If you lose a lot of weight, it can have a major impact on your appearance. Loose skin around the abdominal area, chest, lower extremities, and upper arms is common, requiring surgery to tighten the skin and your body contours. It should be no surprise that the face can be affected by weight loss as well.

Thankfully our Dallas, TX plastic surgery center offers facial plastic surgery and rejuvenation for people who have lost a lot of weight. Let’s take a moment to consider the ways that weight loss alters the appearance of your face. We’ll then briefly note some treatment options for facial rejuvenation after major weight loss.

Weight Loss and Facial Fat Loss

While weight loss changes your body, it affects certain regions of the body more than others. You will notice changes to the fullness and roundness to your face as part of the reduction to your overall body fat percentage. However, these changes will not be as pronounced as the changes to your stomach and torso. Most of your excess body fat is located around the trunk of the body.

Sharpening of the Jawline and Cheekbones

Many people who lose a lot of weight will notice that their jawline and cheekbones are sharper and more angular. This is due to the loss of facial fat around the cheeks and the lower portions of the face. Your cheek bones will seem more prominent, and the lower portion of your cheeks may seem thinner and perhaps slightly hollow. The shape of your jawline might also be more defined as a result of major weight loss.

Lines and Wrinkles Become Deeper

As you lose facial fat, certain lines and wrinkles that were already present may become more pronounced. The lines around the nose and mouth are particularly prone to this. The nasolabial folds by the nose and upper lips and the marionette lines of the lower lips and chin can seem deeper and more prominent. Crow’s feet around the eyes may also seem to deepen and become more noticeable.

Jowls Develop or Become Pronounced

Perhaps the biggest change to the face following weight loss involves the jowls. This is the lower part of the cheeks. Because of the loss of facial fat and the loose skin of the face, the jowls will become more prominent and sag more than before. Your jowls may seem especially pronounced because of the deepening of the nasolabial folds and marionette lines.

Sagging Skin Around Your Neckline

The neckline is usually a problem area for people after major weight loss since a lot of fat accumulates around the neck. In some cases, the loss of fat is so extreme that the skin around the throat hangs far too loose. This sometimes causes people to have a “turkey neck” look, which can be very off-putting.

Facial Rejuvenation Options after Major Weight Loss

To reduce the appearance of these lines and wrinkles, a plastic surgeon can perform various procedures to smooth away wrinkles and remove loose skin. A traditional facelift is a good option for crow’s feet, while a lower face lift is more ideal for sagging around the jawline and jowls. A neck lift is also a good option for removing the loose skin around the neckline.

These facial surgeries may be part of a total body lift, which is a helpful procedure for people who have experienced changes to their appearance after major weight loss.

Learn More about Facial Rejuvenation

For more information about looking your best after major changes, be sure to contact an experienced cosmetic plastic surgeon. We can discuss all of your options for treatment in greater detail.