Excess fat under the chin, medically referred to as submental fat, can be caused by several factors including weight, age and genetics. The combination of a healthy, balanced diet and exercise can reduce your overall body fat and may lessen the appearance of a double chin...but it doesn't always work. Because our bodies aren't capable of spot reducing fat through exercise, and cellulite creams do not work, what are the options to treat a double chin?

KYBELLA®

KYBELLA® (deoxycholic acid), is the first FDA-approved injectable treatment to reduce fat under the chin for an improved profile. The question is, are the injections worth it?

Kybella is administered via multiple small injections placed under the chin, so no incisions are necessary. The process only takes about 15 to 20 minutes, but more than half of patients will require six treatments. The average price per treatment (according to RealSelf) is $1,375. Recovery side effects may include swelling, pain, numbness, bruising, redness and areas of hardness at the injection site. One RealSelf user said, "...I was swollen like a bullfrog and bruised for three weeks (which they did tell me to expect). There [were] little results but I expected more...".

If you've already had injections such as Botox/Dysport or any facial filler, Kybella may be a natural transition. The treatment is faster than surgery but the recovery is likely longer.

Chin Lipo

Chin liposuction allows for targeted removal of fat with increased accuracy, unlike an injectable where dispersion is somewhat uncontrollable. Use of a small cannula enables the surgeon to customize the treatment for each patient to remove the ideal amount of fat to improve facial symmetry. The idea of chin liposuction may seem intimidating. You may be thinking, "what about the incisions on my face?"...don't worry - the incisions are tiny. Located behind and under the chin, healed incisions are well hidden and rarely noticed. At home downtime is about a week and will have less overall swelling than Kybella. Most chin liposuction treatments are performed in-office under local anesthesia...and most importantly in a single session.

Our Recommendation

Because fat removal technologies like Kybella can be considered imprecise, must be completed in a series and is often a higher cost to the patient, Dr. Anand Patel always recommends liposuction to remove excess fat under the chin. At Visage Facial Plastic Surgery, our practice only offers procedures that are safe and effective. We're continually researching new technologies and treatments, but our approach is to provide cosmetic treatments that are tried-and-true--giving you the best results. It is possible to get rid of a double chin. Call Viságe Facial Plastic Surgery at (262) 701-7040 to discuss how precision chin liposuction can permanently remove stubborn chin fat.