Facial Sagging

What is Facial Sagging?

Facial sagging is the gradual descent of skin and loss of contour in the face. Cheeks can settle lower, jowls can form along the jawline, the folds beside the nose and mouth can deepen, and the lower face can start to look heavier. Some people notice early softening from their thirties and it tends to build slowly over the years.

Sagging is rarely one change. Skin laxity, loss of volume as well as loss of deep support all have a role to play, and targeted treatments can help address each of these components to create a harmonious improvement.

What Causes Facial Sagging

Sagging usually reflects changes in three layers at once: the skin, the fat beneath it and the deeper support layer. Which layer leads in your face shapes what will help. Facial Sagging can come from a range of factors, including:

Collagen and elastin loss: From the late twenties these proteins slowly decline, so skin holds itself less firmly and springs back less well.
Weaker deeper support: The SMAS, the connective tissue layer that carries the face, can stretch and lose its grip with age, and gravity then draws the tissue above it downward.
Shrinking fat pads and bony changes: Fat in the cheeks and around the mouth can thin and the bone beneath can slowly recede, so the face loses the cushion and structure that once held it up.
Sun exposure: Years of UV exposure wear down collagen and elastin, which can bring loosening forward.
Genetics: Family history can decide how early, and how far, skin loosens.
Weight changes and lifestyle: Rapid weight gain or loss can stretch skin, and smoking can reduce blood flow and deplete collagen.

Treatments for Facial Sagging at ARTÉ

The plan that suits you depends on what is driving the sag, which Dr. Michelle assesses at a consultation first. The treatments below are grouped by what they do: tighten loose skin, lift and rebuild support, and restore lost volume.

Ultherapy PRIME

Ultherapy PRIME pairs focused ultrasound with live imaging, so energy lands at chosen depths, including the SMAS, the face's deep support layer. It can lift the brows, cheeks and jowls as collagen renews over the following months. It is aimed at mild to moderate laxity, with little recovery time needed.

Sofwave

Sofwave delivers synchronised parallel ultrasound beams at a shallow, even depth, while a cooling surface shields the outer skin. The heat prompts fresh collagen and elastin, so skin can feel firmer over the following months. It is intended for mild to moderate laxity, with a gentle brow lift and firmer skin around the eyes.

XERF

XERF uses radiofrequency at two frequencies at once, one working in the upper skin and the other reaching deeper toward the fibrous bands that anchor it. The heat tightens existing collagen, then prompts new collagen. It suits a softening jawline and early jowls. Built-in cooling protects the surface.

InMode Forma

InMode Forma is a gentle radiofrequency treatment that heats the skin evenly while sensors watch the temperature. That heat stimulates the skin's collagen and elastin, and drooping around the cheeks and jowls can feel firmer over a course of sessions. It suits early looseness, and normal activities can resume soon after.

Morpheus8

Morpheus8 combines fine microneedles with radiofrequency to reach the deeper layer that holds collagen. It works to firm the cheeks and jawline and can help with jowls and an undefined jaw. It fits skin that skincare no longer moves. Mild pinkness or puffiness can follow.

InMode Mini FX

This treatment pairs radiofrequency heat with gentle suction, which suits smaller zones such as the jawline and jowls. The warmth firms skin and helps refine the contour where it has started to sag slightly. Most people describe warmth with a mild tugging. It is chosen for definition rather than volume.

Clarity II Long-Pulsed Laser

A dual-wavelength platform, this laser gently heats the skin to encourage collagen, with subtle lifting and firming building over months. Being broad-purpose, it suits sagging alongside pigmentation, texture or visible vessels in one plan.

Dermalift

Dermalift places tiny amounts of well-diluted botulinum toxin just under the skin surface, often along the sides of the cheeks and the jawline. It works at skin level to support the skin's own structure, giving a subtle lift and firmer skin. It suits early laxity and anyone who prefers quiet, gradual change.

