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Lifting Ultherapy PRIME® Thermage® FLX

Facial sagging after rapid diet, how to recover?

Dr. Ko Hyerim Ko Hyerim Dermatologist · Suwon Branch

Last reviewed

Rapid weight loss over a short period often leaves the face with both hollowing and sagging. A combined approach is needed: fill hollowed areas with Sculptra, JUVELOOK Volume, or HA filler; tighten thinned skin with radiofrequency treatments like Thermage® FLX and replenishment of the dermal matrix (ECM); and lift a collapsed jawline with Ultherapy PRIME® or Soprano Titanium.

Why Does the Face Look Suddenly Older and Sag Severely After Rapid Weight Loss?

Beneath the skin of our face, there are fat pads that act like cushions, plumping the skin. When you lose weight quickly, the volume of these cushions decreases sharply. Because the skin cannot shrink at the same pace, the excess skin sags, like a deflated balloon. (Recently, the term "Ozempic face" has even been coined to describe the phenomenon of the face aging after short-term weight loss, fueled by the popularity of obesity treatments.)

When this is combined with the natural decline in collagen, which decreases by about 1% each year starting in the mid-20s, and bone resorption, where the facial bones themselves lose volume with age, the bone, fat, and collagen collapse in a triple manner, making the face appear more hollow and aged.

What Procedures Can Fill Hollow Areas (e.g., Sunken Cheeks) After Weight Loss?

The empty spaces created by fat loss on the face can be improved with volume-restoring procedures. Since the ingredients and mechanisms of action differ for each procedure, the most suitable method is chosen based on the type of hollowing and the condition of your skin.

  • Sculptra (PLLA): This involves injecting fine particles of a safe ingredient (PLLA) derived from plants into the deep layers of the skin, stimulating your own skin to produce new collagen. Over several months, collagen gradually fills in, making it particularly effective for naturally restoring broad hollow areas like sunken cheeks, as if with your own tissue.
  • JUVELOOK Volume (PDLLA): This combines biodegradable polymer (PDLLA) particles with hyaluronic acid (HA), also stimulating autologous collagen production. The particles have a round, porous structure, causing less foreign body sensation, and they increase the density of the dermis and fat layer, helping to create a natural volume and improve overall elasticity.
  • Hyaluronic acid (HA) filler: This procedure injects a hyaluronic acid gel, similar to the body's natural moisture component, to physically fill empty spaces immediately. It is a very useful option when you need to precisely and quickly correct deep hollows in specific spots, such as the temples or nasolabial folds, without waiting for collagen production.

If My Skin Has Become Thinner and Less Elastic After Weight Loss, What Procedures Do I Need?

If your face has lost volume and the skin 'fabric' itself has become thin and flabby, simply filling the empty spaces with volume is not enough. Procedures that restore the density and firmness of the dermal layer must be performed together.

  • Radiofrequency Tightening (Thermage® FLX, etc.): This delivers powerful radiofrequency (RF) heat energy to the dermis, causing loose, stretched collagen fibers to contract and stimulating new collagen synthesis. It acts like ironing the thin, weakened skin surface, making it smooth and firm.
  • Dermal Matrix (ECM) Structure Replenishment: This involves directly injecting key structural components of the dermis, such as collagen or elastin, into the skin. Beyond waiting for autologous collagen production, it provides a scaffold for the aged, thinned skin fabric itself, which has resulted from short-term weight loss, effectively and immediately rebuilding it to be thicker and healthier.

How Can I Lift a Collapsed Jawline and Deeply Sagging Flesh (Jowls, Double Chin)?

If the skin, having lost its support, has shifted downward due to gravity, causing the jawline to collapse and the face to appear wider, a powerful lifting procedure that firmly pulls up from the deepest fascial layer of the face (SMAS) is necessary.

  • Ultherapy PRIME®: Ultrasound energy is delivered deep into the fascial layer (SMAS) to induce contraction, powerfully lifting the sagging jawline and cheeks.
  • Soprano Titanium: Three wavelengths of laser are applied simultaneously to provide immediate tightening and smooth contouring from the superficial to the deep layers of the skin. Its advantage is that it causes less pain.

What Should I Be Careful About When Treating Both Hollows and Sagging at the Same Time?

After rapid weight loss, the problems of empty spaces (hollowing) and excess skin (sagging) usually appear together. Therefore, combining lifting and volume procedures appropriately is necessary to achieve the most natural and satisfying results. In particular, pay attention to the following two points.

  • Selecting the Right Device for Each Area (Beware of Worsening Hollowing): It is essential to accurately analyze which areas of the face are sagging and which are hollowed, and then apply the appropriate procedure. For example, while Ultherapy PRIME®, a powerful HIFU lifting treatment, is excellent for lifting a collapsed jawline or the flesh of a double chin, indiscriminately applying it to areas where fat has already been lost and is deeply hollowed, such as the cheeks or temples, can actually worsen the hollowing. Therefore, it is essential to carefully select the type of lifting device and target areas based on the individual's facial contours.
  • Maintain your weight (avoid repeated rapid weight loss): The most fundamental precaution is to avoid repeated rapid dieting after treatment. Even if you have filled the volume inside your skin with procedures such as autologous collagen induction, if you diet heavily again and lose facial fat, you will lose the volume you worked hard to regain. Therefore, it is recommended to plan your full facial recovery procedures once your weight loss has stabilized to some extent.

References

Ko Hyerim

Dermatologist · Heal House Suwon Branch

We will always be by your side, striving so that your life shines more confidently with skin full of confidence.