Jawline & Lower Face
Loss of contour and definition, jowling or heaviness in the lower face and neck.
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Where the jawline loses definition, and why
People say it in different ways: the jaw isn't as sharp as it was, jowls have started, the chin seems to sink into the neck, the corners of the mouth turn down, or the bottom of the face looks wider or heavier than it did. Each of those happens at a particular point along the jaw, and each point has its own causes, so two people describing the same change can need quite different treatment.
i
The chin
i
The chin
A chin that sits back shortens the jawline and softens the angle where jaw and neck meet, so the lower face looks less defined even when the skin is firm. Some people have always had a smaller chin; in others, the jawbone changes with age and the chin loses some of its projection. Because the cause is structure, the answer is to restore the structure, which is where filler does its best work.
What might work: dermal fillers.
ii
Jowls, and the hollow in front of them
ii
Jowls, and the hollow in front of them
Along the jawline sits a firm anchor point, the mandibular ligament. As the tissue above the jaw loosens and loses volume, it settles beside and behind that anchor and forms a jowl, while the skin the ligament holds stays where it is, leaving a small hollow just in front, which deepens as the bone there shrinks back. That combination is what turns a straight jawline into an uneven one.
What might work: Endolift®, XERF, dermal fillers.
iii
Under the chin
iii
Under the chin
Fullness under the chin can be fat, loose skin, a small chin, or a combination, and it blurs where the jaw ends and the neck begins. It isn't only a sign of age: genes and weight play their part, which is why it is common in younger people too. When both fat and loose skin are present, the plan deals with both.
What might work: Endolift®.
iv
The angle of the jaw
iv
The angle of the jaw
The corner of the jaw below the ear gives the lower face its structure. As the jawbone loses height with age, that corner becomes less distinct, and some faces never had a strong one. A jaw can also look wide rather than soft: that is sometimes a well-developed chewing muscle, the masseter, often linked with clenching or grinding, and it is assessed as a cause of its own.
What might work: dermal fillers, where the angle has softened. Where the width comes from the muscle, your consultation covers the options for it.
v
The corners of the mouth
v
The corners of the mouth
Lines running down from the corners of the mouth (marionette lines), and corners that turn down at rest, usually come from three changes together: volume lost beside the chin, loosening skin, and a small muscle that pulls the corners of the mouth downwards. Together they can make a face look sad or stern when it isn't.
What might work: dermal fillers, biostimulators.
Treatments for the jawline, and what each one does
Endolift®
For jowls and fullness under the chin
On the lower face, Endolift can do two jobs in a single treatment: tighten loosened tissue along the jaw from within, and reduce the small pockets of fat that sit at the jowl and under the chin. The area is numbed first, then the laser works through a fine fibre placed under the skin via tiny entry points, with no stitches. At ART Clinic it is always performed by a doctor: Dr Priya Verma, or a colleague she has trained. You can return to your day straight afterwards, the local anaesthetic leaving a little puffiness that soon settles, and the result builds over the following months. It is at its best on early to moderate jowling, and where the chin or the angle of the jaw needs structure too, filler adds that part.
Dermal fillers
For lost structure at the chin and jaw
Dermal fillers are gels injected to restore structure where it has been lost, or was never strong: projection at the chin, a defined corner at the angle of the jaw, and the hollow in front of a jowl. Placed along the bone, they can restore the line of the jaw. Most contain a local anaesthetic, so the treatment is comfortable, and you can see a change on the day, with any swelling settling over the next week or two. On a jaw where laxity is the main change, tightening leads and filler plays a smaller part, which is why the assessment comes first. The result is temporary, and how long it lasts depends on the product and the area.
XERF
For a jawline that has only started to soften
The jawline, the jowls and the area under the chin are among the areas XERF is designed for. It is a non-invasive radiofrequency treatment: energy passes through the skin to heat the tissue beneath, with the surface cooled throughout, which tightens existing collagen and, over the next few months, prompts the skin to build more. There are no needles, and any redness usually fades within a day or two. It suits early softening along the jaw; once jowls are established, Endolift® takes the lead. XERF is given in one appointment, after which the jaw goes on firming gradually.
Biostimulators
For gradual support along the jaw
Two of the clinic's biostimulators are used on the jaw. HarmonyCa, a hyaluronic acid gel carrying calcium hydroxyapatite, gives some definition as it is placed and then prompts new collagen over the following months. Sculptra and Juläine, the two PLLA (poly-L-lactic acid) products, work more slowly, placed along the jaw and at the chin to add firmness and some of the lost support across a short course of sessions. They suit people who would rather see their jawline improve gradually than change on the day.
Also sometimes part of a plan
Polynucleotides
Where the skin of the neck and lower face has thinned and creased, polynucleotides support its quality and repair, alongside any tightening or structural treatment. About polynucleotides
Questions about the jawline and lower face
I don't want a jaw that looks filled. How do you avoid that?
