As we get older, our skin goes through several changes. One of the first things we tend to notice is droopy skin on the jaw and neck, also known as "jowling." Getting older is nothing to be ashamed of, but there is also no shame in wanting to reduce the visible signs of aging. Some people opt to get lower facelifts and other procedures to help treat jowls, but this guide will tell you how to reduce sagging neck skin without surgery.
Anti-Aging
How To Remove Sagging Jowls?: Explained
What Are Facial Jowls?
Jowling is when the skin around your cheeks, jawline, chin, and neck, also known as your "jowls," begins to sag from a lack of collagen and elasticity.
Collagen is a major building block in skin, muscles, bones, and tendons. It holds everything together and provides structure. Elastin is 1000x more flexible than collagen and makes skin more elastic. With less collagen and elastin, your skin loses its strength, becomes thinner and more vulnerable, and starts to sag.
Although jowling is perfectly natural, other factors can speed up or slow down sagging and the appearance of excess skin. Read more to learn about the leading causes and how you can treat jowls naturally.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSES?
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AGING
The main reason jowls begin to sag is—as you might have guessed—aging. As you age, your body naturally produces less collagen and elastin, the foundations of firm, youthful skin, including the skin on your cheeks, neck, and jawline. The skin around your neck is especially thin, so changes in elasticity are likely to start there.
This process is completely natural and happens to everyone. Your body starts to produce about 1% less collagen in the skin each year starting in your 20s, so it's essential to take care of your skin early on to prevent future damage.
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GENETICS
Your genetics also come into play. If saggy skin runs in the family, if you have naturally thinner skin, or if you naturally produce less collagen and elastin, visible jowling might be more likely for you at an earlier age.
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LIFESTYLE CHOICES
Although decreased collagen and elastin production happens naturally, other factors contribute to a sagging jawline that you have some control over.
- Sunlight: UV rays from the sun damage collagen and elastin in the skin, making it more susceptible to wrinkles and sagging.
- Weight Loss: Fluctuating weight can wear out the skin and reduce its elasticity, similar to inflating and deflating a balloon multiple times.
- Smoking: It's no secret that smoking is harmful to the lungs, but it is also detrimental to the skin. Smoking reduces the body's ability to produce collagen, prematurely aging the skin.
- Using Computers & Phones: Computers and phones and an essential part of everyday life, but spending too much time bending down looking at screens causes "tech neck," which stresses muscles and makes your neck lose elasticity over time.
HOW TO REDUCE SAGGING JOWLS WITHOUT SURGERY
There are many techniques to help reduce saggy skin around the jowl area. There are invasive options or surgical procedures like neck and face lifts, liposuction, fillers, injections, and more, but these methods require expensive appointments and can be painful for some. Surgical lower facelifts cost $7,000 on average! Non-invasive techniques like lasers and radiofrequency are also costly and uncomfortable with long recovery times. There are many alternative ways to naturally reduce a sagging jawline without breaking the bank or requiring surgery.
NECK LIFTING MASKS
Lifting masks (also known as V-shaped face slimming masks) help tighten sagging skin by physically lifting it and infusing it with anti-aging ingredients. It's kind of like waist-training for your face, though much safer and not at all painful. The Dēpology Derma Face Sculpting Mask hydrates while visibly lifting and firming your skin Algae (Seaweed) Extract and antioxidant-rich Vitamin E, tightening skin after one use with more improvement over time.
In addition to V-shaped masks, traditional cream masks can also get the job done. The Dēpology Pro-Firming Matrixyl® 3000 + Dynalift™ Night Mask can be applied to your neck and face overnight to visibly lift the skin and reduce wrinkles over time. It uses Matrixyl® 3000, a combination of two peptides which strengthens and smooths the skin to minimize signs of sagging jowls. It also contains Dynalift™, which is made from sorghum juice that forms a film on the skin to improve the signs of wrinkles and fine lines.
Skin-Tightening Skincare Ingredients
Incorporate elastin ingredients into your skincare routine. These ingredients will tighten the skin from the inside out to visibly lift sagging jowls. Here are a few of the best firming ingredients on the market:
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as sagging jowls. As an antioxidant, it also fights off damaging free radicals caused by harmful UV rays. Additionally, Vitamin C brightens the skin for a glowy complexion.
- Peptides: Peptides are the building blocks of essential proteins like collagen and elastin. Incorporating peptides into your skincare routine signals your cells to produce more of these proteins to strengthen the skin and reduce the signs of aging, including jowling.
- Retinol: Like Vitamin C and peptides, retinol also stimulates collagen production. It also has the added benefit of evening out the skin tone.
- Niacinamide: Niacinamide helps to strengthen the skin's barrier to lock in hydration and protect against environmental aggressors. This allows the skin to better retain moisture for a softer, bouncier feel with less sagging. It is also useful for brightening and evening out the skin.
Try Firming Skincare Products
The best skincare products to reduce sagging jowls without the hassle of surgery combine several skin-tightening ingredients for maximum benefits. You can bring the product down to your neck when you use it on your face or opt only to use it on your neck. For example, the Dēpology Matrixyl® 3000 Collagen Serum contains Matrixyl® 3000, a synthetic combination of peptides help to restore youthful skin, and hyaluronic acid, which helps bind water to collagen to plump and hydrate the skin.
Another skincare product that can help reduce jowling is the Dēpology Matriplex™ Peptide Intense Cream. It contains a combination of peptide formulas Matrixyl® 3000, Matrixyl® SYNTHE’6®, and Matrixyl® Morphomics® to maximize the amount of skin-tightening ingredients it can deliver at once. Additionally, it contains niacinamide and soybean extract to hydrate, brighten, and even out the skin further.
SUNCARE
Since the sun's UV rays damage collagen and elastin, be sure to wear SPF all year round. Even in the winter, UV rays are still as powerful as they are in the summer, so be sure to use a minimum of SPF 30 daily to protect your skin from premature aging.
LIFESTYLE CHOICES
Maintaining a stable weight that is comfortable for you rather than frequent fluctuation helps keep skin elastic and bouncy. Avoid smoking to prevent damage to collagen. Also, be sure to include collagen-boosting vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin C in your diet.
THE FINAL VERDICT: sagging in the jowls
Sagging jowls are a natural part of life. Everyone gets them eventually, but there are ways to delay the onset of jowls and reduce sagging jowls naturally. Small changes in your skincare routine and lifestyle can help you keep your jawline firm and youthful. We highly suggest using skincare products infused with essential ingredients to tone and firm your chin, jowls, and jawline.