By Doctor Valeria Romano
A frequent complaint from both men and women is that their jawline has lost its definition. What shape are they looking for? A well-defined jawline like Brad Pitt for the men and like Barbie for the women.
Many things can affect the appearance of the jawline, such as slack skin, drooping malar fat, a weak or badly-defined chin, masseter muscle hypertrophy, mandibular bone resorption or changes in the neck. 
Hyaluronic acid, a cornerstone for treatment
Hyaluronic acid is the ideal volumising product. Several techniques can be used to reshape the oval.
We can lift the face medically using the anchor points technique. This involves lifting the drooping malar fat, which lightens the contour of the jaw.
We can strengthen the jawline by filling/supporting the dermis, using hyaluronic acid to “fill” the sagging skin.
We can also subtly inject the mandibular notches without making the lower face too heavy. In the past, this was the go-to technique, but today we try to avoid filling the lower face too much in order to restore the V shape that is characteristic of youth.
The secret for a natural result? An experienced practitioner and parsimonious quantities.
The results last one year.
Botulinum toxin, an effective weapon for a wide lower face
In some people, the masseter muscles are powerful and hypertrophic, making the posterior part of the face look heavy and wide.
A quick and pain-free injection of botulinum toxin into the masseter muscles enables us to refine the face and make the jawline more feminine-looking.
The results last between six and eight months.
Resetting the proportions of the chin to sculpt the jaw
The chin is a determining part of the mandibular profile. A weak chin or one which does not project correctly gives the impression of a retracted jaw and of submandibular fat. The chin can be corrected medically through the injection of hyaluronic acid. Surgery (the fitting of an implant or lipofilling) is also a solution, but the down side is that it requires downtime. A well-projected, well-shaped chin dramatically changes the jawline. Results last one year.
Lasers and radiofrequency
Lasers and radiofrequency act upon the skin’s thickness. Over time, the dermis thins out, the skin becomes less taut and the jawline’s definition is lost.
The idea is to stimulate collagen synthesis by applying heat or by ablation. The newly-stimulated fibroblasts − cells in the skin − make a new, thicker and better-structured dermis, which tightens the skin and thus firms up the jawline.
Doctor Valeria Romano
Former Paris Hospitals resident doctor. Degrees in anti-aging and morphological medicine, medical lasers, surgical dermatology, mesotherapy, the treatment of hair loss, and the evaluation of injection and filler techniques in dermatology and plastic surgery. Member of the French Aesthetic Medicine Society (SFME), the Francophone Society for Medical Lasers (SFLM), the Advanced Society of Aesthetic and Plastic Medicine and Surgery (SAMCEP), the French Mesotherapy Society (SFM), the European LED Academy, and the World Society of Interdisciplinary Anti-Aging Medicine.
