I'm only 39 but have jaw laxity. Would a facelift fix this? (Photo)

Dear Mark83,

Thankyou for providing reference pictures for a better recommendation. As per your attached pictures if you want to have a permanent solution I would recommned a mini facelift which would target your cheeks, jawline, and neck. You should research into an expert surgeon who is conducting vertical facelift as it would give you a much natural look. In addition, I seem to see Smile lines near your T-zone (mouth and nose are) which can also be permanently dealt with using nano fat injections to fill n the lack of volume.

Regards,
TAS TEAM

Hello, and thank you for your question. Based on the photos you provided, your skin laxity is not severe enough to warrant a surgical procedure as aggressive as a facelift. I believe you may benefit from minimally-invasive skin tightening procedures. Fillers, lasers, Profound RF (microneedling combined with RF energy), and other procedures that help collagen production can be very effective in tightening and refreshing the skin.
Another option is a PDO thread lift, which is a non-surgical treatment that uses dissolvable sutures to lift tissue and tighten skin for a noticeably younger appearance. But the best way to find out the most appropriate procedure or combination of procedures is to schedule an in-person consultation with a reputable board-certified facial plastic surgeon. Your surgeon can do a proper evaluation, customize the best treatment plan, and ensure the best possible results.

Thank you for your enquiry and sharing your photographs.

One way to decide about the potential value of a facelift is to examine the appearance of your face when you lie down completely flat and look upward in the mirror. In this position, some of the volume in the lower face displaces up and some of it laterally. The cheekbone area appears fuller, the jowl region appears thinner and the contours around the mouth are smoother.

If this is the type of change that you would like to achieve, a facelift intervention is likely to produce changes relatively similar to what you see when you are lying down.

Alternatives would be to wait a little longer, continue with nonsurgical treatments or use use threadlift to tighten the contour of the jawline.

It is worth mentioning that regular use of sunblock will decrease the rate of damage for the elastic collagen fibres in the skin and maintain the elasticity of the skin for longer.

Hello thank you for your question. Facelift is a surgical procedure really reserved for much looser skin and given your age we try to refrain from starting facelifts so young. Mainly because over time even with a facelift, your skin will start to lax again and may require another facelift. Fillers is a good option but given your subtle change, try some skin tightening procedures such as microneedling morpheas 8 or jplasma. consult with you local plastic surgeon to better assess you in person and review your options.

I would not recommend a facelift for you at this time. Based on your photo, you do not appear to have enough laxity to warrant a facelift. One option you might consider is FaceTite. This is a non-surgical treatment that uses radio frequency to deliver heat to the tissue under the skin. This heat produces some contraction that leads to tightening.

Dear Mark83,
Thanks for sharing your photos. The indications for facelift are diminishing as the evolution of minimally invasive options provide for skin tightening and soft-tissue lifting via needle puncture sites. Facelifts are now used primarily when there is need to remove skin excess or perform more extensive 2nd layer lifting. Please:
• Consult with a skilled and talented, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with non-surgical cosmetic facial experience. Discuss:
• Sculptra injection for skin and soft-tissue firming and tightening
• ThermiTIGHT/FaceTite radio frequency warming of the dermis for skin contraction and collagen tightening
• Facial suture suspension using collagen inducing PDO / PLLA thread lifting
Based on the “facelift tape” image you have provided, I believe any of the above 2 options would be helpful. I hope this helpful. All the best!

Hello and thank you for the question. Ideally an in-person consultation would be necessary to give you the ideal recommendation, but, in evaluation of the photographs provided, I would say that a facelift would be a bit overkill as an option to enhance your jawline. I believe you would be best suited by the use of jawline contouring techniques in the way of Facetite combined with Morpheus8 and microsal ( micro liposuction ). Younger patients with a high quality of skin and soft-tissue, such as yourself, typically have excellent results with these modalities. This procedure may either be done awake, or under a general anesthetic, although the large propensity of patients undergoing that procedure in our practice do so under a local with oral sedation. For more information you may call our offices to schedule either an in person consultation or via telehealth. Thank you, and best of luck.

Warmest Regards, Glenn Vallecillos, MD, FACS, Diplomate, American Board of Plastic Surgery