Our growing age and the reduced elasticity in our skin can affect the skin’s firmness. Resultingly, there is the development of droopy skin around the mouth and the appearance of jowls. These jowls can make our faces look very aged due to the presence of loose skin under the jaw. This can also eliminate the sharpness of our jawlines, making the lower face appear heavier and less sculpted. It should be mentioned that there are a few effective surgical solutions that help combat the issue of jowls. Stay with us as we highlight how to fix sagging jowls with surgical solutions from the Estherian Clinic.
👵 Understanding the Cause of Sagging Jowls
Collagen is essential for holding our connective tissue. As we get older, the collagen and elastin in our skin begin to reduce. Hence why our jaw and cheek skin also lose their volume and tightness.
Furthermore, in addition to the loss of these proteins, gravity also contributes to sagging of the skin in the mouth and jaw area. Moreover, in our younger years, the fat in our face is evenly distributed and gives our face some lift and volume. Gravity causes the fat pads in the cheeks to lower, making the face look hollow and causing the formation of jowls due to the downward pull of the skin and fat.
⭐️ Sudden and drastic weight loss can reduce the fat in the face, causing the skin to hang downwards, resulting in the appearance of jowls.
💉 Surgical Options to Fix Sagging Jowls
The Estherian Clinic offers a few surgical fixes for sagging jowls. Non-surgical fixes (like botox for sagging jowls) are non-invasive, and they are effective for mild to moderate jowls. On the other hand, surgical options target severe sagging and offer long-term benefits. Here are some of the surgical options:
Facelift (Rhytidectomy)
A Facelift is also called the Rhytidectomy procedure, where a surgeon focuses on lifting the skin and pulling it to eliminate the appearance of wrinkles and sagging. It is especially effective for the tightening of the lower face and offers a lower facelift to give a smoother appearance to the mouth and jaw area.
📌 It takes 4 to 6 weeks for long-term healing from the facelift procedure. However, early recovery only takes about 2 weeks, allowing patients to return to their routine.
Neck Lift (Platysmaplasty)
The Neck lift procedure, or platysmaplasty, is a cosmetic surgery that surgeons use to eliminate loose skin in the neck area. Usually, patients with significant age-related sagging of the neck opt for this surgery.
Sometimes, the appearance of the jowls can worsen with age and result in the sagginess extending to the neck. This can, then, cause one to have a double chin, and in some severe cases, it can result in a “turkey neck.”
The Neck Lift surgery focuses on the platysma muscle that extends from our collarbone to our lower face and controls our lower face. In this procedure, the surgeon lifts the platysma muscles for a tighter and more contoured neck area.
📌 When combined with a facelift, a neck lift can offer an overall enhanced facial profile by tightening the face and neck area simultaneously.
Mini Facelift
A Mini Facelift is slightly less invasive compared to the conventional one, as the incisions are much smaller. It only targets the lower section of the face as well as the cheek area to eliminate sagging. This surgery is suitable to tackle sagging that hasn’t advanced to a severe level and also boasts a quick recovery period, where most of the healing takes place in 2 to 4 weeks.
Chin Implants
A weak chin or a receding chin can make the face a lot less sculpted and also contribute to the appearance of jowls. Chin implants not only make the chin more defined but also contribute to sharpening the jawline. It tightens and smoothens the chin area, extending to the jawline, making the facial bone structure more prominent. The incisions for this surgery are either placed inside the mouth or beneath the chin. Moreover, the size and shape of the chin implant differ based on the needs of each patient.
📌 The Neck Lift surgery is also sometimes done in combination with procedures such as neck lipo, facelift, etc.
The Estherian Clinic Approach to Jowl Surgery
The surgical team at the Estherian Clinic focuses on curating a tailored experience and surgical plan for each patient. They do this by performing a personalized surgical assessment. On top of this, our surgeons are highly experienced in performing combined procedures and have all the high-tech tools at their disposal to drastically reduce the chances of complications.
✂️ What to Expect Before, During & After Surgery
To answer the question of, How to fix sagging jowls?, we have to understand the scope and requirements of jowl surgery. The process may be classified as:
Pre-operative
The process begins with the initial consultation, which includes a detailed history and examination, followed by an extensive battery of blood tests, scans, and other investigations. The results of this pre-operative assessment decide the suitability of the patient for jowl surgery. This is also the best time to discuss any questions or expectations you might have about the procedure with the operating surgeon.
Per-operative
- Patients are required to fast before the surgery (6 hours to 8 hours prior)
- Blood thinners like NSAIDs are stopped for 1 – 2 weeks
- Jowl surgery is performed under local anesthesia or with a combination of local anesthesia and conscious sedation
- Rare cases may need general anesthesia
- The surgery takes 1.5 to 3 hours from start to finish
- With local anesthesia, there is no need for a post-operative hospital stay
Post-operative (Recovery Guidelines)
The early recovery period after surgery may take 10-14 days. Most of the swelling goes down at this time, and there is visible improvement. A full recovery and complete visual outcome may take 3 to 6 months.
Long-term Maintenance Protocols
Although the results of a jowl surgery are long-lasting and durable, post-operative maintenance protocols need to be followed strictly. This includes having an active lifestyle, a stable weight, and avoiding any habits that impede healing and skin health, like smoking and alcohol consumption.
😟 Who Is a Good Candidate for Jowl Surgery?
Jowl surgery, or a lower jaw lift procedure, is a transformative cosmetic surgery that has specific anatomical, health, and medical criteria. A suitable candidate for jowl surgery is someone with:
- Skin laxity in the lower jaw and loss of definition
- Adequate skin elasticity
- Non-smoker
- No secondary health issues
- Stable weight
- No active infections or inflammatory processes in the head and neck area
- Willing to adhere to post-operative maintenance and recovery guidelines
- Having realistic expectations of the procedure
📌 These criteria ensure the suitability of a candidate for jowl lift surgery as well as the success of the post-operative outcomes. It is necessary to discuss the procedure, its full scope, and pre-operative requirements with the Plastic surgeon before committing to it. This allows patients a better understanding of the surgery and expected outcomes, surgical risks, and any potential complications. Having realistic expectations of the postoperative results decreases the chances of outcome dissatisfaction among prospective patients.
🏥 Contact the Estherian Clinic for a Tailored Approach to Treating Jowls
The Estherian Clinic has some of the leading surgeons in Turkiye! If you want to speak with our experts and learn more about these surgical procedures, get your consultation today. 📱
