As a beauty editor, I’m constantly staring at and writing about beautiful women. Combine that with the hours I spend seeing my face on Zoom, Facetime, Instagram, etc., and it only makes sense that I've come to analyze (and overanalyze) my appearance.
One thing that’s bugged me about my face for a while is its angles–or lack thereof. Luckily for me, I was able to do something about it by getting jaw filler. It’s my job to try new treatments, after all–and with my job comes access to top cosmetic doctors.
Before we go any further, I want to clarify: I’m not getting injections because I don’t believe I’m beautiful. I also don’t think anyone should be actively trying to look like anyone else. The point is, if something bothers you, it’s nice to feel that you have the power to change it. Especially now, in the age of tweakments.
Now, back to my round face. I’ve been told by both dermatologists and plastic surgeons that having a fuller face is a good thing. A round face and plump skin are signs of youthfulness. When you lose volume in your face, it tends to make you look older. (This isn’t my goal. I get Botox to prevent wrinkles.) But I learned that tweaking my face shape wouldn’t require “removing” roundness or volume; instead, it would mean adding angles. Those angles would come in the form of jaw filler.
Until recently, injecting hyaluronic acid filler in the jaw area was an off-label procedure, which means an experienced professional might use a filler that had been FDA-approved for another part of the face (such as the cheeks) to redefine a jawline. But now there’s a jawline-specific filler with FDA approval: Volux XC. (Volux is one of the fillers in the Juvéderm collection, which also includes Volbella XC for lips and Vollure XC for fine lines, among others.)
To learn the ins and outs of Volux (including the logistics, cost, and potential discomfort level) and to try it for myself, I went to Dendy Engelman, MD, a dermatologist at Shafer Clinic in New York City. Read on for my real-life experience with jawline filler—pics and all.
Volux is much thicker than other fillers.
Similar to Juvéderm’s other fillers, Volux XC is made with hyaluronic acid. But unlike other facial fillers, Volux is thick and has a high viscosity, so it mimics the appearance of bone well, says Dr. Engelman. “After injection, Volux stays in place and provides a great structure.” Because it essentially looks like bone, it gives the jaw and chin a natural shape and sharp definition.
Jaw and chin filler can help with several concerns.
Dr. Engelman describes the best candidates for Volux as “those who are seeking to define or add volume to the jawline.” Jowls or a weak jawline can be genetic, or they can come with aging, so the age range of those who would benefit from jaw filler is wide.
“Some patients seeking jawline filler simply want more definition for a chiseled look,” says Dr. Engelman, which is the camp that I fell into. A double chin wasn’t on my list of concerns (save for when I go to take a picture and my face-fronting camera is accidentally on…), but if it had been, Volux might have offered a solution. Dr. Engelman said that filling the jaw and chin can help to make the skin appear more taut and lessen the appearance of excess fat there.
Even though you’re adding filler, your face may appear slimmer.
I knew going in that I didn’t want filler to make my face look any bigger than it already is. A few years ago I tried undereye filler to combat dark circles and wound up hating it. Instead of a smooth Paris-filter effect that everyone else seems to get with undereye filler, I just felt puffy. And I didn’t want to feel like that again. Dr. Engelman assured me that Volux would actually have the opposite effect: “People always think, Oh, my gosh, I’m going to look heavier or fuller in my lower face. But it actually makes your face look slimmer.”
Jaw filler isn’t for everyone.
“Patients who already have strong definition and structure in the jawline may not be good candidates,” says Dr. Engelman. “Results ultimately depend on the injector, but adding filler to areas that are already well-defined may not have a noticeable effect.” Another concern is that adding filler to a chiseled jawline may “cause the face to be unnaturally shaped, defying facial anatomy norms or ideals.”
Everyone’s anatomy is different.
Of course. But when it comes to filler, your natural face shape will dictate if you need only half a syringe of filler or up to four. “The amount of syringes needed depends on the patient and the results they are looking for—there isn’t really a standard amount,” Dr. Engelman says. (If you’re wondering, she used one syringe on me and I feel that it gave me a very natural-looking result.)
The nice thing about HA fillers is that you can always add more—or dissolve them if you wind up wanting less fullness. Your injector will likely use the amount they think is best, based on your initial consult and desired results, and have you come back in two weeks, when the filler is fully settled. At that point you can decide if you want more—or less.
The results are pretty immediate.
