I'm 40 and I have always hated my chubby cheeks, now turning into jowls. Is Hifu a good option? I've seen some horror stories.

most of my younger patients do buccal fat pad reduction, facetite/liposuction of the neck, and fillers to chin/cheeks/jawline/temples,  to give them a more chiseled face.  see my IG and links. at home derma-rolling should be started to Improve texture and tone and tightening along jawline (see link where we have a recommended daily skincare and weekly MTS + anteageMD derma-rolling protocol).

For facial slimming a combination of treatments are always needed. Options include:

1. Buccal fat pad removal to reduce fat on the lower face
2. Factite or Renuvion/J Plasma to tighten the lower face, jawline, and chin to reduce fat and give the jawline and neck tightening and shaping.
3. Botox to the masseter to reduce the muscular size of the jaw giving the face an illusion of being more slender
4. Fillers to the jawline, chin, cheeks, temples and brow help to shape the face and make it more angled and defined

most of my younger patients consider...
5. deep microneelding RF like morpheus every 2-3 months forever to further improvement tightening
6. early face/neck lift if you want a really tight contour and the most extreme improvement in jawline and neck shaping
7. threads, PDO or Instalift, after neck surgery/facetite to further improve the outcomes and give them long term collagen production and shaping
8. Thermage (radio frequency heating) and Ultherapy (ultrasound muscle tightening) yearly to prevent sagging in the future

See an expert who does facial shaping with surgical and non surgical methods to get a comprehensive option. Best, Dr. Emer.

Difficult to be more precise without photos. However, I have seen patients who stated they tried HIFU and it didn't work for them. So patient selection may be key. Speak to an expert in HIFU who has done lots of these to know what's possible.
Other options include buccal fat pad removal or a facelift depending on what the exact issues are that concern you, your goals and expectations.

Facial liposuction targets the face, head, and neck, including the jowls. The Gold Standard for superior liposuction results requires use of the advanced technology of ultrasound assisted VASER liposuction. As an official trainer of VASER liposuction, I perform full body liposuction cases every week. VASER liposuction has been the only modality that has consistently resulted in outstanding liposuction outcomes. VASER liposuction ensures a smooth contour regardless of degree of excess fat by virtue of being able to remove any and all remaining fat comprehensively and uniformly. If skin redundancy is observed, Renuvion technology can be simultaneously applied to tighten your skin to optimize your overall contour outcome. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a VASER specialist will help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing.

Respectfully,
Arian Mowlavi MD, FACS
Realself 100 Hall of Fame Inductee