Are you suffering in silence living with a dreaded double chin? Do Zoom meetings and seeing photos of yourself make you feel uncomfortable? Or are you now avoiding them altogether? Having extra fullness around your under chin area can be a struggle, and often persists despite the strictest diet and exercise regimens. Well guess what? There is a way to get rid of unwanted double chin fat without the risk of surgery and without resorting to fad diets and unsustainable exercise programs. What is the treatment? Fat dissolving injections.
What causes a double chin?
A double chin, also known as under chin fullness, is a common condition that occurs when a layer of fat forms below the chin. There are several factors that can contribute to the development of a double chin, including:
- Age: As we get older, our skin loses elasticity and the muscles in our neck and jawline can weaken, which can contribute to the appearance of a double chin due to skin sagging (although this is not a double chin in the true sense).
- Weight: Being overweight or obese can cause excess fat to accumulate in various parts of the body, including under the chin.
- Genetics: Some people are more prone to storing fat in the chin and neck area due to their genetic makeup. This is a common reason why double chin fat can even be seen on very lean people.
- Posture: Poor posture can cause the neck structures to sit closer together, which can contribute to the appearance of a double chin.
- Diet and lifestyle: A diet high in calories and unhealthy fats and a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to the development of a double chin through weight gain.
- Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes during menopause and other periods of hormonal imbalance can cause fat to accumulate in the chin and neck area.
How fat dissolving injections can treat a double chin
Previously requiring surgery like liposuction, fat dissolving injections now offer you a solution to get rid of your double chin without going under the knife.
Fat dissolving injections take advantage of the activity of naturally occurring compounds known as bile acids. Some examples of bile acids are deoxycholic acid and phosphatidylcholine. Fat dissolving injections are a preparation based on these compounds, and when injected into deposits of fat cause the fat cells to break down. The broken down fat cells are then metabolised by the body. The best part? These fat cells never return. While you can accumulate fat due to future weight gain, even if you gain weight in the future you will generally put less weight on under your chin compared to if you didn’t undergo treatment in the first place. It takes the body around 6-8 weeks to fully clear away the treated fat cells meaning you’ll need to wait to see the result. You’ll generally need at least 2 sessions, depending on the volume and type of fat under your chin, although you can always have additional sessions if you want a more pronounced result.
Before and after 3 sessions of fat dissolving injections to treat a double chin.
Do fat dissolving injections for a double chin hurt?
A common question among patients booking in for fat dissolving injections to reduce their double chin is how painful the procedure is. The good news is that as a doctor-led cosmetic clinic, we have access to a range of highly effective numbing options to make fat dissolving injections a painless experienced. Once the anaesthetic wears off you can expect to experienced some mild discomfort for a few days, similar to a bruise under your chin.
Are fat dissolving injections better than liposuction for a double chin?
There are pros and cons of both fat dissolving injections and liposuction.
Fat dissolving injections have the advantage of being highly convenient, precise and with a lower up front cost. They are also lower risk than surgery. Their main limitation is that you may need multiple sessions to achieve the result that you want.
Liposuction on the other hand is much more effective at removing fat cells from your double chin. It is very important not to remove all of the fat, as this can cause premature neck ageing. Overly aggressive liposuction may look better now, but may cause the skin to appear thin as you get older, and once removed it can be a difficult problem to treat. If you have double chin liposuction you can also expect to pay a higher upfront cost and need to take some time off work. There is also the risk of anaesthetic, although it is possible to have liposuction while awake under local anaesthetic.
Most people opt to have fat dissolving injections first, and then explore liposuction if the result from fat dissolving injections is not significant enough for them. Many people are happy with their double chin fat dissolving result, and don’t feel the need to proceed with liposuction.
You can learn more about how fat dissolving injections can treat a double chin on our double chin fat injections page.
