Tweak Your Lifestyle

“You want to put chance on your side,” Dr. Idriss says. “Having a healthy lifestyle is huge. There are little things you can do to help yourself. But, ultimately, the way your face is going to go is usually somewhat preset based on your bone structure and genetics.”

Like anything else related to your skin, what you do on the inside shows up on the outside, so eat a nutritious, balanced diet and get enough sleep. Dr. Idriss cautions to stay away from smoking, since that causes vascular constriction, meaning blood flow to the skin is decreased. That can lead to prematurely sagging skin.

Pick Up Gua Sha

Regularly giving yourself a manual face massage can be a great temporary fix. Pekar’s favorite tool is the gua sha. To make the most of your gua sha massage, she recommends starting out by applying your go-to face oil or cream to your face, neck, and decolletage. Then gently open up the lymph nodes using your hands above your collarbone, neck, and behind the ears. Apply gentle pressure, keeping the stone in an almost flat position (at a 15-degree angle), and gently pull the skin upwards. First, proceed with one side of the face and neck, then the other. 

“The more you practice this, the more results you’ll see,” Pekar says. “Consistency is key when it comes to natural techniques. I like to implement two to three minutes of gua sha into my daily routine, and do a longer (10-15 minutes) massage once a week.” By improving lymphatic drainage, a gua sha massage will have your face looking firmer.

Never Skip SPF

“Having a healthy skincare routine is always worth it,” Dr. Idriss says. “Sun protection is huge because with sun damage and age comes a breakdown of collagen, which might make a sagging jawline worse.” Rain or shine, it’s crucial to wear sunscreen daily—yes, even on those days when you spend most of it cooped up inside.

Get Microcurrent Facials

When you’re looking to improve your jawline, Pekar says your best bet for a pro facial is a microcurrent one. “If you want to see quicker and longer-lasting results I recommend seeing a professional,” she says. “Manual at-home massages are great for maintenance and even to improve the condition; however, I know many people don’t have time to practice this every day consistently. Professional services like microcurrent work with electricity, which accelerates the benefits so you can see immediate improvement.”

Try a Microcurrent Facial Device

The at-home version is great for maintenance when you can’t see a pro. There’s a reason DIY microcurrent devices have made a splash—if you stick with them, they can deliver real results. “Microcurrent is supposed to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) within your cells and regenerate your cellular structure to keep it firmer and tighter longer,” Dr. Idriss explains. “It’s also supposed to help trigger your musculature slightly underneath to help contract them and tighten it.”

However, Dr. Idriss cautions that the results are short-lived. Even after getting a professional microcurrent facial, your skin will look great for the first couple of days afterward, but the effects will eventually wear off. So it’s hard to say how long the results will last on your tissue underneath. “You could test microcurrent devices at home and see the results that you get on yourself,” she suggests.

Use the Right Skincare Products

Though it’s important to curb your expectations when it comes to how much skincare products can do to improve your jawline, using the right ones can help. “I use retinoids, and right after applying I do a few minutes of gua sha massage to improve the product’s absorption and sculpt the face,” Pekar says. She also recommends using products with an ingredient focus on hyaluronic acid and collagen to keep the skin firm and plump.

Book a Surgical Treatment

For stubborn excess fat around the jawline, Dr. Idriss turns to liposuction when all else fails. “When you want to get rid of the fat, liposuction can be a huge win,” she says. “By simply removing these small little pockets of fat, the mechanical action can really tighten the skin as well, especially when you don’t have that much fat.”

“I think liposuction is a great alternative,” she continues. “It’s an in-and-out procedure. You don’t go under anesthesia; you’re at a dermatologist’s office and they do it under local anesthesia and the downtime is three days. I’d rather do that over Kybella, which I would reserve for resistant pockets that just don’t want to disappear.”

Get Facial Workouts In

Hit the hypothetical gym, so to speak, with facial exercises meant to sculpt your jawline. These facial exercises, often referred to as face yoga, help to move the muscles in your face. Performing these stretches can help tone the face for a more lifted appearance, board-certified dermatologist, Marisa Garshick, MD, told Byrdie.

There are several go-to facial exercises you can add to your repertoire. These include the brow stretch (using your finger to push your eyebrows away from each other), fish lips, kiss face, and the whistler. With a brief daily facial workout, you’ll have your jawline sculpted and your face radiant in no time.

Seek Out Professional Treatment

If some of the more natural sculpting methods aren’t providing satisfactory results, you can always turn to the pros for professional-grade treatments, including fillers like Volux. Experts will observe the underlying bone structure and see the width and length of the jawline, as well as how the jawline sits in proportion to the face and neck. Certain fillers can help more so than others to create contour and give a more defined line.

It’s also important to consider the chin since that must be sitting in the right position as well. “The chin and the jawline go hand in hand,” Idriss says. “Last, I look at neuromodulators like Botox or Dysport to loosen up some of the muscular bands. By doing that, it looks tighter.”