Laser Surgery for Jowls?

Angie, you were 35 years old when you had laser resurfacing and ended up with a life-threatening infection, ICU and respirator for 3 weeks, and now at age 47 you use alcohol daily and smoke 2 1/2 packs of cigarettes daily. If your health were better, and you weren't a smoker, sagging jowls could be treated by facelift, or perhaps lower facelift. There is no laser that will tighten loose skin, just smooth the surface. Laser treatment would just give... more

Lasers  and fillers can all help with sagging skin if you do not want an operation. Nevertheless, good effects of a medical treatment last longer with a healthy life style. 

Smoking will increase your risks. A surgery is a big risk for you. Anyone who wants to do your surgery is taking you and them on a very dangerous journey until you can reduce your risk profile.

My first observation is as follows:  if you are still smoking, don't do anything.  A Facelift (properly performed) should significantly improve the contour of your jaw and neckline.  There is no laser or laser technique that will significantly improve jowls and I would be careful of any advertising which implies this.

I have never heard of a CO2 Facial laser resurfacing resulting in Sepsis (bacterial blood poisoning) with Pulmonary Edema (lungs being flooded by fluid). Such complications MAY be seen in major surgery and only when the intestine leaks or in severely immunocompromised people (AIDS, cancer etc). Your smoking history suggests you have some level of lung disease (COPD) and drinking daily may suggest you have some liver damage as well. A thorough evaluation, probably a treadmill examination,... more

Sagging jowls come from loss of volume along marionette areas along corners of mouth as well as the overall diminised volume along upper 1/2 of the face. Other than surgical facelift, your best bet is to consider combination of localized filler injection along marionette areas and cheek augmentation with Radiesse or Sculptra. Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing can be helpful to tighten the jowl sagging but should be performed in conjunction with judicious filler injection to achieve... more

After your experience I would not even think of doing laser surgery. You had laser resurfacing which is a skin treatment. Although laser resurfacing can tighten skin slightly, the laser cannot sufficiently tighten skin to lift jowls. A facelift is required to lift the jowl, but you would have to stop smoking completely and undergo an exam and clearnace by your internest before you would be considered a candidate for surgery.

Hello, There's laser surgery where a laser is used to treat the surface of the skin and then there is laser surgery where a laser is used to cut - dissect below the skin surface. Please look at my other laser facelift question responses to help you understand the differences and explore your options.

I am not sure what kind of laser surgery you had in the past, but before undergoing any other procedures, you probably should get a complete medical workup and clearance from your doctor for any future surgery.  Jowls are usually treated by having a facelift.