What can I do to treat my jowls? Tarporley, Chester
One of the most common reasons patients see me for consultation in middle age is jowls. This can be younger patients in the mid to late 30s noticing a mild heaviness in the jowl area, to the 50 or 60 year old who has recently lost weight but noticed that there is a significant heaviness in the jowl area.
In this blog wrriten from my Doctor led aesthetics clinic in Tarporley, near Chester, I will explain both why they developed and what can be done about it.
Jowls - what are they??
The jowls are actually fats pads, which in youth are small and tightly supported by a strong ligament, but as we age this ligament sags, the jowl fat pad grows in size and there is a redistribution of fat from the areas of support in the face to places like the jowls - effectively, the combination of this lack of ligament support and increasing jowl size creates a heaviness at the side of the jaw.
Patients often think they will improve with weight loss, but what I have found from experience is that they actually worsen with weight loss. This may be due to the fact that weight loss will affect some areas of the face such as the cheeks, deep fat pads, jawline, and ligament support - and if these areas loose fat and volume themselves then there is less support for the face which can lead to things dropping even more.
Here you can see how Dr Adam has created volume around the chin and has created some cheek and jawline lift.
This helps lift the jowls and midface and provide a rejuventated yet natural result.
Imagine the face being supported by balloons….
Think of a series of balloons in the face which is my analogy for “fat pads”.
As a baby we have plump and filled balloons which create that round fullness we associated baby faces with. As we age, the deep balloons shrink and the now deflated balloons are no longer helping to support and plump the skin. This is what can happen with some of our deep fat pads.
On the other hands, some of the balloons or fat pads near the surface of the skin actually grow in size, making them heavier, and saggier.
So how can you help lift my jowls?
Well, first thing to say is, non surgical options are going to be less effective than surgery. However, patients that come to see me at my clinic in Tarporley in Cheshire, generally don’t want to look different, nor have a drastic change. They want a subtle result, not trying to look 20 years younger. But when I suggest that my treatments can “soften” jowls, blend in the dips and shadows in their face with filler, and generally make them looks fresher and good for their age, that resonates.
For those patients wanting a drastic lift of their jowls, I suggest seeking out a consultation with a plastic surgeon.
But what I use are dermal fillers. A safe, reliable, reversable way of lifting in a subtle way with almost no down time. It is a cheaper option to surgery with far less risks.
Let me explain further.
Dermal fillers and jowls
So i’ve explained above above loss of fat being part of the problem for why jowls occur. Therefore, replenishing this lost fat with dermal filler is part of the solution.
Take your finger and place it at the back of the jawline and another finger on the cheek bone above. GENTLY tug back by 1cm. Now see what improvement it makes to the jowl area.
This is how we assess if you are suitable for treatment. Those with severe, extremely heavy jowls and severe skin damage from UV exposure may not get much improvement, and this is something I will be completely honest about. But most will get a nice improvement and you can see for yourself by doing the above check. Placing dermal filler in the back of the jawline, the cheek bone, and then sometimes the area between them, known as the pre-auricular area, will help lift and support the jowls.
Do note that while many injectors go on a one day course to learn how to inject cheeks and jawline, they won’t know how to do more holistic and advanced treatments which may require cannula treatment and involve areas not covered on these one day courses.
That’s not all fillers can do…
So as well as lifting the jowls from the cheek and jawline, fillers have another important role in improving the appearance of jowls. The area RIGHT INFRONT of the jowl is called the “pre-jowl sulcus” - and is basically a dip in the chin where there is fat and bone loss further contributing to the appearance of jowls.
So improving this area can also help blend in and help create a straighter jawline and should not be neglected.
Also the chin, marionette and chin crease are all areas which should be visualised and assessed by your doctor to see if filling them out will help.
You see, the art of creating a more youthful, beautiful but NATURAL looking face is all about lessening shadows, keeping to ideal ratios and not breaching these important ratios. What has happened when you see an insta model who you can just tell looks massively over filled and over done is that their injector has gone outside a natural ratio or proportion that is not typically found on the face, for example making the top lip fuller than the bottom, or making the chin more projected than it should be. It’s not a nice look and in my view goes against the very reason why we should be performing medical aesthetics in the first place.
My Doctor led aesthetics clinic does not follow trends. But I do aspire to create a more beautiful face by following some simple rules related to proportions and ratios in the face and not breaching them. And by doing so, you will leave the clinic looking re-freshed and re-volumised, but not false or over done. That is never the goal.
And if you want to research or understand these ratios more, google “the golden ratio face” and you can understand more about what my eye is looking for when I’m assessing and treating you, and why no one leave my clinic looking overdone.
What sort of fillers do you use?
The appropriate filler must be used for the selected area and desired result - for example, in my clinic I will use a product such as Teosyal ultra deep or juvederm Volux in the jawline to allow a strong hold. But this must be placed deep in order to be hidden under the skin. Then for more superficial injections a product such as Teosyal RHA 3 or Juvederm Volift is my preference.
I use these fillers because they have an excellent safety record, are considered amongst the most premium brands on the market, are FDA approved and have served me well for 5 years! If you want cheap fillers bought on ebay from shipped from Korea, I am not the Doctor for you.
But if you want a transparent, honest and ethical doctor who will offer a competitive price but offer a skill level and experience found in the big clinics around the country and on Harley street, you may wish to book an appointment with me.
Final thoughts
I hope that has been a useful and educational overview of how my treatments can help with jowls and surrounding areas. They key take home points are that dermal fillers do not offer drastic face lift surgical type lifts of the face, but a softer more sutble approach which may or may not be right for you.
My advice to you is do your research, reflect on your expectations for treatment, and if in doubt have a chat with a trusted injector. It apparently takes the average person from several months to several years to pluck up the courage to even book a consultation about cosmetic treatments. I hope these blogs may help you make a decision either way.
Dr Adam
Dr Adam Cheong is a GP and aesthetics doctor working for Skinviva in Manchester, but is the medical director of Skinphinity, the doctor-led aesthetics clinic covering Tarporley, Northwich, Chester, Tarvin, Bunbury, Nantwich and surrounding villages in Cheshire.
Consultations are free and there is no pressure to have any treatment.
Dr Adam is a fully registered and highly regulated GMC doctor.
GMC Number 7079895