A filled look comes from putting volume where the real change is loose skin, from adding more than a face can carry, or from top-ups placed on filler that is still there, since filler can stay in the tissue longer than it appears to. Our planning starts from the other end: first what has changed, then the treatment that restores the line in proportion. Filler is placed along the bone to rebuild structure, not to pad soft tissue, and where laxity is the cause, tightening does the work instead. The aim is a jawline in proportion with the rest of your face.
Filler or Endolift: how do I know which I need?
It depends on what has changed. Where structure has been lost at the chin or the angle of the jaw, filler restores it; where loosened tissue or fat is softening the line, Endolift tightens and reduces it. Many jawlines have some of both, and a plan may use the two together. Your assessment will show which applies to your jaw, and in what order.
Can I start with something small?
Yes, and at your pace. A modest amount of filler at the chin, or XERF where the jawline has only started to soften, are both measured ways to begin, and more can follow once you have seen how your face responds.
Will it look obvious?
The aim is that people notice a clearer jawline, not a treatment. XERF leaves little to see. Filler shows straight away, and any swelling or small bruise usually settles within a week or two. Endolift leaves minor swelling from the local anaesthetic on the day, then develops over months. If there is a date you need to look your best for, tell us, and the timing can be planned around it.
How uncomfortable is it?
Less than most people expect. Filler usually contains a local anaesthetic, so after the first few moments most people describe pressure rather than pain. For Endolift the treated area is numbed first, and XERF is felt as a wave of warmth with each pass, cooled as it goes. If you're nervous, say so, and we'll go at your pace.
How many appointments does it take?
Filler in the chin or jaw is often placed in one appointment, with a review about four weeks later, when a small top-up is sometimes added. Endolift is usually one treatment. XERF is a single visit, and the biostimulators take between one and three sessions, by product. Your practitioner will set out every appointment before you agree to any of them.
My jaw looks wide rather than soft. What can help?
A wide lower face can come from the jaw muscle, the masseter, rather than from fat or bone, particularly if you clench or grind your teeth. Your practitioner will look at which it is and talk you through the ways it can be softened.
Can you treat a double chin?
Often, yes. Fullness under the chin is usually a mix of fat and loose skin, and Endolift can address both in one treatment. If a small chin is part of the cause, restoring its projection can make a real difference too, and the two are often planned together.
How long do results last?
It depends on the treatment. Filler in the chin and jaw is temporary, and how long it lasts depends on the product. Your face keeps changing, so we review your result with you as the years go on, rather than booking top-ups by the calendar.
I'm a man. Is jawline treatment different for me?
The aims usually are. Many men want a stronger, squarer angle and a chin with more projection, which calls for different placement and proportions from a woman's jawline, so the result reads as stronger rather than softer. Jowls and fullness under the chin are treated in the same way for men and women.
For men
I've had filler in my jaw before. Can I have more, or something different?
Yes. Your practitioner first looks at what is already there and how it has settled, because existing filler shapes the plan: sometimes more is right, and sometimes the line is better restored with tightening. Bring what you know about the product used and when it was placed.
Who is jawline treatment for, and what is looked at first?
It suits adults who have noticed their jawline soften, jowls begin or fullness gather under the chin, and many younger people with a naturally small chin or a less defined jaw angle. Your first appointment covers your general health, allergies to local anaesthetic or filler, anything you take that thins the blood, and any filler already placed along the jaw, since permanent filler changes which treatments are used there. Treatment is postponed during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or while there is an infection in the area.
Is it safe?
Yes, when it is planned and placed with care. Most people have only mild, short-lived effects: a little swelling or tenderness, sometimes a small bruise, and, after filler, a jaw that can feel slightly different when chewing for a few days. Less common effects, such as a small lump after filler or a patch of numbness after Endolift, usually settle on their own. The jaw carries an artery and a nerve, and every placement is planned around both; your practitioner will explain the rare risks before you consent.
What does jawline treatment cost?
Endolift® Face for a single area, such as under the chin, is from £1,500. Filler in the chin or jaw starts from £500 for 1 ml, and XERF from £2,500 a session for the full face and neck. HarmonyCa starts from £550, and Sculptra from £700 a session. Your consultation settles the fee, because it settles the plan: which treatment, how much of it, and where.
Full price listThe jawline rewards precision
Small differences show on the jaw. A few millimetres of placement change how a chin or the angle of the jaw reads, and the tissue along the jaw carries an artery and a nerve that every treatment has to respect. Getting it right starts with the assessment: whether a jaw needs structure, tightening or less fullness, because a plan that mixes them up leaves the lower face heavier rather than more defined.
Dr Priya and the teamOther concerns to explore
If the change is less about the shape of your jaw and more about looseness across the face, lost fullness in the cheeks, the skin's surface or looking tired, one of these may describe it better.
Tightening & Lifting
Skin laxity, loss of elasticity, noticeable sagging across face, neck and body.
View →Start with an assessment of your jawline
A comprehensive diagnostic consultation: a thorough assessment leading to a truly bespoke treatment plan, created by you and your practitioner. You don't need to know whether you want filler, Endolift or both. Tell us what bothers you about your jaw, chin or neck, and we'll explain where along the jaw the change is coming from, what will restore it, and the order that makes sense for you. You won't be sold to, and you won't be pushed.
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