The jawline plays an important yet subtle role in the composition of your facial appearance. Its sweeping lines and curves add strength, character and dimension to your look.
Below, experienced Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Charles S. Lee, MD, reviews proven ways to firm skin and shrink fat, creating a sleek jawline that will frame any expression with elegance and confidence.
Dermal Fillers
One of the most common jawline issues involves sagging skin under the chin, along the jaw and on the upper portion of the neck. Modest improvements to the integrity of the skin along the jawline can often be made with dermal fillers, a quick and convenient choice, although also a temporary one.
There are several types of dermal fillers available. Most are hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxyapatite preparations, and have product names like Juvéderm Voluma. These injectables are typically used to fill lines and build volume, but are especially effective with jawline issues because they stimulate the production of collagen, the natural protein that fortifies skin while improving elasticity.
Surgical Options
When injections of dermal fillers are not enough, fat transfer may be appropriate. This technique harvests excess fat from elsewhere in the body and transplants small amounts into target areas to build volume. Most of the fat cells that are implanted this way will become a permanent part of the subdermal jawline; and that is one reason the skill of your plastic surgeon is so important. Imprecise injections can result in lumps and pockets of fat that can be hard to reverse.
Additional surgical options include cheek implants, buccal fat pad reduction, liposuction under the chin to the neckline, and neck platysmaplasty, or neck lift. Neck lift improves the contour of the jawline by tightening neck skin and underlying muscles. The procedure is particularly effective at countering the dreaded “turkey wattle.” A variation of this, cervicoplasty, improves the appearance of the neck by tightening only the skin.
Reimagining the Chin
Changing the shape and projection of your chin is another way to redraw the contours of the lower face.
The most popular chin procedure involves use of an implant. Genioplasty implants are typically made of silicone or a composite material, and can be surgically inserted either through an incision under the chin or one made inside the lower lip. Some implants are attached to the bone, while others are precisely fitted so that they will be firmly held in place by facial muscles and skin.
A related technique uses your own bone as the “implant.” In this so-called sliding genioplasty, part of the jawbone is cut and moved forward to erase a weak chin, or moved back to reduce the prominence of a projecting chin. The bone is locked into place with titanium screws.
To learn more about ways to improve the look of the jawline, schedule a personal consultation with Charles S. Lee, MD, or contact the Beverly Hills office of Enhance® Medical Center today.
