There is a reason contouring has stayed popular all these years: people are always chasing a more sculpted face, and the jawline sits at the centre of that wish. A defined jawline can make your whole face look lifted and firm, even a little slimmer. The catch is that time works against it. “With age, we lose elasticity in the skin,” explains celebrity esthetician Ildi Pekar, and that loosening shows up first around the jawline and jowls. The good news is that there are ways to slow the process down. “We can increase collagen and improve elasticity with non-invasive facial services and a proper home care regimen,” Pekar says.
For this guide, we spoke to Pekar and to board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss, MD, about how to sculpt your jawline at home — and which treatments are worth seeking out from a professional. From daily habits to in-office options, here are the nine tips they swear by.
Key Takeaways
- Regular facial massage can temporarily improve jawline firmness by increasing circulation and promoting lymphatic drainage.
- Adding SPF to your daily skincare routine is crucial to prevent collagen breakdown and sagging.
- Microcurrent facials, professional and at-home, can give immediate yet temporary results, so consistency and maintenance matter.
Meet the Experts
- Shereene Idriss, MD — Board-certified dermatologist, founder of Idriss Dermatology in New York City, and creator of the #pillowtalkderm Instagram series.
- Ildi Pekar — Celebrity esthetician and owner and founder of Ildi Pekar Skin Care and Ildi Pekar Wellness Studio.
01. 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.”
That does not mean your habits do not matter — far from it. 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. Your daily routine is quietly shaping the face you see in the mirror.
One habit Dr. Idriss is firm about avoiding is smoking. It causes vascular constriction, which means blood flow to the skin is decreased, and that can lead to prematurely sagging skin. If a defined jawline is the goal, cigarettes are working directly against it.
02. Pick Up Gua Sha
Regularly giving yourself a manual face massage can be a great temporary fix, and Pekar’s favourite tool for it is the gua sha. To get the most out of your gua sha massage, she recommends starting by applying your go-to face oil or cream to your face, neck, and décolletage. Then gently open up the lymph nodes using your hands above your collarbone, on your neck, and behind your ears.
Next, apply gentle pressure with the stone, keeping it in an almost flat position — at about a 15-degree angle — and gently pull the skin upwards. Work through one side of the face and neck first, then move to the other side.
“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.
03. 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 is crucial to wear sunscreen daily — yes, even on those days when you spend most of it cooped up inside.
04. Get Microcurrent Facials
When you are looking to improve your jawline, Pekar says your best bet for a professional 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.”
05. Try a Microcurrent Facial Device
The at-home version is great for maintenance when you can’t see a professional. There is 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 is 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.
06. Use the Right Skincare Products
Though it is 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.
07. 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.”
Byrdie Tip: CoolSculpting is a potential alternative to surgical treatment for sculpting the jawline.
08. 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.
09. 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.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes a sagging jawline?
Ultimately, it all comes down to genetics. “There are many things [that cause a jawline to sag], but the biggest is your bone structure,” Dr. Idriss says. Your natural musculature also has a huge impact on your jawline. “The people who are genetically blessed are those who have a really strong jawline,” she says. “They tend to do better because they have the baseline support and structure of their face present as they age.”
How can I tighten my jawline naturally?
Though at-home techniques can help improve your jawline, Dr. Idriss says, it’s important to keep your expectations realistic. “You can somewhat manipulate your musculature if you have the right baseline,” she says. “But it’s like a 10 percent improvement, nothing like a 90 percent. It’s all about expectations. Eventually, genetics and gravity are going to take action. Even losing weight has been the cause of sagging. I think you need a little bit of help in the technological domain in order to get the best effects.”
When should I see a professional?
“Everybody’s different. I think you start when it really starts to affect you and your self-esteem. It’s something you want to work on as a long-game strategy,” says Dr. Idriss. “For example, if it’s an older woman who’s never had anything done and doesn’t want to get a facelift, I’ll work on tightening her skin, whether it’s through ultrasound energy-based devices or radio frequency-based devices.”
