Ever notice how a clean, defined jawline denotes youth, fitness, and good health? A defined jaw helps you look more youthful at any age.
Fear not if you've battled despite diet and exercise to get the jawline of your dreams, if jowls and loose skin are starting to hide your jawline, or if you've recognized that you may be predisposed to never having a defined jawline despite outstanding general health and fitness. You have a few nonsurgical and surgical choices thanks to modern plastic surgery.
Non-surgical alternatives
The greatest candidates for nonsurgical alternatives are those with mild to moderate jawline concealing fat, a reasonably well-defined chin region, and minimum to moderate jawline skin laxity. Dermal fillers, neurotoxins, fat-melting injectables, and surgical threads are available options.
Cosmetic injectables for the jawline
Dermal fillers can be injected directly into the jawline to increase the edge of your bony angle and mandible. Patients who are "nearly there" but do not yet have a visible hard bone edge benefit from this treatment the most.
Depending on your anatomy and how defined you want your jawline to be, you will typically need 1-4 syringes of dermal fillers. The effects are visible right away and, depending on the dermal filler used, should continue for 12 to 18 months.
Operative choices
For patients with moderate to significant amounts of fat and loose skin around the neck and jawline, surgical solutions are available. Neck lift surgery or liposuction are the two main therapies. Radiofrequency energy is yet another novel technique.
Neck liposuction
Liposuction of the neck and jawline area can be performed to remove fat and give you a sharply defined jawline if the fat is only under the skin and not underneath your neck muscles. You may also have mild to severe skin tightening with liposuction, depending on the technology employed. Due to the physical removal of the fat, the results will last for years or a lifetime.
Neck raise
Your neck skin is pushed up after incisions are made behind your chin, behind your ear, and next to your ear. This gives access to your neck's muscles, fat, and supporting tissues. The tissues that can define your jawline more clearly can all be addressed during a neck lift operation, giving you the most access and the best long-term outcomes.
