Concern Double Chin

Redefining the jawline without surgery

A double chin does not have one single cause, which is why treatment varies so much from person to person. It can be an excess of submental fat, but it can equally be skin laxity where falling skin creates the appearance of a double chin, weakness of the platysma muscle, an under-projected chin creating a false impression of a double chin, or a ptotic or enlarged submandibular salivary gland mistaken for excess fat. The medical assessment exists precisely to identify which of these dominates in your case.

Yes, in most cases. A fat-dissolving injection targets the fat cells beneath the chin directly, and the body then eliminates them naturally. Mechanical facial firming massage works on the firmness and drainage of the area. These approaches suit a mild to moderate double chin well. Where there is a very large excess of skin, or where the cause is structural such as an under-projected chin, other solutions need to be considered and your physician will say so clearly.

An injectable product is carefully administered at several points under the chin. It destabilizes the membrane of the fat cells in the treated area, which the body then gradually eliminates through its natural pathways over the following weeks. Because destroyed fat cells do not regenerate, the result is lasting provided your weight stays stable.

The number of sessions depends on the volume of fat to treat and the result you want. Several sessions spaced a few weeks apart are usually necessary, since the body needs that interval to clear the treated fat cells between injections. Your physician sets the protocol during the consultation after assessing the area.

Fat cells eliminated by the dissolving injection do not come back. The result is therefore lasting, on condition that you maintain a stable weight: significant weight gain will enlarge the remaining fat cells in the area. Ageing and skin laxity also continue, which can change the appearance of the jawline over time.

The injection produces a brief stinging or burning sensation as it is administered. In the days that follow, swelling under the chin is expected and is part of the process: it signals that the product is working. Tenderness to the touch, local firmness or small bruises are common and resolve gradually.

No time off work is required, but expect visible swelling under the chin for several days after the injection, sometimes up to one or two weeks depending on the quantity injected and your individual response. Many patients schedule their session for a weekend or ahead of a period without important social commitments.

In that case a fat-dissolving injection will not solve the problem and could even accentuate the sagging by removing volume beneath already loose skin. Firming treatments are more appropriate: radiofrequency, mechanical facial firming massage or tensor threads depending on the degree of laxity. This is exactly the kind of distinction the medical consultation establishes before treating.