One of the fastest growing cosmetic treatments that are taking the world of plastic surgery by storm are facial contouring techniques. These are highly effective methods of enhancing a person's facial features and reversing many of the visible signs of aging. But when it comes to facial contouring, there are dozens of treatment options. So many, in fact, that patients often have a difficult time deciding which procedure will give them the best results. We've created this comprehensive guide on facial contouring procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, to give you an idea of what is possible. The aim is to help you educate yourself about the options available, including how the various procedures work and the results they can offer.
What does facial contouring do?
With age, human skin loses its natural elasticity, causing it to sag and develop wrinkles. These changes are most noticeable in the face, leading many people to seek facial treatments to improve their appearance. Highly trained plastic surgeons can use a variety of minimally invasive and surgical techniques to help achieve more youthful looks. If you find yourself thinking - all my friends look younger than me! Or... that great guy doesn't look his age at all, how come? - then keep reading. We're going to tell you exactly what the most popular procedures are and what plastic surgery and facial treatments you can get to look young and fabulous.
Types of Facial Contouring Techniques
Each facial contouring technique targets a specific part of the face to help you look your absolute best. The type of plastic surgery or facial treatments you choose will depend largely on what parts of your face need improvement and your personal aesthetic goals. Looking at the photo galleries that your plastic surgeon will show you will help you in figuring out on what type of facial surgery or non-surgical treatments might work for you. In the meantime, here's some information on what's available. Keep in mind that many of these facial treatments can be done at the same time to achieve even better results.
Non-Surgical Facial Treatments
Injectable Dermal Fillers
Injectable dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane can provide a subtle lift and volumizing effect to your facial profile. The main ingredient in these fillers is hyaluronic acid, a substance that is present naturally in the body and in abundant quantities in the skin. Hyaluronic acid in fillers is used not only to add volume but also to hydrate the face, making it look fuller and more youthful.
Filler treatments are a good solution if your main concerns are facial wrinkles and creases and volume loss. Facial fillers can help smooth wrinkles and replace lost volume, restoring your face to a more youthful shape. That is why these facial treatments are often called a liquid facelift.
Dermal fillers can be injected around the brow and forehead, under the eyes, in the mid-face and cheeks, in and around the lips, and along the jawline for adding volume. Plastic surgeons can use fillers to plump up thin and shapeless lips, add volume and enhance the contours of the cheeks, better define the cheekbones, fill deep nasolabial folds, and improve the overall facial profile without facial surgery.
The injections take just a few minutes to perform in the office and patients can resume all normal activities right away. You can even schedule the appointment for your lunch break. The results are visible immediately and last for several months (most dermal fillers last 6-12 months, but some can last up to 2 years). In order to maintain the results, patients need to repeat the injections periodically with touch-up treatments.
When performed by an expert injector, facial injectables can do amazing things for your appearance and facial contour. They are a low-risk, no-downtime procedure for you to soften your appearance and get rid of the signs of facial aging.
Botox for Jaw Contouring
Nonsurgical jawline contouring with Botox (botulinum toxin A) injections can help address concerns in patients who have developed widening of the jaw over time due to clenching of the masseter muscle. The Botox treatment can make the jaw appear narrower, giving it a softer, more youthful appearance. Like all Botox procedures, the results of this treatment last 3-4 months, at which time you need to repeat the injections to maintain the results. However, over time, the muscles atrophy (become weaker) due to lack of use and the jaw stays narrower over the long-term, precluding the need for repeat Botox.
Kybella for Double Chin
This is a revolutionary FDA-approved non-surgical treatment that can improve the appearance of moderate to severe fat below the chin, commonly called a double chin. It is often performed as a complementary treatment to nonsurgical jawline contouring. The treatment involves injecting a fat reducing product called Kybella which contains deoxycholic acid. This is a substance that is naturally found in the gallbladder and used by the body to break down fat. When injected under the chin by a board-certified dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon, Kybella eliminates fat collections in this area, giving the chin more definition. The broken down fat is removed by the body's natural metabolism. The resulting sharper chin profile helps patients look younger and less overweight and feel less self-conscious about the fullness under their chin. Kybella injectable double chin treatment is done as an outpatient treatment in the office. Two sessions are usually required and the results are long-lasting.
Radiofrequency-based contouring treatments
FaceTite is a nonsurgical alternative to facelift surgery. This FDA-approved non-invasive procedure uses radiofrequency energy to reduce excess facial skin, target unwanted fat, and contour the face, thus giving you a more youthful look. This safe, gentle, bladeless facial treatment leaves no visible scars and requires minimal recovery time. A doctor can use FaceTite to tighten the skin of the forehead, brow area, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, cheeks, jowls, and jawline. A similar treatment called Evoke also uses radiofrequency energy to remodel facial tissue. It too is a quick and painless treatment with no downtime. Another similar technology is AccuTite, which is used to tighten skin in small and delicate facial areas, such as baggy eyelids.
Ultherapy
This is a non invasive procedure that uses ultrasound technology to lift and tighten loose, sagging skin on the neck, chin, and brow and improve lines and wrinkles in the upper chest (décolletage). Ultherapy stimulates collagen and elastin production in the skin. This means your appearance continues to improve over time. The Ultherapy procedure lasts between 30 and 90 minutes. There are no incisions and no anesthesia. The recovery time is minimal to nil in most patients. This is one of the facial procedures that can give you natural-looking results without downtime.
