Botulinum toxin: As we age, hyperactive muscle movement results in dynamic wrinkles. The two muscles which pull the corner of the mouth down and are responsible for a jawline droop are depressor anguli oris of the lower face and platysma muscle of the neck. These muscles can be relaxed by injecting tiny doses of botulinum toxin into them. This will prevent the muscles from tugging at the jawline. This treatment is called the “Nefertiti lift”.
Popular ones: Botox/ Xeomin/ Dysport/ Nabota
The upside: Lunchtime procedure, barely takes 10 minutes to complete the treatment, results are seen within 3 to 4 days. No scars, no pain
The downside: Results may not be significant in the age group >55 and in those with extremely lax skin. The effect lasts for 4 to 5 months only and one has to repeat the injections as the effect begins to wear off.
If not done by a well-trained doctor, you may end up with a crooked smile for a couple of weeks until the effect of the toxin wears off. There are no permanent side effects though.
Who should do it?: Anyone between 35years to 55 years of age with an ill-defined jawline.
Fillers: As we age, collagen fibers begin to degenerate. An unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, stress, sun exposure add to the degeneration of collagen. We also lose fat from some parts of the face. The cheeks appear flat with age because the fat pad slides down to the lower face & accumulates in the jaw area creating the so-called jowl. To add to this, one also loses fat from the chin, making the jowl more prominent due to lack of support. Volumizing the cheek and chin with HA fillers will help to reduce the jowl by pulling the cheek up and lifting the jowl. Sometimes, a hyaluronic acid filler is also injected along the jawline to give it a definition.
Popular ones: Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane or Boletero
The Upside: Results are almost immediate and last for almost 10 months to a year in case of hyaluronic acid fillers and sometimes a couple of months more.
Filler injection is again a lunchtime procedure. It creates a good lifting effect & if done well, you can procrastinate your facelift surgery easily by 5 to 10 years. Hyaluronic acid fillers have an advantage over other fillers as they can be dissolved within 2-4 hours should you not like the effect of the filler. Fillers are also known to stimulate the body’s own collagen thus causing more & more tightening and reducing the requirement of your filler with the passage of time.
The Downside: Bruising is common in those who take aspirin, pain killers, Gingko Biloba, Vitamin E or even a lot of green tea. Bruising may last for up to a week. So it is advisable to stop taking these 5 days before you schedule your filler injection.
Who should do it?: Anyone between 35years to 55 years of age with an ill-defined jawline due to loss of volume or fat loss after vigorous exercise.
Threads: Polydioxone threads and silhouette threads are absorbable threads inserted into the skin with fine needles along the jawline to give a lifting effect. They work by stimulating the body’s own collagen to produce newer collagen along the line of which they have been inserted. They dissolve in the skin within 4 months.
The upside: lunchtime treatment with only anesthesia in the form of a cream. Results in the form of a tighter jawline are seen about three months after the treatment.
The downside: Bruising and swelling are common and can last for up to a week. It does not do anything to double chin. A minimum of three sessions at one monthly interval are needed. No immediate results are seen. One has to wait for three to four months after the last session to see a result. Threads do not reduce fat. They only help to tighten the skin.
Who should do it?: Anyone between 35 to 65 years of age without excessive amounts of fat on their faces provided they are not on blood-thinning medicines. Diabetics also need to have their sugar under check.
Radiofrequency energy-based devices: are used to heat the deeper layers of the skin. This heat causes the collagen fibers in the deeper layers of skin to contract and over the next 3 to 6 months, new collagen formation takes place resulting in tightening and uplifting of the skin.
Most popular devices: Endymed, Exilis
The upside: lunchtime procedure, no downtime, no needles, no pain. The results can be appreciated only 3 months after the treatment although one does see an immediate tightening due to inflammation which just lasts for a week.
The downside: Multiple treatment sessions are required. Results are seen after 3 to 6 months of treatment. Sessions are repeated after a year. The results are not great in those with very loose skin & in the age group over 50. It reduces only small pockets of fat & does not work if one has a prominent double chin.
Who should do it: those in the age group of 30 to 50 years with mild to moderate sagging of skin & a subtle double chin. Start at an early age, typically between 35 & 40 in order to prevent the sagging.
Ultrasound based devices: Like radiofrequency, they do heat the deeper skin ie the dermis using ultrasound waves and are said to stimulate new collagen formation.
Most popular device: HIFU
The upside: Lunchtime procedure, no telltale signs
The downside: It is a painful treatment. A numbing cream is required. There is swelling for up to a week.
Who should do it?: The age group of 35 to 60
Injection Lipolysis: Sodium deoxycholate is a substance that dissolves fat. This is injected into the double chin area which has pockets of fat. The lysed fat is drained out through the lymphatic system of our body.
Upside: An effective way to reduce a double chin without surgery. It is just a 10-minute procedure.
Downside: Multiple sessions are required. It is painful and hence an anesthetic cream is applied before injecting. There is a considerable amount of swelling which takes about 3 to 6 days to subside.
Who should do it?: Anyone between 30 to 70 with a prominent double chin.
