Marionette Lines
Pronunciation: MAR-ee-oh-net
Vertical facial grooves running from the corner of the mouth downward toward the chin, caused by volume loss and skin descent with aging.
Full Definition
Marionette lines are linear depressions extending inferiorly from the oral commissures, named for the mouth joints of marionette puppets. They result from a combination of dermal volume depletion, ligamentous laxity, and gravitational descent of mid-facial soft tissue. In editorial contexts, 'marionette lines' is the accepted colloquial–clinical hybrid term widely used in both peer-reviewed literature and consumer communications. It is always lower case except when starting a sentence. Writers commonly confuse marionette lines with nasolabial folds; editors must note that nasolabial folds run from the nose to the corners of the mouth, whereas marionette lines extend from the mouth corners downward.
Usage
Usage note: Lower case in running text. Do not conflate with nasolabial folds; the anatomical distinction is clinically and editorially significant.
In Context
- "Filler placed in the prejowl sulcus and along the marionette lines restored the patient's lower facial contour." — Before-and-after case report
- "The manuscript repeatedly described marionette lines as 'nasolabial folds extending below the mouth', which the editor corrected to the anatomically distinct 'marionette lines'." — Peer-review manuscript edit