Jowls - Causes and Treatment Options for Patients

As a person ages, jowls appear in the form of saggy skin or excess skin on the neck. In general, jowls are located below the chin and the jawline and are visible as the skin turns becomes less elastic in nature. Want to know more about the causes of jowls along with treatment options that help to get rid of them? If so, take a look at the informative article below.

Jowls – What Causes them to Appear

Even though there are multiple reasons for jowls to appear on the neck, the most common cause is the aging process. The skin will lose some of the collagen, elastin and fat that helps to keep its shape as a person ages. The loss of these elements means the skin is not as elastic as it was in the past. In addition, the skin becomes thinner and drier as time passes which means it is not as resilient and full as when a person was younger.

Jowls – Exercises to Reduce Their Appearance

It has been determined that facial exercises, along with exercise in general, can help to reduce both the look and amount of the jowls on a person. Facial exercises are able to help the jaw, facial and neck muscles better hold their shape. In addition to helping these areas better hold their shape as a person continues to age, exercise can also work to delay the age when jowls appear since regular exercise helps a person maintain a more youthful appearance. Exercises that stretch the facial muscles in an even manner can possibly reduce the appearance of jowls.

Some of the most common exercises that might help improve and/or reduce the appearance of jowls include:

• Yawning and opening the mouth as far as possible before slowly closing the mouth without letting the teeth touch each other
• Placing the lower lip on the top lip and then tilting the head upwards
• Lying down flat on the back and then curling the neck inwards (towards the chest) while pressing the tongue on the roof of the mouth
• Saying the “o” sound, and then the “e” sound, in a forceful manner while also exaggerating the movements of the mouth

Each of these exercises should be held for 5-20 seconds before releasing them. They should be performed during several daily sessions for a total of eight to ten repetitions each time.

Jowls – Medical Treatment Options

While the appearance of jowls does not cause any type of health issues, they can create self-esteem issues for those who have jowls appear on their neck. Anyone suffering from self-image issues when it comes to jowls have some medical treatments available to them:

• Fillers can be injected into the areas of the cheeks where fat has been lost from the skin. The placement of fillers around the cheeks will naturally lift the skin around the corners of the mouth as well as around the jawline of the person. The fillers can also be placed directly in the areas of the body with the jowls to give a fuller and more youthful appearance. Fillers are not a permanent solution since they are eventually absorbed by the body. Patients will need to have follow-up treatments to maintain the results. The length of the results depends on the type of filler used as well as the amount injected into the jowls.
• A neck lift is when the surgeon makes an incision under the chin, and along the side of the face, in order to remove any excess skin and fat while also tightening the muscles in the targeted area. The remaining fat and tissue is repositioned and sculpted in the jaw and cheek to produce the final result of a tighter and more contoured look to the area.
• Ultherapy can be used to stimulate the production of collagen in the deepest layers of the skin through the use of ultrasound energy. The Ultherapy device is placed against the skin in order to deliver the ultrasound energy to the targeted area. The final result is an increased amount of skin firmness and tightness for a more rejuvenated look.

Jowls – How to Prevent Them from Appearing

There is not one set method for the prevention of jowls on the body but there are some steps the public can take to keep jowls from developing at an earlier age. These steps can help reduce the severity of their appearance.

Some of the most popular jowl prevention steps include wearing sunscreen for protection whenever a person is outside for a long period of time, using retinol or vitamins C and E to promote the production of collagen, not smoking, maintaining hydration on a regular basis, and not looking downward for a long period of time (such as staring at a phone or a computer)

Jowls – Ask a Doctor

Patients that are interested in addressing the issue of their jowls should schedule a consultation appointment with a board-certified doctor that is experienced in treating jowls on patients of all ages. The doctor can examine the current condition of the skin and determine the best treatment option to reduce the current look of the jowls as well as prevent them from becoming more prominent in appearance (again) in the future.

- MA