CoolMini
This is a non invasive procedure that uses cryolipolysis or fat freezing to eliminate unwanted fat under the jawline and reduce the appearance of a double chin. While freezing fat cells has been a popular technique for body contouring, it has only recently begun to be used for smaller areas like the chin and neck, with the availability of newer, smaller applicators. The CoolMini facial treatment is performed in the office by a doctor and typically takes less than an hour. There is no downtime and you can resume all normal activities right away. The results from CoolMini develop gradually over the following several weeks. There is a visible reduction in submental fat (double chin) and better definition of the jawline. Full results are usually achieved after two treatments spaced 4 weeks apart. Once the fat cells are destroyed by freezing, they are gone forever, and therefore, CoolMini results are permanent.
ThermiTight
ThermiTight applies heat energy to the facial tissues and thereby stimulates collagen and elastin production, leading to long-lasting, natural facial contouring results. This is a non invasive procedure that is used to tighten and firm up lax facial skin. The outpatient procedure is performed under local anesthesia. Patients can resume regular activities right away. The only side effects are minor swelling and redness in the treatment area, which typically go away in a day or two. ThermiTight results are visible soon after the treatment and continue to improve over the next 3-4 months, lasting for many years.
Facial Plastic Surgery
Surgical Facelift
For patients with severe signs of aging and significant skin laxity who want a dramatic improvement in their facial contour, a surgical facelift is often the best solution. There are several different facelift techniques. Each of these techniques can be customized to the unique needs and aesthetic goals of a patient. A surgical facelift can smoothen facial wrinkles and creases around the mouth, lips, and nose, firm up loose, sagging skin, reduce jowls, and give better definition to the facial profile. Combined face and neck lift procedures can address neck laxity (turkey neck).
A facelift surgery is performed using general anesthesia. During the procedure, the surgeon removes excess skin and tissue from the mid face and lower face. The underlying facial muscles are tightened for a naturally youthful appearance. The incisions for a facelift are carefully hidden in the hairline and the natural skin creases near the ears, so that the scars are virtually undetectable.
Facelift procedures are a major surgery. Most patients need to take 2-3 weeks off work to recover after a facelift. More strenuous activities may be restricted for an even longer period to give the face time to fully heal. The results of a surgical facelift are dramatic and impressive and can last 10 years or more for some patients.
Neck Lift and Brow Lift
A facelift focuses on the mid- and lower-third of the face. However, many patients, in particular women, look older because of aging changes in the eyebrow and neck area. These changes occur due to the effects of gravity, sun damage, and from years of facial expressions. Plastic surgeons can perform procedures such as neck lift and brow lift to correct wrinkles, fine lines, brow lines, and sagging skin. These are minimally invasive procedures that can be performed with a surgical facelift procedure.
Facial Implants
A doctor can place implants in various parts of the face, including the eyebrows, cheeks, nose, lips, jaw line, and chin. These implants can be used to redefine, contour, and lift the aging face. They can help in tightening and toning sagging skin for a smoother, more voluminous, softer looking face that looks younger.
Facial Liposuction
This is a minimally invasive facial surgery in which unwanted extra fat is removed from areas of the face where you want more definition.
Fat Grafting
Autologous fat transfer is commonly used in body contouring. Fat transfer or fat grafting for the face involves extracting fat cells from one part of the body, such as the buttocks, thighs, or abdomen, purifying and liquefying the fat cells, and re-injecting them into the upper or lower face to achieve a natural, subtle facial contouring result.
Chin Augmentation
Many men desire a more masculine, stronger looking jaw line with better definition. This can be achieved with a chin augmentation procedure using chin implants. In women, a surgical procedure to add volume to the chin with autologous fat transfer (fat grafting) can help to create a softer, more feminine facial profile.
Ear Lobe Surgery
Otoplasty or ear lobe surgery is a facial contouring procedure that involves pinning back the ears so that they don’t project outward as much.
What does a facial contouring procedure include?
A facial contouring procedure is a highly customized treatment. It can include one or more surgical or non invasive facial treatments depending on your aesthetic goals. Your doctor will discuss your goals with you at the time of your initial consultation. You should be honest in telling your doctor about what concerns you most about your face during this appointment. Your doctor will then suggest a facial contouring technique or a combination of procedures to help you achieve the results you want.
How long does facial contouring last?
It depends on what kind of procedures you get. Something like Botox lasts 3-4 months on average. Dermal fillers last 6-12 months. Many non invasive facial treatments are long lasting and give you several years of youthful appearance. Some procedures, such as cryolipolysis or fat freezing, provide permanent results. Generally speaking, however, invasive surgical procedures such as a facelift often give more dramatic and longer lasting results than non invasive procedures. A facelift, for example, can make you look 10 years younger, with the results lasting for a decade or more in some patients. Your doctor will discuss the expected results of a procedure at the time of your initial appointment.
Is facial surgery worth it?
Getting plastic surgery on the face is a personal choice. A facelift is a major surgery that requires a fair bit of recovery. It is also expensive. However, the results are dramatic and can last for 10 years or more in some men and women. Notably, advanced age-related changes cannot usually be corrected with non invasive procedures. Patients with severe signs of aging usually require facial surgery to turn back the clock. These are just some of the points you should keep in mind when trying to decide if cosmetic face surgery is worth it.
How do I get started with facial contouring?
It's normal to be a bit nervous, but now that you have some information about the most popular procedures that can enhance your facial features, it's time to take the next step. The MeTime app can help you in choosing the right facial plastic surgeon or aesthetic provider for you. You can chat with extremely knowledgeable doctors and their amazing staff, send photos across, look at photo galleries, do a video consult, and book an office consultation appointment when you're ready. Download the MeTime app today and learn more about facial contouring.
