Defining the jawline by injection — called jawline contouring — and the cervico-facial lift share a common goal : improving the definition of the lower third of the face. However, these two procedures differ profoundly in their indications, techniques, and the results they provide. Faced with this dual option, many patients wonder : should hyaluronic acid be prioritized or should a more invasive surgical procedure be chosen ? What benefits can be expected from each approach ? Are these techniques competing or complementary ?
The aim of this text is to provide clear answers, by outlining the indications, mechanisms of action, and observed effects of each solution. Choosing between a jawline contouring and a lift is not a question of opposing modernity and tradition : it is above all about understanding the specificities of one’s own face and determining the most suitable response.
The jawline contouring consists of reshaping the mandibular line through hyaluronic acid injection. It is a medical procedure with an aesthetic purpose, performed in the clinic, without general anesthesia, without incision or scar. The principle is based on defining the mandibular line: the treated areas are the mandibular angle, the mandibular line, and sometimes the chin, depending on the patient’s anatomy and expectations.
The goal of jawline contouring is not to lift the skin, but to reinforce an underlying structure. In a young patient, this technique refines the contours of an already toned face. In a patient showing the first signs of sagging, it provides targeted support where it is needed.
The hyaluronic acid used is dense and injected into a deep plane. The result is immediate, adjustable, and lasts on average between 10 and 15 months. It does not modify the facial muscular dynamics, nor the skin quality, but acts by improving the definition of the mandibular line. There is no social downtime, the aftereffects are minimal, and the result is entirely reversible.
The cervico-facial lift, or lower face lift, is an aesthetic surgical procedure that consists of repositioning the loosened tissues of the lower third: skin, fat, platysma muscle, restoring the natural tension lost with age. It is a major procedure, performed under general anesthesia or neuroleptanalgesia, in an operating room. It involves an incision — generally hidden around the ear and in the scalp — and a recovery period of several days to several weeks.
The lift addresses specific indications: significant skin laxity, visible jowls, wrinkled skin in the neck area. Unlike jawline contouring, this procedure removes excess skin, tightens tissues, and restores tension to the deep structures of the face.
Its effect is more global and longer-lasting — often around 10 years. This technique acts not only on mandibular definition but also on neck tonicity.
In a young patient, between 25 and 45 years old, whose skin remains firm but whose mandibular line lacks definition, jawline contouring is usually sufficient. It allows for correcting a blurred contour, harmonizing the profile, or compensating for a bone structure deficit, without immobilization or resorting to surgery.
In an older patient, when the skin has lost elasticity and the cutaneous laxity is pronounced, a lift generally becomes the most effective solution. It repositions the sagging tissues and durably restores the facial oval.
In some cases, the two techniques prove to be complementary. The lift tightens the skin but does not restore bone volume. Once healing is complete, targeted injections can perfect the result. This combined strategy, increasingly common, offers a correction that is both structured and natural.
One of the major criteria for patients remains the perception of the result. After a lift, the facial oval is tightened, the lower face appears rejuvenated, the jowls have disappeared, and the neck is lifted. The change is often spectacular.
After jawline contouring, the result is more subtle. The mandibular line is clearer, the mandibular angles better defined, and there is a more distinct separation between the lower third of the face and the neck.
These are therefore two very different aesthetic approaches: one acts deeply on all the tissues, the other shapes a line, with a slight retension. The choice depends on the degree of laxity, age, expectations, but also on whether or not the patient wishes to undergo surgery.
It is possible to go from a jawline contouring to a lift, but this must be done with discernment. Jawline contouring can serve as a temporary solution before a lift, especially in younger patients who wish to delay surgery. It helps preserve a well-defined mandibular line while waiting for the procedure to become truly necessary.
Conversely, after a lift, targeted injections along the mandibular line can be considered, usually after a period of 6 to 8 months. They allow reinforcement of certain points or correction of slight asymmetry.
In both cases, these procedures must be part of a global approach, with an overall vision of the face. The goal is to avoid any overload or redundant treatment, in order to maintain a natural and coherent result.
It is common for patients to hope, through injections, to achieve a result equivalent to that of a surgical lift. This expectation needs to be clarified. Hyaluronic acid injected into the mandibular angle, along the jawline, or at the chin indeed helps improve the definition of the lower face. It defines, retensions, and highlights the contours of the lower third of the face. In a young patient, or one whose skin is still firm, this effect can be sufficient to give the impression of retension.
But it is essential to remember that this effect is optical, not mechanical. Injections do not reposition sagging tissues. They do not correct jowls, do not act on the platysmal cords of the neck, and do not remove excess skin. They therefore cannot replace a lift, which alone allows real and lasting retension of the deep structures.
The confusion comes from the fact that, in certain well-selected cases, jawline contouring offers a visible aesthetic improvement, close to a mini-lift, but as soon as tissue laxity is significant, the result is less noticeable.
Aesthetic treatments of the lower face, whether medical or surgical, must follow a precise logic. When they are poorly indicated or poorly performed, the risk is an inappropriate, disproportionate, or disharmonious result.
With jawline contouring, the most frequent mistake is overcorrection. Injecting too much product, or distributing the volumes poorly, can lead to a mandibular area that is too angular, too bulky, or even masculine in a woman.
Another pitfall is injecting into a face whose skin laxity exceeds the corrective capacity of hyaluronic acid: the result then lacks definition and appears minimal.
On the side of the lift, the mistake is often technical or related to indication. A lift that is too tight, poorly planned, or performed without respect for natural proportions can alter facial expression. Moderate skin laxity treated with a full lift can also be excessive, whereas a medical treatment would have sufficed.
In both cases, the judgment of the doctor is decisive. The goal is not to choose the fastest or longest-lasting technique, but the one that is right for the face in question, at the moment it is examined.
Article written by Dr Romano Valeria
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