If you were to take a survey among women asking them which body parts concern them most as they start to move into middle age and beyond, one of the most common answers among the entire group would almost certainly be the jowls and neck area.
A woman’s jawline is one of the most prominent features on her face, and because of this, any slight changes in its appearance that lean towards sagging, wrinkling, and general loss of elasticity can cause a lot of stress and anxiety related to physical appearance.
Of course, thanks to the wonders of modern cosmetic treatments, there are plenty of options for people who want to make improvements to their sagging necks and jowls. Both surgical and non-surgical options exist which try to tighten things up and encourage better collagen production in the relevant areas. These can help with sagging jowls and loose neck skin, making you proud to look in the mirror again.
Here is a list of some of the best facelift and neck lift options that are performed by cosmetic physicians today. We will talk you through what they are, what condition or issue they are best suited for, and whether or not you might be a good candidate for that particular treatment.
Fat Reduction
The most common type of fat reduction known in pop culture terms is liposuction. Fat reduction treatment is exactly what it sounds like! If your particular jowl problem isn’t due to skin laxity, but rather the natural presence of fat which creates pronounced jowls that don’t seem to budge no matter how much exercise you do, then fat reduction via liposuction can be a useful form of plastic surgery to eliminate the problem in one simple procedure.
To perform liposuction on a double chin or jowls, the surgeon inserts a cannula (small tube) into strategically-selected different areas of the chin or jawline. Small amounts of fat tissue are removed using gentle suction.
Once this fat is removed, you will find that your jowls have disappeared, and you will be left with a much slimmer profile in the chin area. You may also find you have a skin-tight neck that provides a much more youthful appearance.
In terms of recovery, patients who undergo fat reduction surgery will need to wear a supportive chin strap for a while after the procedure and will be advised to stay away from work for a week or so. After two weeks, you will be ready to return to full and normal activities.
Fillers
If your saggy jowls are causing a noticeable lack of symmetry and definition in your face, then you might want to consider fillers as your preferred treatment. Dermal fillers injected directly into areas of loose skin where fine lines in the neck are present will have an almost instant anti-aging effect by camouflaging the appearance of jowling.
The great thing about fillers is that they are suitable for all skin types, which means that no matter what kind of skin you have, you will be able to fight your signs of aging and the appearance of jowls with a few simple injections.
The main recovery issue from fillers is the swelling that occurs. In the vast majority of cases, this swelling will be gone two or three days after the procedure. It is important to note, however, that there may still be a small amount of swelling at injection sites for as long as two to four weeks after the procedure.
As with any kind of filler, these results are temporary, and you will find that you may need to go back for further appointments every six to twelve months depending on the brand of filler that your surgeon uses.
It is best to consult your surgeon about the specifics of the treatment and how long the results will last because repeat injections every six months can become a significant expense.
Kybella
Kybella is a prescription injectable treatment that can be used by adults to improve the appearance and profile of a double chin caused by fat. Kybella is recommended by professionals when patients come to them feeling unhappy and self-conscious about their excess skin and fatty jowls.
It provides a simple non-surgical alternative for those who would rather not go under the knife of a plastic surgeon. It is generally only offered to people who eat well and exercise well and still have skincare and double chin issues that won’t go away through natural means.
There is no recovery time needed for Kybella because it doesn’t require any type of invasive treatment options to succeed. However, there is some noticeable swelling that occurs after the treatment along with a small risk of bruising. This swelling is only temporary and usually goes away after about a week.
If you are seeking some anti-aging rejuvenation without having to have skin tightening surgery, then a treatment like Kybella might just be the perfect option for you.
Radiofrequency Microneedling
RF micro-needling is a cosmetic procedure that uses a set of tiny needles and radiofrequency energy to produce microscopic energy that passes across the skin and helps to rejuvenate it.
It might sound scary, but microneedling is classed as a form of self-controlled skin injury. The small ‘injuries’ that are inflicted on the skin almost immediately start to help stimulate the growth of new collagen underneath, and this can be particularly beneficial for conditions like acne scarring, fine lines, and wrinkles. Overall, this kind of treatment is ideal for problems like fat reduction and the lifting and tightening of the skin.
Compared to treatments like dermabrasion or chemical peeling, RF microneedling can be seen as a more effective option to lift and tighten skin.
One of the major pros and selling points of radiofrequency microneedling is the fact that it has a significantly shorter recovery time than the likes of other, more invasive treatments such as aggressive CO2 laser resurfacing. In most cases, patients will experience some mild swelling and redness for three to four days after the treatment, and then their newly changed face will be rejuvenated and normal. For those who are concerned with wearing makeup again as soon as possible after a cosmetic facial treatment, our post-procedure makeup products can start to be applied as soon as 24 hours after a radiofrequency microneedling procedure.
As a general rule of thumb, it is advised that this kind of treatment can be repeated every four to six weeks depending on the severity of your jowls and loose neck skin issues. This quick turnaround is seen by some as a negative of the treatment, but depending on your circumstances, you can often find that you don’t need to top up your results as frequently as others. It is very much a patient-by-patient basis.
ThermiTight
ThermiTight is another type of minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to tighten loose or sagging skin. ThermiTight can be used to address issues for skin across all parts of the body, but it is particularly effective in the neck and jowls area.
You might have heard of this procedure by another name, as it is used to be known as ‘thermistor controlled subdermal skin tightening treatment’. Now going by a much catchier name but still performing the same process, a level of regular heat is used to target sagging areas of skin, to stimulate the production of the collagen that has decreased naturally as a body age.
Even though some people might class this treatment as ‘aggressive’ heat sculpting, don’t let the term aggressive put you off. Any non-surgical treatment that is going to work needs to be heavy-duty in its methods, and if you are not prepared to go ‘under the knife, as they say, then something like ThermiTight can give you all of the results without the extended recovery time.
So what are the specifics of this slightly extended recovery time? People who undergo a ThermiTight treatment can expect to take about three weeks to fully recover. During this time, it is recommended that a surgical compression garment is worn for at least the first seven days after treatment.
Some of the most common side effects include the expected things like swelling, numbness, bruising, and tenderness in target areas. It should be noted, however, that all of these side effects remain on the mild to the moderate side for those three weeks. Any pain that is more than moderate is not normal and not common and should be addressed immediately by your surgical professional.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many different options to choose from if you are looking for a way to banish your jowls and tighten your neck. Although this particular problem isn’t threatening to one’s physical health, it shouldn’t be underestimated just how much self-confidence a person can lose if they are not satisfied with their physical appearance.
Whether you are brave enough to opt for something minimally surgical such as fat reduction via liposuction or fillers, or you think that you might be a better candidate for something like the Kybella injectable, the main thing is that now you know just how many different options you have. Gone are the days when liposuction or a questionable facelift were the only choices someone had if they wanted to change an aspect of their appearance. Nowadays, you are guaranteed to find a treatment that perfectly suits your needs.