Is Liposuction Above Jaw Line a Bad Decision?

Facial aging is distinguished in part by loss of subcutaneous fat.  Few patients who develop jowls do so because of the growth of fat.  The fat should be repostioned, not removed.

Liposuction above the jaw line can be accomplished if completed with attention to small cannulae ("microcannulae") as well as low vacuum suction.

Liposuction will remove fat that you will need later in life as you age. Also you can have irregularities as well.

your overall facial appearance is important to evaluate in person. Your age is important also. You may regret reducing volume in the cheeks when you get older. It may be better to lift that area rather than losing more volume that you might regret later.

Liposuction of the face is done through tiny incision behind the ear lobes and under the chin.  The procedure is very comfortable and can be done while you are awake in the office setting.  Recover is brief.  The important thing is to determine if this is actually what will be right for you.  A personal consultation should answer that.

Liposuction of the neck and below the jaw line is a fairly common procedure. It can contour the neck and help to better define the jaw line. 

Liposuction above the jawline is rarely performed, and is much more risky. Injury to the nerves that control the movement of your face can occur, and the benefit is usually small.

Alternative procedures, such as bucal fat pad removal, can help decrease fullness in the lower and forward part of the cheek. This will work well, but only for carefully selected patients. Since this is done through the mouth, risk of injury to the facial nerves is unusual.

Liposuction may be recommended as a solution for heavy smile lines, jowling and occasionally cheek fat. However, this will rarely be recommended by experienced Plastic Surgeons! Repositioning tissue above the jaw line is the correct solution rather than removing the fat. Liposuction in the face can injure tissue, create grooves, accelerate tissue sinking and sagging. Selective use of laser assisted lipo techniques in the face are still being evaluated. The benefits of this technology is in the ability to promote tightening and not related to fat removal. Achieving a short term shape improvement with liposuction above the jaw line may sound like an easy solution but is often regretted. Get a second opinion.

I would recommend liposuction of your jowls using a handheld syringe and cannula.   The biggest risk with this procedure is injury to the facial nerve branches.   Use of a blunt cannula and syringe suction minimizes this risk.   I would not recommend more aggressive forms of suction.

Incision placement is typically behind each earlobe and in the crease where the chin meets the neck.  All incisions are the width of a pencil.  

The most important aspect of neck or jowl liposuction is compression garment therapy to minimize postop swelling and edema.   I recommend garment use for 7 days continously and 2 weeks of nights and weekends.

I wish you a safe and happy result.

 Generally liposuction is not recommended for facial contouring. It would require great care to be done properly. I would consult a surgeon to determine if you are an appropriate candidate and placement of incisions.

While you can perform liposuction of the face and along the jaw, it is often not a good idea as an isolated procedure. In most cases, adding fat or a lower lifting procedure is more appropriate. I woudl suggest talking with a facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who performs facial surgery to discuss your options further.