CaHa Biostimulator

CaHa Biostimulator uses calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres in a soft gel. Placed to contour, it can lift and define the cheeks and jawline straight away while collagen builds over the following months. Spread thinly through the skin, it can improve crepey, sagging texture.

PCL Biostimulator

PCL Biostimulator uses polycaprolactone, a biocompatible material that gives structure and lift straight away, then prompts your own collagen over the following weeks. It is placed into the cheeks, temples or jawline. It suits sagging that comes with some volume loss and reduced firmness.

PDO Biostimulator

PDO Biostimulator uses microspheres of polydioxanone, an absorbable polymer, to encourage natural collagen. Firmness, elasticity and a subtle lift build gradually. It suits early to moderate sagging and loosening skin, supporting both structure and skin quality with only modest added volume.

PLLA Biostimulator

PLLA Biostimulator uses minute poly-L-lactic acid particles to prompt your skin to build its own collagen. It rebuilds support around the temples, cheeks and jawline, and skin can look firmer and more elastic as collagen forms gradually over months. It suits skin losing firmness alongside volume.

5 Point Adipose Structural Bioremodelling HA

This hyaluronic acid bioremodelling treatment is placed deeper in the skin, at set points around the jaw corner. It aims to strengthen the framework beneath the lower cheeks, jawline and chin. It suits a middle or lower face that is loosening, sagging or hollowing, and skin can feel denser across a course of sessions.

Under-Eye Fillers

When hollowing under the eyes adds to a tired, drooping look, fillers can replenish the hollow beneath the eye and soften its shadows. They suit a structural cause, such as lost volume. Dr. Michelle will say so if a different option would serve you better.

Possible side effects: Mild swelling, bruising or tenderness can follow injections, while energy treatments can bring temporary warmth or pinkness. Both usually settle on their own. A consultation is needed first, and results vary from person to person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can non-surgical treatment lift a sagging face?

For mild to moderate sagging, it can often improve the look of lift and firmness. Pronounced sagging tends to respond more modestly, and Dr. Michelle will be candid about what is realistic for you.

Can tightening and volume treatments be combined?

Often, yes. Tightening devices firm skin but cannot replace lost volume, and volume treatments will not tighten loose skin. Plans commonly use them in sequence, building support first and then firming around it.

Does the treatment hurt?

Injections are done with numbing cream, and most people describe light pricks and pressure. Energy devices tend to feel warm, sometimes with a cooling burst, and we go through comfort options before you begin.

How soon will results show, and how long can they last?

Some fillers and biostimulators show an effect straight away, with collagen building afterwards. Energy treatments usually develop over several months. As skin keeps ageing, repeat sessions are common.

How soon can I get back to normal?

These treatments generally need little time away. Redness, warmth or mild swelling usually settles quickly, and Morpheus8 can leave small marks from the microneedles a little longer.

Why Choose ARTÉ by Dr. M for Facial Sagging?

Doctor-Led Care

Nobody else assesses or treats your face: Dr. Michelle Ng does both. She has practised aesthetic medicine for over a decade, so she can read how the skin, the fat and the deeper support in your face are each changing.

A Plan for What Is Driving Your Sag

Before anything is chosen, Dr. Michelle works out whether loose skin, lost volume, weaker deeper support or a mix is behind the sag. Tightening cannot replace volume, and volume alone will not firm loose skin, so plans often layer the two in a sensible order.

Natural-Looking Results

We want your face to look lifted and well rested, never overfilled or overdone. Treatment stays conservative and in proportion, so you keep your own features and expression, and change builds gradually.

Safety-First Approach

Each visit begins with an assessment. Aftercare notes go home with you, and a later review visit checks how your face is responding.

Book Your Facial Sagging Consultation at ARTÉ by Dr. M

When it is hard to tell whether skin, volume or deeper support lies behind the change in your face, Dr. Michelle will look at each and explain which options could suit you.

Book a Consultation

This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Dr. Michelle will assess your concern at a consultation and advise on the treatment that suits you.