Although there have been great strides in technology that have improved facial fat loss treatments such as facelifts and liposuction, there are still many people who want to improve their looks without the need for any kind of surgery.
Liposuction is a simple and effective way to get rid of excess unwanted fat cells in various parts of the body from the jawline to the stomach to arms to legs and more, but plastic surgery isn’t necessarily something that every person wants to put themselves through.
Invasive fat reduction options to deal with double chin fat carry risks, and may also require significant downtime and recovery periods that are not conducive to everybody’s lifestyle.
The cosmetic industry is very good at responding to people’s needs and non-surgical treatments for excess fat are becoming more available and more popular. Various FDA-approved treatments can deal with issues like chin fat and sagging skin in the chin area.
Here are some of the non-surgical ways to get rid of a double chin without the need for surgical facelifts or neck lifts.
What is a Double Chin?
Let’s get into the technical bits. The medical term for a double chin is submental adiposity or less technically submental fat. It is an excess layer of fatty tissue under the lower jaw.
It is not always the result of being overweight. A double chin may form because of weight gain but it may also be a result of other factors.
Genetics: If you are otherwise healthy and not overweight, family history can contribute to a double chin.
Age: The proteins responsible for keeping skin firm and elastic are collagen and elastin. As you age, the body produces less of these proteins causing the skin to sag. Sagging skin can occur anywhere, including on the jawline.
Posture: Over time, posture naturally weakens chin and neck muscles and this combined with a reduction in collagen will cause the loss of elasticity, leading to a double chin.
A double chin can affect men and women and the young and the old but there are solutions.
Weight Loss And Exercise
When approached for medical advice, professionals in the cosmetic and beauty industry will always suggest that natural means of body transformation are the best route.
If the amount of submental fat is minimal and has been caused by minor weight gain, then reversing that weight gain can often be the solution to get rid of a double chin.
As well as following a healthy diet with reduced calorie intake to lose weight and regularly working out, there are also specific exercises to target the neck and chin area. Search online and you’ll find plenty of ideas for targeted exercises.
For example, the motion of tilting the head back and thrusting the jaw forwards in regular bursts can help to strengthen the muscles in the jaw and neck. Doing this in sets of 20, about 3 times a day for a few weeks can start to have a visual impact on the tightness of your neck.
Submental fat can be very stubborn so even with steady weight loss, a double chin may not reduce or disappear.
Kybella Injections
Kybella is one of the newest and trendiest treatments that has been approved by the FDA. Many experts believe that they are among the best yet. Kybella is a synthetic formula designed to replicate one of the body’s natural processes.
The gallbladder produces bile which contains deoxycholic acid that works in the intestines to break down fatty food so it makes sense that this fat-dissolving property could be put to good use in other areas of the body.
Kybella is a synthetic version of the acid designed for the treatment of double chins. It is injected subcutaneously into the treatment area. Deoxycholic acid destroys fat cells so they cannot store fat anymore. The dissolved fat becomes cellular debris and is removed from the body by the lymphatic and circulatory systems while the deoxycholic acid is metabolized and excreted as waste.
Patients usually require several Kybella treatments, usually up to six and usually six weeks apart. Results can expect to be seen after two to four sessions. Your aesthetic physician will discuss the personalized treatment plan and how many treatment sessions you will need.
CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting, also known as cryolipolysis, is an FDA-approved procedure that works by cooling the skin and connective tissues underneath the surface.
Science has proven that fat cells are susceptible to the interference of extremely cold temperatures.
Once the cooling treatment has been applied to the desired part of the body, the fat cells begin to break down and effectively die over the next few days. The dead fat cells are then eliminated by the body, leaving the treated area smoother, and slimmer.
Coolsculpting is popular because it is less invasive than liposuction and does not involve incisions in the body. There is also no downtime because no skin or tissue is damaged.
A Coolsculpting session on the chin lasts between 45-90 minutes depending on the extent of the area being treated but it can take 3 to 6 months for the destroyed fat cells to leave the body. You can expect a reduction in the volume of fat in the treated area of 20% per treatment.
Radiofrequency Body Contouring
Another effective method for chin fat removal is the use of radiofrequency heat with or without microneedling for body contouring. Its primary purpose is to treat skin texture irregularities and tighten up the appearance of loose skin, however, reduction in small pockets of fat can also be seen. This makes it a more effective treatment for minimal submental fat or treatment following fat removal by one of the other methods described in this article.
Removing any amount of fat from the body, no matter which area, runs the risk of leaving slightly sagging skin for a time, and radiofrequency body contouring/radiofrequency microneedling can address this issue.
The treatment uses radio frequency energy to stimulate the production of new collagen by heating the inner layer of the skin. Collagen is the substance that helps to keep skin looking and feeling elastic and youthful, making it an essential part of any anti-aging treatment or fat removal scenario.
There are minimal side effects with this treatment, with minimal discomfort and downtime. Depending on the intensity of the treatment, patients can often immediately resume the activities and tasks of their everyday lives when undergoing radiofrequency-based fat reduction, and this is why it is such a popular and appealing choice for those who can’t take time out to recover at home.
Which Treatment is Best For You?
It is not possible to decide which treatment will be most effective for your double chin without professional consultation and examination. Consider scheduling an appointment with Z Center for Cosmetic Health, where our board-certified surgeon, Dr. Michael Zadeh, will examine your jawline, chin, and neck area to determine the volume of fat and extent of sagging skin and will advise accordingly.