firmly with both hands and pull downward for 15 seconds (in the video at 07:20). Then move slightly lower, just above the bone, and do the same for another 15 seconds. Because this muscle is attached right under the skin, pressing and massaging it helps the constant tension ease.

What exercise can and cannot do

Short answer: exercise can slow marionette lines from getting deeper, but it will not make established lines disappear.

I want to be clear about this, because it is the biggest misunderstanding (in the video at 12:48). If the lines are already deep, these exercises will not wipe them away. What they can do is improve the surrounding support so the lines progress more slowly, even if you start late. If the main cause is fat that has dropped or skin that has thinned, rather than muscle, treatment gives a faster result. If you are already seeing lines on your neck as well, my note on what neck creams and exercises can do for neck lines covers that area.

Muscle-relaxing injections and filler: support, don't fill

Short answer: small injections can weaken the muscles that pull the mouth down, and filler is most useful as a light support at the border of the line rather than as a groove filler.

A small dose of botulinum toxin into the muscle that pulls the corners down lets the lifting muscles win, so the corners rise a little (in the video at 08:30). People in service jobs often ask for this because their face looks brighter without forcing a smile. A dose in the chin muscle stops it from pulling the corners down as much (in the video at 09:26). If you use that chin muscle constantly, some people repeat this every three months or so, while others go longer; it varies.

Filler addresses a different part of the problem. Remember that the area below the line is flat and the area above it sags. If something supports the border, the tissue above drops less (in the video at 10:04). When filler is placed with the goal of filling the groove, the result can look odd when you move or talk. When it is placed to hold things in place, the change is not dramatic, but the area looks tidier and softer. Around the mouth no filler can be used aggressively, so these corrections are done with small amounts and a lower-risk approach. My guide to matching each type of wrinkle to a treatment explains how this fits with other lines on the face.

Skin boosters, Ultherapy and Opus for sagging around the mouth

Short answer: boosters rebuild the tissue gradually over two to three sessions, while lifting and radiofrequency treatments address the sag itself.

In this area collagen decreases while fat increases, so skin boosters are a natural fit (in the video at 10:46). A hyaluronic acid booster can be spread very thinly over the area, Juvelook Volume encourages your own collagen from within, and calcium-based boosters are another option. Placed in small amounts, they give a natural fullness. Unlike filler, boosters need repeated sessions until collagen forms, so two to three sessions are typical.

For tissue that has already dropped, threads or surgery are possible, but many people prefer to avoid them. The option I use most often then is Ultherapy Prime, planned with the direction of the lift in mind so the lines around the mouth look tidier (in the video at 11:41). When the skin has sagged a lot or there is a lot of fat, a single lift is not enough. Thermage works, but treating this small area with it is costly, so I usually recommend something that can be repeated often: Opus, which combines plasma with radiofrequency, applied around the mouth repeatedly to tighten fat and improve elasticity (in the video at 12:21).

Thin lips can deepen marionette lines

Short answer: if your lips are very thin, supporting them is often part of treating marionette lines.

The ring-shaped muscle around the mouth contracts against the lips, and the lips act as a frame that holds it (in the video at 13:22). As lips thin with age, that muscle pulls harder on the surrounding tissue, and marionette lines tend to get worse. In that case a small amount of lip filler, used for support rather than to create a new lip shape, can look so natural that people barely notice it was done. If you are weighing lip filler, read my note on whether newer lip fillers are safer first.

My advice from the video is simple: do the mouth exercises morning and evening starting today, and if the lines are already deep, combine treatments over several sessions rather than expecting one injection to fix everything. You can see how other visitors experienced their treatment in our creator experiences at VOS.

Results vary from person to person, and the right plan for you is decided at an in-person consultation.

Keep reading on the blog

Lifting & Tightening

Korean Wrinkle Treatment: Matching Each Line to a Fix

Korean wrinkle treatment by line type: toxin for movement lines, devices and boosters for fine lines, fillers for folds, and prices. VOS Dermatology, Gangnam.

Sep 29, 2026·7 min read

Fillers & Volume

Korean lip filler latest: is newer safer? Not by itself

Korean lip filler latest: the softer look people ask for now, lip boosters, and the swelling and vessel risks that haven't changed. VOS Dermatology…

Oct 21, 2026·8 min read

Results, swelling and recovery vary from person to person. This page is general information from VOS Dermatology Clinic based on Dr. Kim's video and does not replace an in-person consultation.