We look to various bodily features to demonstrate our youthfulness and one of them is a sharp, defined jawline. Through genetics or the aging process, your jawline may be predisposed or prone to jowls or loose skin or you have a double chin due to excess fat in that area.
If you search online, you’ll find plenty of tips for natural ways to achieve a chiseled jawline. These can be effective if minor reshaping/contouring is required but it can be hard work and may also require a significant time commitment.
For much quicker and better results, there are various cosmetic treatments, both surgical and non-surgical, to achieve a defined jawline.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options for Jawline Contouring
Non-surgical options are better when the amount of work required to achieve the desired look is not excessive or complicated. The ideal patients for non-surgical jawline treatments are
- those whose jawline is mildly or moderately obscured by fat
- those who have an existing chin area with a fairly well-defined jawline
- those with minimal or moderate loose skin around the jawline.
Non-surgical treatments include fat-melting injectable agents, dermal fillers, neurotoxins, radiofrequency treatments, and surgical threads.
Fat Melting Injectable Agents
The treatment is known as Kybella. Used to melt mild excess fat in the chin and neck, Kybella is a deoxycholic acid that is injected directly into a double chin and other fatty parts of the lower face. 1-6 vials of Kybella are used depending on how much fat needs to be melted. The results are permanent providing there is no weight gain through poor diet management.
Dermal Fillers
Fillers are most commonly used when minimal contouring is required. The filler is injected directly into the jawline, enhancing the edge of the mandible and its bony angle. Typically, 1-4 syringes are required. The results of dermal fillers show immediately and, depending on the type of injectable filler used, last between 6 and 18 months.
Brands of dermal fillers for jawline contouring approved by the FDA include Radiesse, Juvederm Voluma, Sculptra, Restylane Lyft, and RHA4.
Neurotoxins
The most common brands of neurotoxins in use are Botox, Xeomin, and Dysport and there are all variations of Botulinum toxin. The toxin is injected into the face’s masseter muscles. This treatment can be expensive because it takes a lot of neurotoxins to thin out the masseter muscle and it has to be done on both sides of the jaw to achieve a symmetrical result. Also, the results only last 3-4 months.
Radiofrequency Treatments
Various treatments use radiofrequency for jawline definition and they work in much the same way. They include RF microneedling (also known as Collagen Induction Therapy) and Thermitight.
Radiofrequency treatments target collagen. Collagen is the main structural protein that gives skin its firmness and elasticity. Unfortunately, collagen production slows down with age, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles and general skin slackness or sagginess.
The jawline is hit with high-intensity focused ultrasound, such as Ultherapy to boost the creation of collagen.
In microneedling, the heat effect also destroys fat cells so it’s an effective combination procedure for double chin and sagging jowls to achieve jawline contouring.
Another advantage of RF microneedling is that downtime is minimal.
Surgical Threads
As a treatment for loose skin, threads are placed around the jowls to tighten. The number of threads depends on how much loose skin you have and how large your jowls are. The effects last between 6 and 12 months.
Surgical Options for a Defined Jawline
Surgery is carried out by a qualified and certified plastic surgeon and should be done in a clinical setting rather than a facility like a day spa. Patients who have loose skin around the jawline and neck and a moderate to a large amount of unwanted fat will find facial plastic surgery is more efficient and effective at producing the facial features they desire.
The most common surgical procedures to achieve a more defined jawline are liposuction or a neck lift.
Neck Liposuction
Liposuction on the neck results in a more defined jawline when you have pockets of fat just under the skin as well as generally good skin elasticity and muscle tone. It is not a suitable procedure if the fat deposits lie under the neck muscles.
There are various types of liposuction including traditional which involves sucking fat out with a vacuum and Vaser which uses ultrasound technology to destroy fat cells. Mild to moderate skin tightening may also occur as a natural result of the liposuction process.
Some surgeons combine one of the high-definition liposuction techniques with fat transfer to provide improved sculpting for a youthful appearance.
As fat cells are removed or destroyed permanently, the results of neck liposuction will last a lifetime.
Neck Lift
Where a facelift concentrates on making a slimmer and more youthful appearance by tightening the skin over the top and middle part of the face, a neck lift concentrates on the lower face.
A neck lift gives a surgeon the greatest accessibility to the defining structures of the jawline. The surgeon will make incisions underneath your chin and behind and near your ears. The skin is lifted and the surgeon can then work on the fat, muscle, superficial musculoaponeurotic system (blood supply, nerves, and supporting structures) and glands. The wound is secured by sutures that leave behind minimal scarring.
The results of a neck lift can last for many years.
Surgical or Non-Surgical Options for Jawline Definition?
You must consult with professionals before deciding on your treatment. If you are looking for a surgical procedure, your consultation should be with a board-certified plastic surgeon. You can check with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to find a suitable surgeon or to check that your chosen surgeon has board certification.
Your surgeon should carry out a personal assessment to guide you as to which procedure will produce the jawline definition you want. They will outline the procedure, the side effects, risks, downtime, and result expectations.
If you choose to go the non-surgical route, you still need to do your homework on the clinic and ensure that you are under the care of an experienced physician. The clinic should offer a personal consultation to discuss options, define a treatment plan, outline the procedure, its pros and cons, risks, and the results you can expect.
You should also expect that professional clinicians, surgical and cosmetic, provide after-care advice. You may be referred to a dermatologist who will advise on appropriate skincare and maintenance to prolong the results (particularly if they are semi-permanent).