Jowls. Just the word makes you think, "old." Where do sagging jowls come from and how can they be eliminated? If you could find a way to get rid of them, surely you could take years off your appearance. Discover the options to eliminate those age-adding jowls for good.

Jowls are commonly referred to as the sagging skin on the lower jaw area of your face, usually starting under the corners of your mouth, and ending where your face meets the jawline. You may develop little "sacs" on the sides of your face right below your mouth. As your cheeks continue to drop and sag, the result is a more pronounced "jowling" effect.

Sometimes, the skin is so out of tone and sagging that if you move your head quickly, your jowls will shake. Let me assure you that this is not a pretty picture. Jowls are nothing more than sagging skin on the lower part of your face, formed when the cheeks begin to drop and sag. Sometimes your chin may get lost as the jowls take over.

If jowling were a sport, I would want to be the last one picked to be on the team. Seriously. Jowling can be due to heredity, and it's likely that if your grandmother and mother had jowls, you will, too. Jowling also comes from age as the collagen in your skin breaks down, looses elasticity and the fibers underneath weaken, resulting in loose, sagging skin (a/k/a jowls). It should be noted that smoking expedites the collagen breakdown process, which is one reason why smokers look older than they are.

There are several options to stop the madness and get the jowls under control.

Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery or a "Lift" Procedure

Surgery is the fastest way to "lift" or eliminate sagging jowls. Liposuction may also be used if there are fatty deposits in the skin, for an even tighter jawline and resulting effect.

Plastic or cosmetic surgery or even a mini lift will give you immediate results, but as with anything, results may vary by individual. There are risks with any surgical procedure, so make sure you are doing your homework to be absolutely certain the surgeon is board-certified and qualified to perform the procedure.

After the procedure, you make have bruising, swelling, redness, etc. which will take time to heal.

How long the procedure lasts will also depend on how well your skin responds to the procedure. Lifts and surgery effects typically last for up to 10-15 years. But, you've heard the expression, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature," right? Well, Mother Nature will definitely get you back because despite having a face lift, the skin will continue to age. Having plastic surgery can have a long-term effect on how well you age. You probably will look better than someone who has not had any plastic surgery, but the aging process will continue. You may opt to have another lift done if you choose to do so.

Topical Creams and Vitamins

Topical creams containing vitamins that are good for the skin and also containing collagen, in addition to taking skin-loving vitamins (like A, C and D), is a great place to start. Look for collagen creams that can penetrate deep into the layers of the skin and work from the inside out to re-build weakened fibers and increase elasticity that give way with advancing years.

Will vitamins and creams alone be enough to completely eliminate your jowls? Probably not. Although, your skin will most likely look better and as long as you continue using the cream, will appear firmer.

This is a long-term solution that requires you to make a commitment and be diligent about using the collagen cream. However, if you are already good about your skincare routine, this should not be too big of an issue.

Facial Exercise

Another possible solution is to work the muscles with facial firming exercises. Facial exercises can be targeted to work specific muscles in the face and neck and after time, will firm up these problem areas.

Facial firming exercises will work if you do them and again, this is a long-term solution that will require you to perform the exercises diligently 3-5 times per week. The good news is that these exercises can be done within about 15 minutes per day and in the privacy of your own home. There are no scars or downtime for recovery and the results are progressive meaning that the longer you do them, the better the results. If you don't care for the thought of surgery or don't have the money saved up to have a procedure done, then this may be a good option for you.

You should begin to see some results within 2-4 weeks, depending on the person, and a noticeable difference within 3 months, about the time it takes for topical creams to take effect. For the fastest results, use a good collagen cream in addition to the facial exercises.

The nice thing about facial exercise is that it is easy and you can work your entire face and neck area instead of just one or two areas. By exercising the facial muscles, you can achieve an overall youthful appearance to the face, including the ability to smooth out wrinkles around the eyes, between the brows and on the forehead.

Just by looking at anyone who has sagging jowls will prove just how much they can age you, and they age you a lot. Jowls alone can make you look 5-10 years older than you are. Heredity, smoking, sun damage and the natural breakdown of collagen are all working against you, so it's up to you to take some kind of action if you really want to eliminate those jowls. Give some thought to how much of a time and monetary commitment you can or are willing to make, and then go to work on looking younger.

To fight the effects of aging, like sagging jowls, do your homework, decide on your best course of action and begin the transition of looking younger starting today.