Sculpted cheekbones and an angular, well-defined jawline create a triangular or heart-shaped face—an aesthetic ideal. That’s why surgical and nonsurgical face slimming treatments, including buccal fat removal, are among the most popular cosmetic procedures at our facial plastic surgery practice.
To achieve your face-slimming goals, we often combine treatments to target various areas. Here’s a look at 5 popular and effective options:
1. BOTOX®
The versatility of BOTOX injections includes jawline slimming. As you likely know, BOTOX minimizes expression lines and wrinkles by limiting the movement of certain facial muscles. The same principle is why we use BOTOX for face slimming. Injecting BOTOX into the masseter muscles in the upper jaw—the muscles used for chewing food—relaxes the muscle, creating a slimmer appearance. It’s an effective treatment for people with square-shaped faces, as noted in several studies. It’s also recommended if you’re prone to grinding your teeth.
2. Dermal Fillers
It sounds counterintuitive to use dermal fillers—which add volume—as a face-slimming treatment. When strategically placed in specific areas, however, fillers contour the face and give it a coveted V-shaped appearance. Cheek fillers, for example, create the illusion of high cheekbones and lift the natural contours of your face. Injecting fillers into the lower face and chin can eliminate the early signs of jowls and give more definition to the lower jawline. The temples are one of the first areas to lose volume due to aging; adding filler there can also enhance the V-shape.
3. Buccal Fat Removal
A few years ago, few people had heard of buccal fat. That changed after social media users started speculating about celebrities who appeared to develop chiseled cheekbones overnight. Buccal (pronounced “buckle”) fat removal suddenly became a must-have face-slimming surgery. Buccal fat pads in the area between the cheekbones and jawbones can create “chipmunk cheeks.” Removing a small amount of buccal fat through incisions inside the mouth produces a slimmer facial shape.
4. Chin Augmentation
Inserting a chin implant is a surgical alternative to injecting dermal fillers. A “weak” chin shortens the horizontal length of the jawline. Projecting the chin forward with an implant increases that length and gives it definition. Adding volume also creates a focal endpoint in the lower face. You can read more about using implants for chin augmentation in our previous blog post.
5. Submental Liposuction
Excess fat below the chin (submental) softens the jawline. Liposuction below the chin removes some of that excess fat, reducing the appearance of a double chin and creating a more angular jawline and contoured neck. A double chin may be an inherited trait unrelated to being overweight and can only be corrected with submental liposuction.
Choose an Expert Facial Plastic Surgeon
Facial slimming treatments require the expertise of a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon to create attractive results that look natural. An experienced surgeon can recommend the best face-slimming treatment for you and may suggest combining procedures for optimal results. You can request a consultation with Dr. Keith Ladner at our Denver facial plastic surgery practice using the online form or call us at (303) 253-7686 to schedule an appointment.
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