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

You would need to be seen in person to determine the best treatment for your specific situation.The foregoing information provided is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Jowls and Pre-Jowl Concerns can be addressed without fillers by minimally invasive surgical techniques. You have not provided photos so the following are general recommendations that might apply to you. For example if jowls are a problem and it is mostly a fat issue (rather than skin redundancy) then liposuction using a very tiny cannula is helpful. Likewise fat transfer (for example from the Jowls, below the chin or from the tummy) can be used to fill in the slight hollowing in the pre-jowl area (the depression between the chin and the jowl). If loose skin is an issue then a mini-facelift such as a Lite Lift, MACS, etc is helpful.

Hi there thank you for your question!
So the main considerations here are, the severity of volume loss and jowl formation. Surgical approach may become an last resort however non-surgical volumisation using hyaluronic acid based dermal filler may be perfect for addressing early stages with excellent result.
Personally I use the Juvederm Vycross range which gives long lasting and subtle natural looking result. 
I hope this helps! 
Dr Rupert 

If you are just starting to notice jowls, then all of the following will be helpful
1) filler in the cheek to lift the sagging skin
2) filler in the hollow (marionette/chin area) to camouflage the transition from the hollow to the fullness of the jowl
3) filler in the jawline behind the jowl to pull the skin back
4) ultherapy to lift and tighten the skin
5) instalift to pull the skin backPlease go to a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon for a proper evaluation.

With so many fillers on the market today it’s easy to get confused. Many promise the lifting of cheeks or jowls when in actuality fillers are about replacing a loss of volume.

As we age we lose elasticity of the skin as well as volume in the mid face, nasolabial folds, drool lines and even temples. Hyaluronic fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, Voluma and Lyft work well for replacing volume loss, but don’t do anything for the sagging tissues. That’s when a mini face lift or facelift is needed. Oftentimes, in my practice I combine both fillers and surgery because they each have a role. Surgery alone will not replace the volume loss so it’s very common to add a dermal filler or fat transfer.

Best of luck!

Thomas E. Kaniff, MD 

A person’s age is best guessed by the appearance of their face. If you feel that your face does not reflect how young you feel inside, you may be a candidate for a facelift. During your #consultation, your skin texture and elasticity, as well as your underlying skin structure and your facial bone structure will be evaluated. Based on this evaluation, your board certified plastic surgeons will create a custom surgical plan, detailing specific techniques and recommendations to meet your goals. In doing so, he or she should be sure to have a full understanding of what results you expect. Patients who desire facial rejuvenation that is affordable, quick, and effective should consider the Lite-lift™. Like the Life-Style™ facelift, this is a modified facelift that can be performed in the office with a local anesthetic and improve signs of aging around the neck, jawbone and lower face. These procedures are not "Thread-lifts" or "String-lifts". We do not use the "barbed" sutures employed in these other lifting operations. The Lite-lift™ uses longer lasting techniques that are discussed below. Because the incisions are limited, there is less bruising, swelling and healing time for most patients. Many patients can be back to work in one to two weeks looking rested and more youthful.The best candidates for #LiteLift are non-smoking patients 35-60 years old with early changes of the lower face and the neck. But whose skin has elasticity with well defined bone structure. Older patients who cannot or do not wish to have a longer operation or general anesthetic may also be a candidate for a Lite Lift™.If you are not a #candidate, your surgeon can make other suggestions to address your concerns and objectives.