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7 Techniques to Redefine the Contours Without Surgery

Linh Pham - Madame Figaro

7-December-2023

7 Techniques to Redefine the Contours Without Surgery

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Reshaping the contours of the face and firming up the jawline without surgery is possible at any age. Discover all the techniques for a 'neck glow'.
Haven't tried jawline contouring yet? This reshaping of the jawline gives the facial oval a perfect definition and helps to better delineate the face and neck area, offering a more majestic bearing. It's 'the' detail that makes all the difference in selfies! You don't need to be an Instagirl to suffer from sagging of the lower face and wrinkled neck, which can be even harder to deal with than wrinkles. Explore all solutions, from the softest to the most radical, to delay sagging and 'enhance' the face. Remember that only an aesthetic doctor can provide a diagnosis and guide you towards the treatment that suits you.

A firmer skin with High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

The technique: Ultrasonic energy heats the tissues point by point at different depths to refine the fatty tissue and/or stimulate collagen production.
How does it work? A contact gel is applied to the lower third of the face and neck, and then the doctor sends a series of ultrasounds, from the deepest layer of the skin (muscle or fat layer) to the surface. Small electric shocks are felt with each impact. After the session, which lasts forty minutes, the skin shows some redness, slight swelling, and sensitivity for a few hours.
The result: It appears gradually, after two months. A second session can then be scheduled to reinforce the results. An annual maintenance session is then recommended.
For whom? For those looking for a gentle treatment, without injections of foreign substances under the skin and without requiring downtime from daily activities. Note: the best results are seen in patients with thicker skin.



Emphasizing the facial oval with hyaluronic acid

The technique: Involves injecting a filler into areas of the oval lacking definition.
Procedure: The doctor selects a volumizing product and applies it along the jawline to enhance its definition. If the jawline is already well-defined but jowls are beginning to form, a bit of hyaluronic acid before and after the jowl area is sufficient to diminish their appearance. Redness, swelling, and bruising are possible.
Result: Visible instantly and lasts for a year.
For whom: Those who want a more structured lower face and/or to reduce early jowls. "Outside of these two cases, be careful, as hyaluronic acid injections can have a heavy effect. It's not suitable for marked sagging," warns Dr. Robin Mookherjee, a plastic surgeon.

Lightening the neck with cryolipolysis

The technique: A controlled cooling system freezes the fat cells of the double chin, leading to their destruction. The body then eliminates the waste over the following weeks, resulting in a 25% reduction in the fat layer in one session.
Procedure: The treatment is performed without anesthesia. A mini-applicator grasps the fat under the chin and cools it for thirty minutes. A massage is then performed to warm the skin. Redness, swelling, bruising, and numbness of the treated area are possible but disappear quickly.
The result: It appears within three months following the session. If incomplete, a second session can be carried out. The results remain stable with a healthy lifestyle.
For whom? Suitable for patients with a clearly visible double chin and still firm skin




Tightening the skin with collagen inducer

The technique: Uses an injectable product made from a synthetic substance, carried in an aqueous gel, which stimulates the skin's ability to produce its own collagen for thicker, firmer tissue. Unlike hyaluronic acid, this product doesn't affect facial volume. It doesn't plump up the face but provides a noticeable tightening effect.
Procedure: The product is injected in a fan pattern into the fatty layer, along the cheek and neck. This may be followed by redness, swelling, and sometimes small bruises, which can be more pronounced than those following a hyaluronic acid injection. Usually, only one session is necessary, but it depends on the product used (there are several on the market).
Result: Visible from the first month and optimal at three months. The product lasts between twelve and twenty-four months, depending on the type.
For whom: “Suitable for patients from 35/40 years old, with thick skin, who don't want to be transformed but are looking for a natural tightening effect to enhance the contours of their face,” adds Dr. Isabelle Rousseaux, a dermatologist.

Comprehensive reshaping with radiofrequency microneedling

The technique: Combines the heat of radiofrequency with needles that micro-penetrate the skin's full thickness. It treats double chins, large jowls, stimulates collagen for a firmer oval, and smoother skin.
Procedure: After applying an anesthetic cream, the doctor moves the device's tip over the cheeks, the oval, and sometimes the neck, for thirty minutes. It feels like small electric shocks. Post-treatment, the skin remains red for one to two days, slightly swollen for about a week, and has a rough texture. The protocol includes three to four sessions spaced one month apart.
Result: Collagen remodeling occurs over the following two to three months and lasts at least a year.
For whom: Ideal for those seeking a comprehensive result on the oval and neck area: lifting effect, refined lower face, and beautiful skin, all without introducing foreign substances. However, it's not for those with a fear of needles!

Treating sagging with thread lifts

The technique: Involves sliding absorbable, barbed surgical threads under the skin to re-tension sagging tissues, improving tissue quality.
Procedure: There are several techniques. One uses a single 25 cm long thread mounted on a double needle. The doctor inserts the two needles in front of the ear. One comes out at the corner of the mouth, the other at the jowl area. By pulling the skin backwards, the threads are tensioned. The barbs open within the tissues and hold the threads in place: the oval is lifted. The procedure takes fifteen minutes.
Result: "The lifting effect is immediate but optimal after one to two months and continues after the thread is absorbed, with a collagen-inducing effect caused by the nature of the thread itself," explains Michael Margulies, an aesthetic doctor. It then gradually fades between twelve and eighteen months.
For whom: Suitable for women between 45 and 55 years old who are not yet candidates for surgical lifting but wish to address facial sagging. Their jawline bone volume is satisfactory, but jowls are beginning to form. Another indication: more marked patients who refuse surgery. However, the results of the threads are less durable. Note: for thin skin, simply thinner threads are used to prevent visibility.



Delaying surgery with endolifting

The technique: An optical fiber delivering laser energy is introduced under the skin. Upon contact, the water in the tissues is absorbed, causing the tissues to retract. The machines configured for surgeons also have an effect on the fat of the double chin.
Procedure: Under local anesthesia, the doctor inserts the fiber in front of the ear, under the dermis, and moves it back and forth, following a fan-like path. The session lasts an hour. After the treatment, the face is slightly swollen and remains so for about a week. "The ideal is to perform the treatment under ultrasound guidance. This allows for perfect visualization of nerves and vessels, avoiding bruises and paresthesia, a numbness of the area quite common with this technique, which can persist for several weeks," says Dr. Nabila Merniz, a pain and aesthetic medicine specialist.
Result: Optimal at two months and lasts at least two or three years.
For whom? Suitable for women from the age of 45, regardless of their skin type, who are experiencing more pronounced sagging of the lower face and neck: it is the treatment just before opting for a facelift.

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