How to Treat a Double Chin When Weight Loss Doesn’t Work

If you find yourself with a little extra fat below the chin and along the jawline even after considerable weight loss, you may be looking for a solution that helps you restore that slimming jawline definition.

Submental fullness, commonly referred to as a double chin, can affect the appearance of your face and jawline and can continue to persist even after substantial weight loss. The good news, however, is that there are both non-invasive and surgical options that can help reduce the appearance of a double chin and give you back your jawline.

Non-Surgical Options

If you are not ready to take the plunge with surgical procedures, it is still possible to address a double chin with minimally invasive procedures such as CoolSculpting or injectables such as Kybella.

• CoolSculpting is a non-surgical body contouring treatment that freezes and kills fat cells in the neck, delivering a more contoured jawline. The CoolSculpting applicator can be changed out to target this smaller, more focused area rather than the larger areas the device treats for body contouring.
• Kybella works in a similar way, but instead of freezing, you receive injections into the fat, which will kill off the targeted fat cells. It’s the only FDA-cleared injectable treatment for a double chin.
• While both of these options deliver permanent results, recovery is dramatically different. With Kybella, you can experience swelling up to two weeks after injections. In contrast, CoolSculpting has zero downtime.

Surgical Options

While Kybella and CoolSculpting do provide noticeable results, many doctors still believe that surgical liposuction provides the safest, most-reliable, and dramatic results when it comes to correcting a double chin. With the use of a small cannula through a small incision underneath the chin, liposuction removes the fat underneath the chin and helps restore a more youthful appearance.

While chin and neck liposuction is a surgical procedure, it can be performed quickly and has minimal risk of lasting scarring. And on the plus side, it can remove a greater amount of fat than other treatment options. Plus, you don’t have to wait for your body to remove the fat on its own following treatment, so you’ll see results much sooner.

If you have worked hard to lose weight but are still bothered by a double chin, it’s worth talking with a board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss if you’re a good candidate for an aesthetic treatment and help you determine which procedures can deliver the results you want.