Sagging jowls are nearly inevitable as we grow old. Our skin loses its main proteins and fat which causes the skin to age and sag. If you’re worried about sagging jowls, know that there are preventative measures you can take and treatments to restore your jawline.
What Are Sagging Jowls?
Jowls refer to the excess and sagging neck skin below your jawline and chin. Although sagging jowls do not present any medical risks, they can deplete your confidence and bring on feelings of self-consciousness and anxiety. Luckily, there are ways to prevent and treat sagging jowls so you don’t have to feel this way.
Factors of Sagging Jowls
As we age, the fat and skin proteins, elastin and collagen, are lost. The proteins and fat keep our skin looking voluminous and youthful, and without them, our skin tends to show signs of age and sag. While aging is the biggest factor, here are other factors to consider:
- Poor skincare
- Sunburn/not applying sunscreen
- Physical trauma/injury to the face
- Chronic stress
- Lack of antioxidants
- Extreme weight loss
- Hereditary
Prevention and Exercises
Taking care of your skin daily is paramount to having youthful skin in the future. Create a nightly skincare routine that fits with your skin and will help you stay consistent.
Apply sunscreen whenever you’re exposed to the sun. Overtime, sunburn can leave permanent damage on your skin and may cause the skin to sag.
There are facial exercises you can practice to fight off sagging jowls. These include:
- Grinning widely while slowly tilting your head up and down
- Placing your lower lip onto your top lip and tilt your head up and down
- Humming with your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth
- Blowing up your cheeks as far as you can
Treatments For Sagging Jowls
- Fillers: Fillers give you the fullness you’ve lost in your jaw and cheek area. When you get fillers, compounds are injected into your cheeks to give you a fuller look. When the cheeks are lifted, the skin around your jawline and corners of your mouth are also lifted. The appearance of fillers last about 2-4 years, but it depends on the structure of your face and the severity of your jowls.
- Ultherapy: Ultherapy is the use of ultrasound therapy to re-stimulate collagen production in your skin. It penetrates the deep layers of your skin and gives your jawline a fuller and younger look. Your skin will get tighter as the months go on, but the best results are usually seen after three months.
- Necklift: A necklift is a highly invasive surgery that cuts the side of the face and under the chin. From there, the surgeon repositions and sculpts fat and tissues in the jaw and cheek. Although this is the most effective treatment for sagging jowls, it comes with significant risks and possible scarring and infection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sagging jowls occur primarily due to the loss of key skin proteins like collagen and elastin, as well as fat beneath the skin. These components keep the skin firm and youthful, and their decline with age leads to skin sagging below the jawline and chin. Other contributing factors include poor skincare, sun damage, physical trauma, chronic stress, lack of antioxidants, extreme weight loss, and genetics.
Sagging jowls do not pose any medical risks or health concerns. However, they can affect your self-confidence and cause feelings of self-consciousness or anxiety about your appearance. Fortunately, there are effective prevention methods and treatments available to improve the look of sagging jowls.
Preventing sagging jowls involves maintaining a consistent skincare routine that includes daily cleansing and moisturizing suited to your skin type. Applying sunscreen regularly is crucial to protect your skin from sun damage, which accelerates sagging. Additionally, practicing facial exercises that target the jawline and cheeks can help maintain muscle tone and skin firmness.
Several facial exercises can help combat sagging jowls, such as grinning widely while tilting your head up and down, placing your lower lip over your top lip and moving your head similarly, humming with your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth, and blowing up your cheeks as much as possible. These exercises strengthen facial muscles and improve skin tone around the jawline.
Common treatments for sagging jowls include dermal fillers, which restore lost volume in the cheeks and lift the jawline; Ultherapy, an ultrasound therapy that stimulates collagen production to tighten skin over several months; and necklift surgery, which repositions fat and tissues but is invasive and carries risks such as scarring and infection.
Dermal fillers typically last between 2 to 4 years when used to treat sagging jowls. The duration depends on individual factors such as facial structure and the severity of sagging. Fillers work by adding volume to the cheeks, which lifts the skin around the jawline and mouth corners.
Ultherapy uses ultrasound energy to penetrate deep skin layers and stimulate collagen production, resulting in tighter and fuller skin around the jawline. While some improvement may be noticed shortly after treatment, the best results typically appear after about three months as collagen rebuilds gradually.
A necklift is considered the most effective treatment for sagging jowls because it surgically repositions and sculpts fat and tissues in the jaw and cheek areas. However, it is highly invasive and carries risks such as scarring, infection, and longer recovery time. Patients should weigh these factors and consult with a surgeon before choosing this option.
