Jowl Improvement With Injectable Fillers: Jawline Injections Alone Versus Jawline and Cheek Injections

Abstract

Background: Jowling is a common aesthetic complaint in aging individuals.

Objective: Injectable filler placed at the lateral jawline will improve the appearance of jowls, as defined by the Merz Aesthetic Jawline Grading Scale (MAJGS). This improvement will be independent of concomitant injection of filler into the lateral cheek.

Methods: Fifteen female subjects with grade 2 to 3 jowls on a scale of 0 to 4 were enrolled to receive either VYC-20L in the mandibular angle/ramus (Group 1) or the mandibular angle/ramus and lateral cheek (Group 2). The subjects were evaluated by a blinded cosmetic dermatologist and themselves at 4 weeks after the last injection.

Results: A statistically significant improvement was noted in Group 1 by all blinded reviewers and subjects. Group 2 did not reach statistical significance as evaluated by the blinded dermatologist although did by the subject's rating. The average amount of filler injected per subject was 3.36 mL for group 1 and 8.38 mL for group 2. A novel adverse event was tenderness when chewing lasting for 2 to 3 days.

Conclusion: Injection of VYC-20L showed statistical improvement in a validated jowl scale when injected at the angle of the mandible and the mandibular ramus, independent of concomitant lateral cheek injections.