Botox and other neuromodulators that “freeze” your facial muscles (Daxxify, Xeomin, etc.) take about two weeks to kick in. (You essentially keep raising your eyebrows after your appointment until one day you magically can’t.) Fillers, on the other hand, offer some instant gratification. There may be swelling, and you’ll likely feel bumps of filler beneath your skin, but you’ll be able to see results moments after the injection is done. Of course, it takes up to two weeks for the filler to fully settle, but it’s nice to get an idea of what you’re working with right away so you can make requests on the spot. For instance, if you feel that one area needs a little more attention, your provider can assess whether things are even.
Jaw filler lasts longer than filler in other areas.
As a rule of thumb, filler placed in areas that are less expressive will last longer because you’re not using those muscles as much. Dr. Engelman says that Volux lasts about a year and a half compared with other facial fillers, which typically have a lifespan of six months to a year. Volux is also injected deeper beneath the skin and closer to the bone, which means it moves even less.
There are a few dos and don’ts.
Even though bruising isn’t a major concern with Volux, you still may need to adjust your routine. “I recommend sleeping on your back after getting filler,” Dr. Engelman says. She also tells patients to avoid alcohol, which can exacerbate bruising and swelling, and avoid getting massages that requires you to be facedown in a face rest, which “can cause the filler to drift and create undesirable results.”
It’s over quickly and doesn’t hurt.
Most practitioners will slather on numbing cream 15 to 20 minutes before of the injections. That’s what Dr. Engelman did for me, so I got nice and numb before any needles came out. Because of this, the actual injections felt like a pretty mild pinch. Plus, Volux is formulated with a local anesthetic, which helps to further numb the injection site. She also had me ice the area after each needle prick, to minimize pain and swelling. When getting cheek filler in the past, I’ve been able to feel the filler as it goes into my skin and heard almost a crunching sound, but that didn’t happen with my chin and jaw tweakment.
Recovery is mild.
As the numbing cream wore off, my face did start to feel a little bit hot, but it wasn’t unbearable and subsided relatively quickly. (Given that there had been needles under my skin a few short hours before, it made sense that I’d be a little tender.) The evening of the injections, I felt a little discomfort, especially when I was chewing, but again—nothing major.
The next morning my skin was a bit sensitive to the touch as I was washing my face and I felt a little puffy from swelling. But when I wasn’t actively thinking about it, I was totally fine. By the next day I noticed a bump deep below the skin on my chin that felt almost like a cystic pimple, but there was nothing on the surface. “Filler can sometimes clump beneath the skin, creating a small bump,” Dr. Engelman says. “It should go away on its own in anywhere from a few days to a few weeks; it can also be dissolved.” If there is something lingering or bothering you after two weeks, let your practitioner know at your follow-up appointment.
I did wind up taking an Advil the evening after my injection because I had a slight throbbing on one side of my jaw. (It was the same feeling I’d get if I were grinding my teeth.) This is all completely normal and went away within a few days.
I also tend to bruise–I had black eyes for two weeks after my undereye filler–but I only had one little spot under my chin that wound up black-and-blue. And it was an ideal area because it was virtually unnoticeable and blended well with the shadow beneath my jaw.
.png)
Filler is reversible.
If you’re not happy with the results, hyaluronidase will dissolve your HA filler. “The general rule of thumb is to wait about two weeks to a month before dissolving filler for aesthetic reasons,” says Dr. Engelman. “This timeframe gives the filler time to settle–so you can see what the final results will look like before you make the decision to dissolve–and also to avoid overly traumatizing the skin.”
Results are impressive.
For such a quick and easy treatment, the benefits are vast. I noticed a sharper, more chiseled jawline immediately after my Volux injections (refer to the “night of” photo above) and loved the way that it looked. Although it may not be the type of change others immediately notice, it’s clear from my photos that my chin and jaw are more angular. Dr. Engelman mentioned the math and ratios that go into creating the perfect proportions, and while I hadn’t realized that my chin needed anything, adding filler gave it the proper “projection” to balance with my other features.
Cost varies.
As with most aesthetic treatments, the price is going to depend on a few variables. One of the biggest factors is your location. A big city like New York is going to have a higher sticker price than, say, a small Midwestern town. Another thing that you’re paying for is the experience and reputation of the injector. For instance, Shafer Clinic charges $1,800 per syringe of Volux, but a quick web search will reveal a slew of different prices.
