A strong jawline has long been considered the masculine ideal. From ancient Greek sculptures to Brad Pitt, this “look” is one that the human eye associates with being manly. Unfortunately, not every man is born with a crisp delineation between the chin and the top of the neck. For others, a dreaded double chin may develop due to age or weight gain.
Furthermore, certain lifestyle choices such as rapid weight loss, poor skincare and sun exposure can also weaken the skin and tissues in the lower face, resulting in sagging skin around the jawline.
So, the first step in figuring out if your jawline is manly enough is to schedule an in-person consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, such as myself, who has considerable experience treating men of all ages.
Jawline Consultation
My Boston area male patients are generally looking for a sharper jawline with less fullness. However, the right treatment plan for achieving this is going depend on the root cause of your dissatisfaction. This may include:
- Fat
- Loose skin
- Anatomy
- All three
Creating your ideal jawline, then, is going to come down to your unique anatomy, desired outcome and tolerance for downtime. During our consultation, I will listen to what you don’t like about your appearance. We will go over your medical history, family history, lifestyle and any prior procedures you may have had as well as how your body recovered. I will then perform a detailed physical exam to assess:
- Skin tone & texture
- Degree & location of excess fat, if any
- Presence of loose, sagging skin
- Recessed or retruded chin
- Health of skin, tissues & muscles of neck
Together, we will go over the best procedures for achieving a more manly looking jawline.
Treatment Options for a Double Chin
As mentioned, some men are born with a natural propensity for a double chin. Assuming that your skin elasticity is still good, liposuction is often my treatment option of choice for removing excess fat and re-sculpting the chin/neck juncture. However, a double chin can also be the result of more candles on the birthday cake and/or losing a lot of weight. These two factors may weaken the health of your tissues so that the skin is no longer as tight, allowing any pockets of fat to be more visible. In those patients with only a mild to moderate amount of loose skin and a double chin, I may recommend liposuction with Renuvion®, which is a minimally invasive skin tightening procedure. An ideal patient for this procedure is healthy, relatively young, has palpable noticeable fat, and good skin quality.
Chin Filler or Chin Implants
While even a small amount of fat in the wrong place can mar the desired appearance of your jawline, the shape of your chin itself may actually be the issue. If it is recessed, this results in what is often referred to as a “weak chin”. The good news is that there are effective treatment options for giving your chin more
projection, which will create that more masculine-looking jawline. These include dermal fillers, which is a non-surgical procedure, or a chin implant, which is a surgical procedure. While no one wants surgery, the right option is going to come down to your anatomical needs. Dermal fillers are nice for a mild amount of
recession, but if your chin is more seriously retruded, a chin implant is probably going to make more sense. All of these options will be discussed with you in detail during your initial consultation.
Surgical Options to Improve Jowling in Boston
In general, I have found that most of my male patients are adverse to the idea of surgery. They don’t want to deal with the inherent downtime. I pride myself on being very honest about what it will take to achieve your desired outcome, and if this is a surgical procedure, I will give you a realistic timeline for recovery. And though downtime may be a drag, it also doesn’t make sense to spend the time and money on a procedure that won’t deliver that masculine ideal. As mentioned, a surgical chin implant may be an option if your genetics didn’t give you a strong chin. Many men, however, develop a weak chin and sagging skin around the lower face/mouth, commonly referred to as “jowling”, due to Father Time and weight loss. Furthermore, issues in your neck can also be a contributing factor. Surgical options for improving jowling, creating more definition at the chin/neck juncture and lifting the skin and tissues of the neck include a thread lift or a neck lift. The latter is a more intense procedure, but it may also produce a longer-lasting result. Again, all of these factors will be discussed with you in detail during our initial meetings so that you can make the right choice for your lifestyle.
To find out more about treatment options for the jawline such as liposuction, chin filler, thread lift, or any other surgical or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Sean Doherty at his Boston or Chestnut Hill office, contact us today or call (617) 450-0070 to schedule a consultation.