Droopy skin may be cute on dogs, but you don’t want your face to resemble a pug’s!

Jowls are one of the most common signs of ageing, motivating many women to consider cosmetic surgery. Sagging skin around the cheeks and jawline takes a long time to develop, changing the shape of your face dramatically and making you appear older than you are.

The good news, though, is that jowls aren’t inevitable and can be reversed with the right techniques. Below, we’ve put together five common causes and ways to get rid of them…

Most common causes of jowls

Sunlight

Spending too much time in the sun can expose your skin to harmful UV rays, which will break down the collagen and elastin in your skin faster. We recommend that you limit your exposure to the sun, and always wear a moisturiser with SPF – even in the winter months.

Technology

We’re spending more time than ever staring at screens. When we’re not in the office working on a PC, we’re scrolling through Instagram on our smartphones. By bending our heads all day, we increase our chances of developing jowls and “tech neck” which causes back pain.

Ageing

As we age, our skin’s most vital proteins, collagen and elastin, break down, which over time can lead to sagging. Once we hit 20, we produce about 1% less collagen a year, causing our skin to become thinner and more fragile. That’s the perfect recipe for saggy skin and jowls.

Smoking

We all know that smoking is bad for us, but did you know that it can cause jowls? Just like the sun, smoking can damage your body’s natural collagen and elastin levels, and smoking tightens your blood vessels, meaning less blood flow and oxygen to your face and skin.

Skin type

Unfortunately, some women are more prone to jowls than others. Though most of us have skin that will lose its elasticity and sag, other women have a skin type and facial structure that means they’re unlikely to develop jowls. It’s all down to genetics – blame your parents!

How to get rid of jowls

Oralift anti-ageing device

Oralift is a set of two devices that are individually programmed for your face. They look like a mouthguard and are designed to be worn for up to two hours, every three days.

In a study of Oralift users, all reported that their skin had improved and their ageing triangle had reversed. The ageing triangle is the downward trend that affects the corners of the eyes and mouth, flattening of the cheeks and the formation of jowls. Read the full study here.

Quit smoking

We’re not here to lecture you. If you’re trying to prevent or reduce the appearance of jowls, quitting smoking will make a big difference. And it’s not just sagging that smoking affects – the chances of skin cancer are increased by as much as 52% when you smoke, and skin conditions like psoriasis, acne inversa, vasculitis, and telangiectasia can be worsened.

Wear makeup

Through the magic of makeup, you can reduce the appearance of jowls. First, buy a good quality moisturiser, select a foundation that matches your skin tone, and buy a contour that is one to three shades darker than your skin. Blend downward to disguise your jowls and add highlights to draw the eye away from your jowls. YouTube is a great resource for tutorials.

Do some exercises

Some research suggests that facial exercises can reduce the appearance of jowls and help your face to hold its shape for longer, but conflicting reports suggest that evidence is weak.

Nonetheless, it’s worth trying out a couple of facial exercises – yawning to open your mouth as far as it goes, then closing it slowly is one of the most common. You could also hum with your tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth. Repeat every day for at least six weeks.

Jawline tightening

If you don’t want to go under the knife, you could experiment with jawline tightening, which uses heat and radiofrequency to tighten the skin around your neck. The procedure can be carried out in less than 30 minutes and you don’t need to factor in any recovery time, but the treatment can cost upwards of £2,000 ($2,500). The risk of infection increases as you age.

Find out more about the Oralift anti-ageing device on our website.