Jowls Are Starting to Appear, What Are The Best Options?

There is a period of time between when the dreaded jowls start to show up and the time when surgery is warranted.

During that time, fillers such as Juvederm placed carefully along the jawline and in areas of hollowness in the face can go a long way.

Minimally invasive treatments such as fractionated laser, radiofrequency tightening procedures, chemical peels can all help.

Regular skin care and microdermabrasion treatments and a retinoid if appropriate are also helpful.

Patients should maintain optimal physical fitness to avoid excessive jowling that comes with frequent yo yo weight gain/loss patterns.

Patients should also avoid sun exposure and cigarette smoking, but I am nagging.

Minilifts should be carefully considered. As you can see from the posts, minilifts are not minimally invasive procedures that lower trained doctors do as an alternative to traditional facelift surgery. They are in fact real surgery. They leave real scars. They cause real pain. Minilifts performed on younger patients need to have an exceptional skill level to avoid detection. They should be performed by surgeons skilled in and experienced with full facelift surgery.

Even doing that facelift eventually doesn't mean the patient will no longer require maintenance; this will still be necessary for the patient who will not go down without fighting.

People who look absolutely fantastic for their age usually do many of the things above.

Hi @RealSelf Admin. Three great options for jowls include PDO threads, dermal fillers, and Morpheus 8. I recommend an in person consultation to explore the best treatment option for you.

Best of luck,

Dr. Nima

Thank you for your question. The best treatment for you will depend on the severity of your skin laxity and jowl formation. Most patients do not need to move to surgery right away if they treat the problem early. In this case, injectable dermal fillers can often be used to restore definition to the jawline and eliminate the jowls. Since jowls often form as a result of volume loss in the midface, we can also add some filler to the cheek area for additional lift and smoothing. Another option might be RF microneedling, which boosts collagen levels in the dermal structure to tighten the skin from the inside out. Once the skin laxity and fat repositioning become severe enough to warrant surgery, make sure you work with a very experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon to ensure the best possible result.

Thank you for your question!  FaceTite can internally tighten the skin in the lower face and neck. After all the skin has been heated and contracted, we shape the neck with liposuction to give definition and remove stubborn pockets of fat. In one quick treatment, we can tighten skin, remove fat, and contour the lower face, jawline, and jowls with only a weekend of downtime. Keep in mind that combination approaches will give you a more significant improvement as opposed to a single procedure. I recommend getting a consultation with a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and facial sculpting expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Great Question!
As we age the skin envelope and the underlying retaining ligaments of the skin loosen.  This leads to decent and drop of our cheek fat pads. Gravity is undefeated!!!  Bone also atrophies (gets smaller) which leads to a less prominent jawline and can lead to jowl formation.
Depending on the deficit, your age, and your desire for results there are numerous treatments for this issue.  Proper diagnosis by a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon is of the utmost importance.
If the soft tissues of the mid-face are in adequate position, and your chin is slightly deficient, a chin implant can be used to strengthen the jaw line and fill the pre-jowl sulcus.  This procedure has relatively little down time and the incision can be placed in the mouth or underneath the chin.
In other patients who have more ptotic (droopy) skin, and soft tissue, a face-lift, with emphasis on mid-face rejuvenation may be a better option. If the problem is more within the neck and overall the neck is full with poor jaw definition, neck and jowl liposuction may be used to highlight the mandible.  
In younger patients with more minimal complaints, fillers can be used to strengthen the jawline and fill the pre-jowl sulcus.  
Every patient is different, and your surgeon should be able to present you multiple options, and explain the advantages of one technique over another.  
Best of luck!
Dr. John R. Nesiba

As we age unfortunately things like jowls happen.  Good news though, there are options.  Depending on your age and treatments that you have tried in the past would depend on whether I would recommend a face lift.  I like to use fillers first to see if this improves the problem and to see how long it may last for each individual.  If fillers last 6 months or more then that would be a good option for you to keep from going under the knife.  The filler that I recommend for treatment of this area are normally a series of Sculptra treatments or Restylane Lyft to the cheeks to help provide fullness and decrease the appearance of the jowls.  If you would rather not do fillers since they are only temporary, then a face lift may be an option for you.  You should visit an experienced plastic surgeon to discuss these options and see which one he recommends for you.