While there are a wealth of anti-aging skin treatments and products available these days, tackling aging around the neck and jawline can still be tricky. We see many patients who have done a wonderful job maintaining firm skin on their face that’s completely undermined by sagging around the jaw and neck. To treat this telltale sign of aging successfully, it helps to understand more about how and why it happens. If you want to learn more about the aging of your jawline and neck, and what Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis can do about it, keep reading below!
Aging naturally changes your youthful appearance
As you age, collagen production naturally begins to slow down. Collagen is what provides the foundational support for your skin, protecting and shielding it from the world around you. As levels lower over the years, it simply can’t keep up with the necessary repairs. As your skin struggles to keep up, wear and tear becomes more noticeable and aging more pronounced.
Skin has several important tasks, including one that many people are unaware of. It keeps the thin layer of fat under your skin firmly in place. However, as your skin begins to lose its elasticity, that fat begins to fall downward with gravity. When this occurs in your face, it leads to sagging skin around your jawline, creating jowls as the fat drops from your cheeks and gathers at the lowest point.
This process can be even more dramatic around your neck. As the skin loosens and begins to droop under your chin and around your neck, the thick band of muscle that runs down your neck can also start to sag. This is called the platysma, and it normally has a clearly defined right angle where your head is separate from your neck. If this is eliminated due to sagging or drooping, it can leave a slope that blurs that line. Add to this the gathering of fat in the area under your chin, and you end up with a jawline and “turkey” neck that wiggles and sags.
Even if your skin looks amazing everywhere else, jowls and a sagging neck can neutralize or even reverse all your anti-aging efforts. Fortunately, there are a few different ways our expert team can turn back the hands of time!
Neck lift
A neck lift allows us to sculpt your neck by removing the folds of fat that develop in the jowls and tightening the underlying neck muscles. This revitalizes the contours of your neck, restoring the clean lines and giving you a more youthful appearance.
The neck lift procedure generally involves cutting in the hairline behind the ears, lifting and redraping the loose skin, then trimming the excess before sewing up the incisions. The neck muscles can be tightened at this time, too, and excess fat can be removed for a more defined profile.
A neck lift can be performed on its own, or in conjunction with a facelift or eyelid rejuvenation. Since a neck lift only treats signs of aging around the neck and the jaw, many patients choose to combine it with a facial procedure for more balanced results and a more youthful appearance overall.
Liposuction
Neck liposuction is a minimally invasive procedure that gently suctions away unwanted pockets of fatty tissue. By using an innovative vacuum technique, we are able to smooth the neckline and contour the chin, giving you a more youthful neckline. The results look natural and can take years off the appearance.
We will typically perform neck liposuction using local anesthesia. Your doctor will make several tiny incisions along the chin and behind the ears into which a hollow tube will be inserted to suction away the excess fatty tissue. Once the unwanted fat is removed, you can expect immediate results with long-lasting definition along the chin and neck.
Botox
For patients who prefer a non-surgical approach to sagging in the neck and jawline, a Botox neck lift can be an excellent option. During this procedure, Botox is injected into the platysmal bands of the neck and the DAO, or depressor anguli oris, muscle of the jawline. As the bands and muscles relax, it pulls the jawline up by relaxing, reducing the appearance of jowls and smoothing out the area.
Because Botox injections are non-invasive, they’re virtually pain-free. Each procedure lasts about 3-6 months on average, so you can have it done a few times each year to maintain your results. This is a convenient way to enhance your youthful appearance without having to commit to cosmetic surgery! The procedure itself generally takes about fifteen minutes, and regular daily routines can be resumed almost immediately.
Kybella
Kybella is an injectable treatment that can reduce fat buildup below the chin. The key ingredient is deoxycholic acid, which is found naturally in the human body and plays a role in the digestive process by destroying the membranes of fat cells. Through a series of targeted injections, the fat in the double chin or wobbly neck is gradually destroyed. This creates a tighter appearance in the neck, leading to a smoother transition between the jaw and neck.
Because the broken down fat cells are gradually removed from the body through natural lymphatic processes, Kybella is an incredibly subtle treatment. Patients can expect beautiful results that look completely natural in just three to six sessions.
Let Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis restore your youthful appearance
Here at Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis, we believe the best decisions are informed decisions. Our doctors will listen to your concerns and provide personalized solutions based on your individual needs. Don’t let gravity get in the way of you looking your best! Get in touch with us today to schedule a consultation.