Getting jawline filler right can be tricky – you need to fully understand the facial anatomy and how it changes over time. Having a well-defined jawline is a sign of youth and beauty, but many aesthetic practitioners have seen a rise in requests for ‘razor sharp’ jawlines over recent years. Some people may even say that jawline contouring, and chin fillers seem to be following in the slipstream of the popularity of the lip filler trend. But we mustn’t lose touch with what is natural. Any good practitioner will tell you the face is about balance, and the problem with these trends is that they seem to take a one-size-fits-all approach which isn’t realistic, and that’s why we see unnatural-looking results.
The key is to respect natural anatomy
Having filler injected into the jaw can create a wider face and pointed chin. In a quest for a sharper or ‘snatched’ jawline, many are having filler injected into the gonial angle, which is the area at the back of the jaw below your ear. Injecting here can create a contoured-looking effect, but it can also widen the face and can create a hyper-angular jawline if the treatment is performed without considering what’s suitable for the patient and their own natural anatomy.
It is a concern to frequently see more and more young patients requesting dramatic enhancements of their jawline. This doesn’t respect normal anatomy and causes alienated appearances in many cases – many people don’t suit an angular jaw, and so their faces can appear box-like or masculine, distorting their natural features.
Injecting into the jaw also poses the risk of hitting a facial artery or vein, leading to sometimes devastating consequences. Your injector needs to be medically trained and skilled with a needle, but they also need to have an artistic eye and understand how to respect facial anatomy.
Understanding the ageing jawline
As we age, we lose bone in our skull, and our facial fat pads deflate, dropping downwards with gravity. The bone loss that occurs in our jaw means that the lower face no longer has a robust framework, and our skin and fat can hang loosely, resulting in a saggy, jowly look. The lower face may also lose its youthful oval shape and appear squarer, and thanks to the loss of elasticity, it may even look like we have a double chin.
As a practitioner, if I’m trying to make a face look younger, I must understand and consider what’s happening under the skin that is causing those changes. When I’m treating an ageing jawline, I don’t want to make it look over-chiselled but softly contoured with a reduction in the appearance of any laxity. This means looking at where there has been bony volume loss and treating it appropriately rather than making it look ‘snatched’.
My ideal candidate for chin or jaw filler is a patient who naturally lacks bony support or bone structure in the lower face and feels self-conscious about this and, therefore, would psychologically benefit from enhancing these features. They might also have a ”weak” or receding chin or lack of definition to the jaw.
Avoiding the unnatural look
If you’re considering chin or jawline filler for the first time, try and achieve a subtle result by seeking the advice of a medically qualified and experienced practitioner who uses small amounts of strategically placed fillers progressively over time. Whether you’re young and simply want to enhance or define your bone structure, or you’re seeing the signs of ageing and want to take proactive steps to appear younger, the key is to avoid injecting too much filler into the wrong place, which will only create an overfilled, alienated appearance that disregards natural anatomy.
If you’d like to discuss your options, or if you have any questions about jawline enhancement, click here to enquire or book a consultation.