What it is
Sagging skin is skin that no longer sits where it used to. On the face it shows first along the jaw, where a clean line becomes a soft one, and on the neck, where the skin starts to crease and loosen.
Jowls are that same loosening gathered either side of the chin. They are not extra weight. They are the cheek descending, which is why they can appear on a face that has not changed size at all, and why losing weight often makes them look more obvious rather than less.
At Skinfolk this is treated with HIFU, which uses focused ultrasound at depth, and with Morpheus 8, which firms the skin above it. Where volume has been lost as well, Profhilo Structura and Sculptra are the injectable route, and both are on our injectable treatments page.
Why it happens
Skin is held in place by collagen and elastin and by the fat and muscle underneath it, and every one of those changes with time. The reasons are ordinary ones.
- Collagen and elastin falling away from the mid twenties onwards, so skin is slower to hold its own shape
- The fat pads of the cheek descending rather than disappearing, which is what gathers along the jaw
- Falling oestrogen through the perimenopause and the menopause, when skin thins and loses firmness more quickly
- Years of sun, which breaks down the collagen holding the jaw and neck
- Significant weight loss, which leaves skin that was stretched with less underneath it
- Genetics, which largely decide when a jawline starts to soften and how quickly
What makes it harder
What makes it harder
Waiting is the usual one. Mild laxity is a shorter piece of work than laxity left for years, because these treatments work by asking your own collagen to rebuild and there has to be something to work with. Sun without protection undoes that work as fast as it is done. Weight lost and regained repeatedly stretches the same skin more than once, and stopping a course halfway leaves the change half made.
Lower jaw and neck HIFU is £300 for 45 minutes, HIFU with radio-frequency is £590, Morpheus 8 is £500 for 60 minutes and Don't neglect The Neck, which pairs HIFU on the neck with Profhilo, is £575. Every price we publish is on our treatment pricing page.
When to see someone
- A jawline that has softened and no longer reads as a clean line
- Heaviness gathering either side of the chin
- Creasing and loosening on the neck
- Skin along the jaw that has lost firmness after weight loss
- Wanting lifting and firming without injectables and without surgery
When something else is the answer
- Significant loose skin, where a surgical opinion is what we will recommend rather than a device
- Lost volume rather than lost support, where dermal filler, Profhilo Structura or Sculptra is the conversation, on our injectable treatments page
- Lines that move with the face rather than skin that has dropped, which anti-wrinkle injections treat instead
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding, and active infection or inflamed skin in the treatment area
If a lifting treatment is not the right answer for you, we will say so at consultation and suggest what is.
How it is treated at Skinfolk
It starts with a consultation. We look at where the jawline has changed, what the neck is doing, what has happened to your weight and your skin, and your medical history, and only then is anything booked in.
HIFU is the first treatment we reach for, because focused ultrasound reaches the depth at which the face is supported without breaking the surface. The Ultraformer handpiece is passed over the mapped area in lines, and lower jaw and neck takes 45 minutes at £300.
Morpheus 8 is the one we add where the skin above has lost its firmness and texture has gone with it, since radiofrequency is delivered through fine needles into the layer where collagen sits. It is £500 for 60 minutes and it is planned as a course. The two are often used together, and Don't neglect The Neck pairs HIFU on the neck with Profhilo at £575.
Neither treatment needs recovery time. The skin is warm and pink afterwards and settles over the following days. The change builds over the weeks that follow as new collagen forms rather than arriving on the day, which is why these are treatments to plan with the calendar in mind. When to come back is agreed with you.
Sagging skin and jowls questions
What causes jowls?
The cheek descending. Collagen and elastin fall away with time, the fat pads that sat high on the face move down, and the skin that held them loosens, so weight gathers either side of the chin. Sun exposure, the menopause, significant weight loss and genetics all decide how early it shows.
How are sagging skin and jowls treated at Skinfolk?
With HIFU, which uses focused ultrasound at the depth the face is supported, and with Morpheus 8, which firms the skin above it. Where volume has been lost as well, Profhilo Structura and Sculptra are the injectable route. Which of them suits you is agreed at consultation.
How much does it cost?
Lower jaw and neck HIFU is £300 for 45 minutes, HIFU with radio-frequency is £590 and Morpheus 8 is £500 for 60 minutes. Don't neglect The Neck, HIFU on the neck with Profhilo, is £575. Every price we publish is on our treatment pricing page.
Is there any downtime?
No. You go back to your day afterwards. The skin can feel warm and look pink for a short while, and with Morpheus 8 that settles over the following days.
Can jowls be treated without surgery?
Mild to moderate laxity along the jaw and neck is what HIFU and Morpheus 8 are used for. Where there is a lot of loose skin, a device is not the answer and a surgical opinion is what we will recommend. We will tell you which of the two you are at consultation.
Where is the clinic?
Skinfolk is at The Paddocks, Woodhall Lane, Ombersley, Uphampton, Droitwich WR9 0JR. We welcome clients from Droitwich Spa, Worcester, Bromsgrove and across Worcestershire. Details are on our contact page.
What treats it
HIFU face and neck is the first treatment we reach for, because it works at the depth the face is supported rather than on the surface. Morpheus 8 is the one we add where the skin itself has lost firmness and texture, and the two are often planned together across a course.
Where volume has gone as well as support, Profhilo Structura and Sculptra sit with our other injectable treatments, and both devices sit with our facials and skin treatments. Taken as a course they form part of our treatment packages and our signature programmes.
Book your consultation
Twenty minutes with us in Droitwich and you will know whether HIFU, Morpheus 8 or an injectable treatment suits your jawline, what a course would look like and what it will cost.
Links to Pabau, our treatment booking platform. Or call 07930 517202.
