Oh those jowls. You know what we’re talking about. It’s when the skin around your cheeks and mouth becomes less resilient and ultimately starts to sag falling to the level of your chin and jawline. Yup, those are jowls.
The thing is, we will all eventually have jowls. Sigh. For some of us they’ll be mild and for others they’ll be more severe, but we’ll all get them. As we age the connective tissues in the skin, our facial muscles, and the quality of our skin all become weaker and more impoverished. We produce less collagen and elastin and our skin becomes drier, which ultimately leads to sagging skin.
Some lifestyle characteristics, including things like stress, a poor skincare routine, too much sun, and even certain habitual facial movements can also lead to premature jowling.
Thankfully, there’s hope for diminishing the appearance of those jowls! We’re not talking surgery here, either. What are we here for if not to recommend the absolute best treatments for your skin concerns. Here’s a list of our top 5 treatments for jowls whether you’re trying to slow down their appearance or trying to get that definition and contour back along that chin and jawline.
Forma: Radiofrequency to Treat Jowls
When it comes to jowls, we’ve been seeing some great results with Forma. Forma is really unique in that it uses radiofrequency (RF) technology in order to remodel both the skin and tissue on the face. This is a non-invasive treatment that delivers RF heat sub-dermally, so just below the surface layer of the skin.
We love Forma for the jowls because not only does it tighten and lift the skin in the area, but it also improves on the overall appearance of the skin, smoothing out a lot of those creases that are produced as a result of jowling.
Morpheus8 Tightens Skin Too
Morpheus8 is another great RF treatment that targets the jowls. It’s a little different from Forma in that although it similarly uses radiofrequency energy in order to remodel and tighten areas where the skin tends to sag the most, it equally combines RF technology with microneedling. These are microabrasions made in the skin that stimulate the body’s wound healing response and ultimately trigger the body to produce more collagen.
Morpheus8 also has the unique capability to safely penetrate the skin at a deeper level than traditional microneedling treatments.
So what can you expect to happen to those jowls post Morpheus8? You can expect tighter and firmer skin, even possibly some moderate fat reduction, as well as more contour and definition around that jawline. You’ll also see an improvement in the overall quality of the skin, including a more even skin tone and a diminishment of any existing textural irregularities.
Thread Lifting is a Great Jowls Treatment
If you’re looking for something other than radiofrequency treatments to target the jowls, thread lifting is an alternative way to lift the skin around the chin and jaw area. We recommend thread lifts for anyone who has mild to moderate jowls and who might be looking to prevent further sagging of the skin.
The treatment involves strategically inserting InstaLift threads just below the surface of the skin and tightening and adjusting them accordingly in order to offer the chin and jawline that extra definition and sculpted look. These threads will dissolve after about 6 months, but the collagen and elastin stimulated by the treatment will maintain your results for close to a year.
You Can Treat Jowls with Filler
For some, the appearance of jowls is primarily due to the loss of volume in the face. This is where strategically injected dermal fillers can be a great option for improving the appearance of jowls but even more importantly for preventing their formation in the first place.
When targeting jowls, fillers are often injected around the mouth and jawline or in the cheek area in order to give the cheeks a natural lift. Keep in mind that fillers fill, so this is really primarily a treatment if you’re finding that a loss of volume in the face is what’s exacerbating those jowls.
Sculptra, an Injectable That’s Great for Jowls
One of the best filler treatments for jowl formation to date is Sculptra. Despite what we just said about fillers “filling,” Sculptra actually doesn’t fill the same way that traditional dermal fillers do.
Made up of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), Sculptra acts as a stimulatory filler to get your body to produce collagen, elastin, and to regenerate the connective tissue and support structures that keep your skin tight and smooth. Sculptra is a great treatment for those sunken areas and deep folds that often appear alongside jowls. It’s also great for anyone looking to also address fine lines and wrinkles and to rejuvenate and improve on the skin’s overall appearance.
There’s no one size fits all treatment for jowls. We typically find that in order to really minimize their appearance, and to improve on the overall quality of the skin, and to prevent further jowling, a combination of the above treatments is often the best kind of approach. Come chat with us and we can come up with a customized approach that will address your particular skin goals.
