How to “Shape-Up” Your Jawline

With the popularity of selfies, we are taking a closer look at our jawline, or lack of one. A sharply defined jaw conveys youth. There are many treatments that can target this problem area, most with little or no downtime. These no-surgical tweaks are popular with patients of all ages who want to shrink unwanted fat under the chin, re-shape the contour of the chin and jaw and tighten loose skin.

Your bone structure plays a major role in the overall shape of your face, especially the jawline. Unfortunately, the jawbone and surrounding soft tissue shrinks with age resulting in weakening of chin definition, hanging jowls and excess skin below the jaw. With the popularity of fillers and “neuromodulators” (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau) we can correct volume loss and wrinkles in the upper face, but that doesn’t help the changes in the jawline.

Reshaping the jawline can be accomplished by a variety of methods, depending on the main issue. For nonsurgical fat reduction, a few treatments with Kybella injected into the area just below the chin will permanently reduce fat. If the issue is mainly lax skin, energy-based skin tightening such as ThermiTight, gives beautiful results with just one treatment. For some people threadlifts and/or carefully placed filler are the answer. These non-surgical treatments are best for patients with mild-to-moderate fat or minimal-to-moderate loose skin in the lower cheeks and jaw. Reshaping, adding volume and defining is easier than ever with these facial fixes.

If blasting away the fat to slim your jaw is the goal, several treatments with Kybella injected into the superficial fat works wonders. Kybella contains a synthetic bile acid that dissolves fat. The downside to this non-surgical treatment is swelling, tenderness and possible bruising. However, many patients also experience the added benefit of some skin tightening after Kybella treatments.

Injecting fillers can restore the definition of the jawline. Filler can also be injected into the area just in front of the jowl for added definition. I like to use several syringes of Radiesse in this area, as it is similar to the mineral in bone. By injecting deep along the bone, you get a longer lasting result. This technique also aids in lifting the neck and giving an elongated look to the chin to jawline area.

I also enhance a weak receding chin with Radiesse. Increasing the projection of the chin with filler balances the lower face. This non-surgical option has become a more popular choice than surgical implants.

Injecting a neuromodulator (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau) can be used to contour the masseter muscle and create a narrower jaw. By weakening this muscle, over a course of several treatments, the lower face appears slimmer.

Elevating the jaw area gives sharper definition to the area and a more youthful look. Whether you choose to have a thread lift or an energy-based skin tightening treatment, these tighten and lift treatments will make your lax skin look significantly better.

Thread lifts, such as NovaThreads, use dissolvable sutures (aka threads) to treat sagging in regions of the face, like lower cheeks and jowls. The threads are identical to those used in open heart surgery. A thread lift suspends lax skin by pulling up portions of the face with sutures that run underneath the skin. The threads are inserted using local anesthesia and require minimal downtime and cause mild swelling. Though the sutures eventually absorb, and results aren’t permanent, they trigger the body’s healing response to generate new collagen, resulting in a firmer, more youthful look.

For those with a turkey neck, nonsurgical skin tightening devices can be the answer. They use various forms of energy to target deeper layers of skin, causing them to contract and produce new collagen, creating a tightening effect. These treatments are best for those with mild-to-moderate laxity. ThermiTight, my choice of treatment for this area, uses radiofrequency to tighten skin from beneath the surface. Local anesthesia is used and a cannula with a special tip provides the necessary energy to remodel the tissue. This one-and-done treatment gives noticeable, lasting results.

Using combinations of the treatments mentioned above can target several problem zones and give you a more significant improvement. A consultation with me gives us a chance to decide on the best way to give you safe and beautiful results.