Overview
A double chin, or what is medically known as submental fullness, is a common condition that occurs when a layer of fat accumulates below a person’s chin. A double chin is often associated with weight gain, but you don’t have to be overweight to have a double chin. Two more reasons that can be possible triggers for double chins include genetics or loose skin that results from aging.
A double chin can be treated using several methods. Some of them you can do at home, and others must be done by a medical professional. Some of those treatments include diet and exercise, mesotherapy, dissolving enzymes, chin filler, threads, high-intensity ultrasound waves treatment, and surgery liposuction.
This article will help you better understand what a double chin is, how to get rid of it at home, or what other, easier alternative medical treatments you could resort to in case the one at home did not work. Read more to have all your questions regarding double chins and their treatments thoroughly answered.
Factors that Chin Area Assessment Must Take into Consideration
There are multiple factors that affect the assessment of the chin area, some of those are fixed, and others depend on external elements. These factors include:
- Amount of fat accumulated
- Laxity of the face and neck skin
- The three-dimensional shape of the chin from protrusion to projection.
- The face’s bone structure and jawline
Exercises that Can Reduce a Double Chin
There is no scientific evidence that exercise can get rid of a double chin; however, some people reported that it actually worked for them. Therefore, here are some exercises that may help shape and tone the muscles and skin in the area of your double chin.
Treatments that Can Help Reduce Double Chin
As mentioned earlier in this article, there are multiple different types of treatments for a double chin that you can resort to according to the cause of the double chin. If you consult a medical professional, they can probably offer you a single treatment or a combination of treatment modalities to help you get rid of your double chin. The following are some of the double chin treatments available to you.
Mesotherapy
Mesotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that works by multiple injections in a grid at the site of fat accumulation. Injections contain deoxycholic acid, which helps break and dissolve fat by helping your body absorb it.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved deoxycholic acid (Kybella) for medical uses. A patient may need multiple sessions with at least three weeks between each session.
Kybella is not currently available in Jordan, but many types of Mesotherapy with the same active ingredients are used instead.
Potential side effects of deoxycholic acid and other Mesotherapy injectables might include:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Tenderness
- Pain
- Numbness
- Redness
Enzymes injections to help dissolve fat
This process involves using a combination of enzymes and then injecting them under the jawline to help dissolve the fat in your chin area. The enzymes used in this process are lipase, hyaluronidase, and collagenase.
Lipase is an enzyme that dissolves fat, hyaluronidase is an enzyme that helps decrease swelling and improve lymphatic drainage, and finally, collagenase is an enzyme that helps to tighten the skin.
This combination of the three enzymes is injected at multiple sites in the treated area in a grid pattern. The patient might need up to 2 sessions with two weeks between them.
Possible side effects after the injection session
- Bruising
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Pain
- Redness
Chin and jawline filler
This treatment can be resorted to in order to define your jaw and get rid of the double chin. When assessing the lower face, we take into consideration the 3-dimensional structures from the front and profile of the patient. Add-ins filler to correct the jaw angle of the jawline (taking into consideration the gender differences) tightens and lifts the skin and indirectly improves the double chin appearance.
The same thing applies to the chin. When filling the chin to improve the projection, length, and width, this could be the only treatment needed for selected patients. The filler is done in one session, and the results are immediate.
The possible side effects:
- Bruising.
- Swelling.
- Redness.
- Pain and tenderness.
- Asymmetry.
All the side effects are temporary, and they fade away with time. More serious side effects like vascular occlusion, scarring, and infections are rare to happen when injections are done by an expert.
The results last from 1-2 years.
Threads
This is a minimally-invasive procedure; thread lifts offer a subtle but visible improvement in skin laxity that produces instant results with little to no downtime. This treatment can be applied to the jawline, the double chin, and the neck as needed.
In this treatment, non-absorbable sutures are inserted under the skin in the lower face, submental, and neck. This will cause instant mechanical lifting and tightening, which will improve skin laxity as well. Patient selection is important as this procedure is done for the patient with excessive skin laxity and a small amount of fat, or it can follow the fat dissolving techniques discussed earlier.
Cryolipolysis
Cryolipolysis, also known as fat freezing, is a non-surgical fat reduction procedure that uses freezing cold temperature to reduce submental fat deposition. The fat reduction process happens through crystallization. This procedure is FDA-approved, and the patient would only need to undergo it once or twice.
Possible side effects:
- Swelling.
- Redness.
- Bruising.
- Pain and tenderness.
HIFU: high-intensity ultrasound waves
This is an effective non-surgical treatment that uses sound waves to stimulate collagen production in the SMAS layers of the skin. It safely reduces wrinkles, tightens skin, and creates rejuvenated body contours for a facelift without the pain and invasive surgery. This treatment is done once a year to treat the lower face and the neck area.
Surgery liposuction
A plastic surgeon must do this procedure. It works to remove fat from beneath the skin and sculpt the chin and neck contour, hence reducing double chins.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The following are some of the most commonly and frequently asked questions regarding double chin and its treatments.
What causes a double chin?
The medical name for a double chin is submental fullness. It can happen as a result of many things, including a recessed jaw, weak bone structure, loose skin, weight gain, aging, or genetics.
Is it possible to have a double chin without being overweight?
Yes, definitely. Although people associate a double chin with being overweight, some thin people have it in their genetics to have a double chin that won’t disappear, no matter how healthy their diet or exercise habits are.
Can my double chin be treated without the need for surgery?
Absolutely, yes. There are many different ways to treat your double chin without needing surgery. Some of these methods include Mesotherapy, enzymes injections, threads, fillers, and high-intensity ultrasound waves treatment.