Downturned Smile Treatment Near Weybridge Surrey

What Is DAO Treatment for a Downturned Smile?

The depressor anguli oris muscles run from the lower jaw towards the corners of the mouth. When they are particularly active, they can contribute to a downward pull that is noticeable while the face is at rest.

A small quantity of prescription-only botulinum toxin may be considered to temporarily reduce excessive activity in these muscles. The intention is not to manufacture a permanent smile or force the mouth upwards. Treatment is planned to preserve expression while gently reducing an unwanted downward appearance.

Botulinum toxin can only be prescribed following an appropriate consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. During your appointment, Dr Laura Geige will review your medical history, examine your facial movement and explain whether the concern is caused primarily by muscle activity, facial structure, volume change or a combination of factors. , DAO treatment may be discussed alongside other options, such as chin treatment or carefully selected dermal filler. This does not mean that several procedures will automatically be recommended. Each element is considered separately, and a less-is-more approach may be entirely appropriate.

Benefits of Downturned Mouth Corner Treatment

A More Neutral Resting Expression

The principal aim is to soften the appearance of mouth corners that turn down while the face is relaxed. A successful result should look understated rather than conspicuously treated.

Treatment Tailored to Facial Movement

Lower-face anatomy varies considerably from one person to another. Your plan is based on how your mouth moves while speaking, smiling and resting, rather than on a fixed number of injection points.

A Subtle Alternative to Structural Enhancement

Some patients are concerned about downward muscle pull but do not want additional facial volume. Where muscle activity is the main cause, DAO treatment may offer a more appropriate discussion than automatically choosing filler.

Preservation of Natural Character

The objective is not to erase expression or create an artificial smile. Conservative planning allows the practitioner to address the concern while respecting the proportions and personality of the face.

A Focused Appointment

The procedure itself is generally brief once assessment, prescribing and consent have been completed. You will nevertheless be given sufficient time to ask questions and understand the proposed placement before deciding whether to proceed.

A Personalised Lower-Face Plan

A downturned appearance is not always caused by one muscle alone. Dr Laura Geige may also consider chin tension, lower-face balance, dental support and age-related changes before advising whether treatment is likely to suit your concern.

Preparing for Your Consultation

Begin by contacting It’s Me & You Skin Clinic rather than purchasing treatment without speaking to the team. We will confirm current availability and arrange the appropriate consultation before any prescription or procedure is considered.

Provide an accurate account of your health, allergies, previous aesthetic procedures and current medicines. This includes prescribed treatment, over-the-counter products and supplements, as each may be relevant to your assessment.

Tell the doctor about previous reactions to botulinum toxin or any unexpected changes in smiling, speaking or swallowing after an earlier procedure. Details of the product used, treatment date and clinic can be helpful where available.

Avoid arranging treatment immediately before an important social occasion, photograph session or journey. Temporary redness, tenderness or bruising can occur, and individual responses cannot be predicted precisely.

Attend with clean skin where practical, particularly around the mouth, chin and jawline. Heavy make-up may need to be removed so the skin and underlying movement can be examined properly.

Think about the expression that concerns you most. A photograph showing your usual resting face may help explain a change that is not obvious during an animated consultation.

You will not be pressured to proceed on the day. Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, and the NHS advises that it must be prescribed following consultation with an appropriate healthcare professional. Following DAO Treatment

Follow the instructions given during your appointment, as they may be adjusted to reflect your treatment and medical history. General internet advice should not replace the guidance provided by your practitioner.

Avoid rubbing, pressing or repeatedly massaging the treated area unless specifically advised to do so. Be gentle when cleansing around the mouth and lower face for the remainder of the day.

Allow any small injection marks to settle before applying make-up. Use clean hands, clean applicators and light pressure if cosmetics are applied later.

Temporary redness, mild tenderness, swelling or bruising may occur around an injection site. Contact the clinic if you are uncertain about a reaction or notice a change that was not discussed during consent.

The effect does not appear immediately and may develop unevenly at first. Do not judge the final balance during the early settling period or seek additional treatment elsewhere before the planned review.

Seek urgent medical advice if you develop serious or unexpected symptoms after botulinum toxin treatment, including difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing. The MHRA advises patients to act promptly because these symptoms require medical assessment, although serious reactions are rare.

Named Care from Dr Laura Geige

Your consultation and treatment plan are overseen by Dr Laura Geige, allowing for a more consistent and personal approach from the first assessment onwards. Rather than relying on a standard lower-face injection pattern, she considers how your mouth, chin and surrounding muscles behave at rest and during expression.

Dr Laura Geige will also review your medical history, previous aesthetic treatments and the degree of change you would feel comfortable with. This helps ensure that any recommendation is based on your individual anatomy and priorities, rather than on a one-size-fits-all protocol.

Where DAO treatment is considered suitable, the aim is to use a careful and measured approach that respects natural movement. If another option may be more appropriate, or if treatment is unlikely to achieve the result you are seeking, this will be explained clearly during the consultation.

Particular Attention to the Lower Face

The lower face is a highly expressive area in which several small muscles work together during smiling, speaking, eating and resting. For this reason, treatment around the mouth should never be approached as a simple extension of standard upper-face anti-wrinkle injections.

Dr Laura Geige carefully assesses the relationship between the mouth corners, chin, jawline and surrounding muscles before recommending DAO treatment. This helps identify whether the downturned appearance is mainly caused by muscular pull or whether facial structure, volume change or chin tension may also be contributing.

Treatment planning is intentionally precise and conservative. The objective is to soften excessive downward movement without making the smile feel restricted or altering the natural character of the lower face. Injection placement and dosing are therefore adapted to the individual rather than applied through a fixed template.

This detailed assessment also allows realistic expectations to be set before treatment. Where DAO Botox is unlikely to address the concern adequately on its own, Dr Laura Geige will explain the available options clearly and will not recommend unnecessary treatment.

A Restrained Clinical Philosophy

Our guiding principle is to soften an unwanted downward pull without replacing it with an unnatural or fixed expression. Where treatment is unlikely to address the true cause of the concern, this will be explained honestly.

At It’s Me & You Skin Clinic, treatment begins with a careful consultation rather than a standard injection pattern. Dr Laura Geige assesses how the mouth, chin and lower-face muscles move together before deciding whether DAO treatment is appropriate.

The area around the mouth requires particular precision because several small muscles contribute to smiling, speaking and everyday expression. Our approach is deliberately conservative, with the aim of softening an unwanted downward pull while preserving natural movement.

Every treatment plan is personalised. Some patients may benefit from DAO Botox alone, while others may have concerns influenced by chin tension, facial structure or volume change. These factors are considered individually rather than treating every downturned smile in the same way.

The clinic uses high-quality, appropriately sourced products and professional clinical materials. Suitability, expected outcomes, possible side effects and aftercare are discussed clearly before treatment, so patients can make an informed decision without pressure.

Patients travelling from Weybridge also benefit from straightforward access to our Kingston clinic. Siddeley House is a short walk from Kingston railway station, with nearby bus links, public car parks and central amenities including the Bentall Centre, the Rotunda and the riverside.

Our clinic room is located on the ground floor, first on the left as you enter Siddeley House. The setting is discreet, welcoming and rooted in a distinctive Grade II listed building with a notable Hawker Aircraft heritage.

Please contact the clinic before purchasing or booking. Appointment availability and individual suitability must be confirmed in advance, and treatment will only be offered where Dr Laura Geige considers it appropriate.