If your jowls are bringing you down, it may be time to turn to the next wave in nonsurgical treatments.
Aging is an inevitability we’re all going to have to face sooner or later. Some people will notice their skin’s first signs of aging with fine lines around the eyes or mouth, while others will begin to experience volume loss in the different contours of the face. Others will find their expression lines becoming more pronounced as the years go by regardless of how many anti-aging serums they slather on. Some will find the lower portions of their face succumbing to the hands of time. The bottom line? Every face is going to age. How and when yours will age is entirely personal and contingent on a variety of factors such as genetics, lifestyle factors, and more. This is precisely why devising an effective anti-aging plan is never a one-size-fits-all blueprint.
Everyone’s complexion has different needs and concerns, and everyone ages at a different pace. However, the beauty of modern, innovative aesthetics is its ability to offer patients “a la carte,” noninvasive, nonsurgical options to address their aging concerns and/or prevent them from taking place. Patients no longer need to resign to the commitment, care, cost, and cutting of a conventional facelift or even a partial facelift. Now, they can enjoy a radiant, younger-looking appearance with the touch of a button or the painless prick of a needle.
What are Jowls?
Jowls are bags of saggy skin that form along the jawline, or in some cases, droop lower than the jaw, due to loss of strength and volume in the lower cheek muscles. The result is an undefined, loose appearance. The combination of lack of elasticity, gravity, and diminished collagen production contributes to the formation of jowls in the face. Traditionally, patients who wanted to treat their jowls often turned to surgical interventions, such as a facelift or partial facelift. Today, the ever-evolving aesthetics industry is turning up the heat on other, more viable, safe, and effective solutions that don’t involve scalpels, surgery, scarring, or scary side effects. Plus, patients don’t need to take an eyebrow-raising “vacation” at an undisclosed location to recover. The nonsurgical approach is treating jowls requires no recovery and no dreaded downtime.
Treating Jowls with Forma®
Both Forma and Ultherapy® are nonsurgical, skin-tightening treatments performed in-office that address skin laxity, sagging, wrinkles, roughened texture, and decreased collagen production in the face, neck, and different areas of the body. The main difference between the two state-of-the-art procedures is Ultherapy harnesses ultrasound waves while Forma uses radiofrequency (RF) waves to heat the skin’s deepest dermal layers. Both technologies stimulate a collagen response that boosts skin’s elasticity, firmness, and smoothness long after the patient’s final session has been performed. There are both pros and cons to each cutting-edge treatment and a patient can discuss which procedure is best for them with their DG Aesthetics clinician.
Opt for Forma if:
- you’re seeking a gentler approach to your jowl-lifting session
- you’re on a tighter beauty budget
- you don’t mind undergoing up to 6 sessions before desired results are achieved
Opt for Ultherapy® if:
- you’re looking to get desired results in as little as 1-2 sessions
- you can afford to splurge on your nonsurgical, skin-tightening treatment
- you want longer-lasting results with less upkeep
Filling You In: Filler or Toxins for Treating Jowls
Another widely used option to help eliminate or reduce the appearance of jowls is through a series of injections of dermal filler, such as Juvéderm® or neurotoxins for hyperactive neck muscles. Since jowls are the result of loss of definition around the chin and jawline area, facial fillers offer an excellent and viable treatment option as they help to visibly rebuild the lower structure of the face, while enhancing the skin’s natural, complexion-plumping hyaluronic acid supply. Using neurotoxins to combat the “gravitational pull” of neck muscles that may disrupt jaw definition can give a complementary lift to the lower face and neck area. The result? A smooth, sculpted chin, “snatched” jawline, and neck.
Most patients will find a strategic combo of radiofrequency and/or ultrasound therapy in conjunction with filler and botox treatments every 6-18 months is a great formula for sidestepping the slump. Sometimes, a combined approach is the best action plan to get the lower face lift you desire without resorting to more drastic and dramatic treatment interventions.
Conclusion
It’s best to remember that while the aforementioned treatments are wonderfully effective ways to markedly improve the look of your jowls, they are NOT permanent fixes. Nonsurgical treatments only provide temporary, subtle results that will require scheduling maintenance sessions. If you’re not looking to go under the knife or unready to commit to the cost or permanent results of more invasive options, then fillers, toxins and/or ultrasound or radiofrequency therapies are going to be your best bets against defying the laws of gravity and the slowing the hands of time.