How Do You Get Rid of Jowls?

how do you get rid of jowls
Jowls are sagging skin around your jawline that tends to develop with age. Learn about surgical and nonsurgical treatment options

Jowls are sagging skin around your chin and jaw area, which tends to develop with age as your skin becomes less elastic. Several options are available for getting rid of jowls, including surgical and nonsurgical methods, as well as home remedies.

Surgical options

Surgical options for treating jowls include:

  • Neck lift: Involves surgical removal of fat, tightening of muscles, and contouring the skin around the neck to shape the jawline.
  • Facelift: Removes fat, tightens muscles, and shapes the skin around the neck to slim the face.
  • Liposuction: Involves suctioning fat from the chin area and reshaping the skin and jawline to prevent future sagging.
  • Radiofrequency energy: Involves using radiofrequency energy to tighten loose skin when used in conjunction with other therapies, such as neck liposuction.

Nonsurgical options

These procedures should only be done by professionals in a clinical setting. Many are lunchtime procedures, which don’t require recuperation time:

  • Dermal fillers: Involves injecting dermal fillers into the jawline to make the skin look tighter. 
  • Botox injection: Involves injecting Botox into the masseter muscle of the face to provide a slimming effect and give it a V-like shape. The masseter muscle can be felt when clenching the teeth and will feel like a slight bulge at the end of the jaw.
  • Kybella: Involves the melting of mild, excess fat with Kybella, which is a deoxycholic acid that acts as the melting agent.
  • Surgical threads: Involves placing 4-8 surgical threads around the jowls to tighten loose skin.

Home remedies

Home remedies and other solutions for treating jowls include:

  • Eating a healthy, balanced diet
  • Regular exercise
  • Exercise targeting the facial muscles
  • Wearing makeup
  • Wearing turtleneck or scarves

What causes jowls?

Aging is one of the major causes of jowls, caused by the loss of skin thickness and elasticity. People with thicker skin, more fat, or more collagen below the cheeks and chin have less pronounced jowls. 

Other factors that may affect the likelihood of developing jowls include:

  • Loss of elasticity and skin volume: Once a person ages, they lose collagen essential for skin elasticity and firmness. Loss of elasticity can result in sagging and droopy skin.
  • Genetics: Genes can play an important role in determining whether a person will develop jowls or not. If either of your parents has jowls, you are more likely to develop them.
  • Lifestyle factors: Factors that can lead to jowls include:
    • Repeated facial expressions
    • Continuous exposure to ultraviolet rays
    • Continuous smoking
    • Using computers or phones for prolonged periods of time
    • Obesity and weight gain

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References
Kim R. How to achieve the ultimate jawline. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/how-to-achieve-the-ultimate-jawline

Mayo Clinic. Wrinkles. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wrinkles/symptoms-causes/syc-20354927

Shridharani SM. Improvement in Jowl Fat following ATX-101 Treatment: Results from a Single-Site Study. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020;145(4):929-935. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7099849/