Sculpted jawlines have always been in demand for both men and women.
Your jaw is the foundation of your lower face — and unlike your neck, you can’t hide it. With advancing age, your jawline grows duller due to the effects of gravity and the breakdown of bone structure. The result? Jowling and sagging skin around the cheeks and mouth.
If you’re bothered by the appearance of your jawline, there are new options available to sharpen it from surgery to non-invasive injectables and energy-based technologies.
Jason Bloom, MD
“Traditionally facial plastic surgeons and plastic surgeons may have recommended surgical procedures to enhance or define the jawline. However, today we have more non-surgical choices to offer our patients,” says Philadelphia Facial Plastic Surgeon Jason Bloom, MD. “We now have strong and durable fillers to define or enhance the jawline and other injections, like Kybella, to dissolve fat in the jowls or chin, which further delineate or sharpen the jawline. Finally, the newest non-invasive energy-based technologies such as Sofwave®, a next-generation ultrasound technology, can also be used to address skin wrinkles along the jawline.”Surgical Jaw Enhancement Procedures
Here’s our expert-approved rundown of each surgical jaw enhancement procedure, including its pros and cons.
Neck liposuction
Liposuction of the neck and jawline can remove fat for a more defined jawline. This is a surgical procedure with considerable downtime, but results will last years since the fat is physically removed.
Neck lift
During a neck lift, your surgeon crafts incisions near and behind your ear and underneath your chin to lift the neck muscles, fat, and supporting structures, in turn creating a sharper jawline. This is major, lengthy surgery with its share of risks, including infection, bad scarring, and nerve damage. There is also substantial downtime after a neck lift. Results can last for years.
Jaw implant surgery
With this surgical procedure, a small incision is crafted inside your mouth, near where the implant will be placed. A pocket is created by elevating the facial tissue to insert the implant against the jaw bone to give your jaw more prominence. Risks may include infection, a shift in implant position, and unacceptable scarring. As with neck lifts, there is significant downtime after jaw implant surgery. Expect some pain, swelling, and bruising after jaw implant surgery, especially in the first 48 hours. Over-the-counter or prescription painkillers may be needed to get you over this hump. You will need to eat a soft diet for a few days afterward your surgery so your jaw area has time to heal.
Minimally invasive jawline enhancing procedures (Non-surgical treatments)
Enhancement dermal fillers
Injections of dermal fillers replace lost volume in the cheeks to lift your face and add a little more filler to the jaw, to enhance definition. Results may last up to two years.
Jawline enhancement injections
Neuromodulators can be injected directly into the masseter muscle, which is the facial muscle that allows you to chew. This creates a V-like shape by reducing the size of this muscle. Results last about 3-4 months. Injections can melt away or dissolve fat in your chin area, and some doctors use it off-label to address sagging and jowling in the jaw area by injecting it into the sides and back of your jawline. Several treatments consisting of multiple injections are needed, and the results are permanent as long as you maintain your weight. Side effects include major swelling.
Beautiful woman gets beauty facial injections. Face aging injection. Aesthetic Cosmetology.
Thread lifting for jaw enhancement
Surgical threads can lift and tighten the skin around your jowls, creating a sharper, more defined jawline. Results may last 6-12 months.
Radiofrequency energy
Radiofrequency energy-based devices can tighten loose skin in the jaw area. It works by boosting the production of collagen, the main structural protein in your skin. Several treatments are needed.
Ultrasound-induced jaw enhancement
Doctors are extremely excited about the latest breakthrough in ultrasound-assisted jaw enhancement using the Sofwave system, which utilizes proprietary Intense Ultrasound Beam Technology™ (SUPERB™), allowing sound wave energy to bypass the skin’s surface (the epidermis) so there is no external damage. It is a non-invasive, jaw enhancement treatment that takes just 30 minutes and promises major results. It is appropriate for all skin types. With Sofwave®, collagen and elastin stores are boosted from the inside out, toning skin for a sharper, more contoured jawline.
Learn more about how Sofwave works to improve fine lines and wrinkles for younger-looking skin.
Talk to your doctor to learn which of these procedures will best help you meet your cosmetic goals.
References:
- "What You Need to Know About Aging Skin", December 18, 2020, Cleveland Clinic
- Roy Kim, MD, "How to achieve the ultimate jawline", November 2, 2018, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- "Can a one sided cheek implant be done to increase facial symmetry?", The Aesthetic Society
- Kevin Tehrani, MD, "What you need to know about thread lifts", July 31, 2018, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
