Mental Crease

The mental crease is a horizontal groove between the chin and the area below the lips.  The mental crease can be a single deep groove, or a combination of more than one line or groove.  It gets its name because it appears to be a noticeable indentation or “crease,” and it is formed near the top of the mentalis (chin) muscle. 

The mental crease can contribute to an aging puckered look of the mouth area.  It can also make an overly pronounced chin look even more exaggerated or “witch” like.  In some instances where the mental crease is really deep (and other aging effects in the area are pronounced), a mental crease can make an individual look a bit like an aging cartoon character - sort of unnaturally old.  Even in less noticeable occurrences, it can be an unappealing facial feature. 

As with peau d’orange, BOTOX® is the first line of treatment for the mental crease by most physicians.  Small amounts of BOTOX® are placed into the origin of the mentalis muscle, near the tip of the chin.  A touch up treatment may be applied a couple weeks after the initial treatment (if the initial treatment is not effective enough).  As with treatment of peau d’orange, physicians will take care not to over treat this area, so that an individual doesn’t lose the ability to pucker the lips. 

In addition to BOTOX®, many physicians will also place an advanced dermal filler such as Juvedermtm or Restylane® along the mental crease to help fill in the crease.  If the crease is very deep, then a physician may opt to use Radiesse®, Juvedermtm Ultra Plus or Perlane® for deeper correction.