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Double Chin / Sagging Under Chin

At Reflections Center, we offer a large selection of treatment options to eliminate a double chin for a boost in confidence.

We understand how frustrating it can be to not love your face shape or profile because of the impact of a double chin or sagging skin underneath your chin – and we want you to know there are amazing treatments that can change this for you, permanently, with or without surgery. Our practice is comprised of New Jersey’s best aesthetic doctors and plastic surgeons, working alongside each other to offer all of the top treatments for almost every concern you can imagine, including the area under your chin.

We understand how frustrating it can be to not love your face shape or profile because of the impact of a double chin or sagging skin underneath your chin – and we want you to know there are amazing treatments that can change this for you, permanently, with or without surgery.

Top Asked Questions

  • What's the fastest way to get rid of a double chin?
    Most double chins are caused by mostly fat with mild or no skin sagging - and when that's the case, Laser Liposuction under local anesthesia with the Smartlipo PrecisionTX system gives the fastest results - with a transformation that's ready to show off around 2-4 weeks after treatment (and finalized at 6 months after treatment).
  • Why do I have crepey skin under my chin that's starting to sag?
    This is so common! Almost every woman starts to experience thinning in the skin in the center of junction between chin and neck in their late 30s or 40s. Typically it starts with a textural difference you can only feel. Later it will start to become visible looseness - and eventually this can become what some refer to as their "turkey wattle." The degree to which this skin will change and sag depends on the individual. In some, it becomes more pronounced because surrounding skin is not as dramatically impacted. We believe the issue is that skin is very thin and frequently bent or creased here, causing it's collagen support to wear out sooner than other parts of the face and neck. You can treat this early on with collagen induction therapy - which can be done with lasers, microneedling (with or without RF), smooth threads, and biostimulatory filler injections. Early treatment combined with sun protection (SPF) and results-oriented skincare that includes retinol, antioxidants, and growth factors are the best ways to delay sagging and hold off the need for surgery or more invasive treatments.
  • How can I tighten the skin under my chin?
    Tightening skin can be done in 3 ways for this treatment area: 1. You can remove fat that's weighing on the skin and create a small amount of retraction using either CoolSculpting or Kybella (both of these treatments target the fat but have been shown clinically to cause a small amount of skin tightening or retraction, as well). 2. You can remove loose skin with a surgery (a neck lift or lower face lift). 3. You can stimulate the body to grow new collagen, which creates a moderate amount of tightening. It's better at tightening than lifting, so any fat must first be removed, and there are people with a level of sagging that this style of treatment simply won't be able to do much for: those with heavy skin and severe sagging. You can find more information on these types of treatments and the "why" of how this works and for whom below in the section about skin tightening treatments to consider.
  • Why do I have a double chin when I'm skinny?
    Double chins, or fat under the chin, seem to be more due to genetic predisposition than to overall body fat percentage or weight of an individual. You may be very skinny and still have a double chin that you don't like, because it only takes a very small amount of fat in this area to change the face shape or distort the profile.
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Treatable Conditions

When it comes to removing a double chin or creating a sharper jawline, there are really only 3 things that can be involved – skin, fat, and/or muscle – and once you diagnose which of these are involved, selecting the right treatment becomes much easier – because there are a TON of great treatments for this area (and we offer all of them), but only 1 that is the best for you.

Double Chin: Excess Fat Under the Chin

Removing fat early, before it really starts to irreparably stretch out the skin, is important. It’s never too early to have this type of treatment – especially because young people with a double chin most often have a strong genetic predisposition, meaning it’s very unlikely to go away with age (though weight loss may mean this area shrinks, it doesn’t always).
Fat can be removed surgically during a neck lift or a laser lipo procedure. We particularly like Smartlipo’s PrecisionTX Laser Liposuction treatment for this area because it also offers one of the strongest skin tightening lasers built into the laser lipo machine (the image at right is of 2 different patients who had this treatment at our practice).
CoolSculpting, SculpSure, and Kybella are 3 non-surgical options for removing fat from underneath the chin. SculpSure & CoolSculpting are non-invasive (no needles, no scars, no downtime), while Kybella is a series of injections sessions that can cause some swelling but is generally a very easy procedure, too.

Loose Skin Under the Chin

Skin under the chin and on the neck tends to become loose before the face, and so it often becomes an area that gives away our age.
You can either tighten or remove loose skin – and each works well, for the right candidate:

  1. Surgically removing loose skin with a neck lift offers the most dramatic and long-lasting results and can be an option for anyone with moderate to severe loose skin.
  2. Tightening loose skin is done through collagen induction treatments, of which there are so many – and the results of which really depend upon:
    1. Selecting candidates who still have collagen in the skin area being treated (these treatments seem to encourage exponential collagen growth, and do not work well where no collagen or elastin remains naturally).
    2. Using a strong enough treatment to create a result in that patient – the less collagen present in the skin, the higher the volume of collagen stimulation needed. Higher volumes can be more sessions with a single treatment and/or a more aggressive treatment modality.

Treatments that we offer that work well for collagen induction on the skin under the chin include: Sofwave, Ultherapy, Smooth Threads & Lifting Threads, Biostimulatory Filler Injections, RF Microneedling, CO2 Laser, ThermiTight, & PrecisionTX.

Sagging Muscles Under the Chin

Typically, what you’ll see under the chin is that the platysmal bands, two muscles that run vertically up the neck from the collarbone, start to separate at the front center of the neck, create two columns of looseness in the neck. Most people think this is fat or loose skin because it’s very loose wobbly tissue.
This can be minimized in appearance with Botox when it’s early on, but will eventually reach a point where only a neck lift surgery can fix the issue.
The patient shown at right has almost no excess fat or skin in the neck in her before photos, making these muscles quite easy to see. She had a neck lift, during which the muscles are re-attached to one another.

Comparing the Best Treatments for Double Chin

  • Removing Fat (Double Chin)
  • Smartlipo PrecisionTX Laser Lipo

    Smartlipo is one of the most transformative laser lipo systems on the market and is particularly good at treating a double chin and sagging skin under the neck because of its PrecisionTX platform that addresses this area in a very unique way:

    1. Removes fat with laser liquification of fat, for gentle and complete liposuction.
    2. Tightens and firms the skin using a laser treatment that’s performed underneath the skin (it’s a much stronger laser treatment than any that can be performed from the top of the skin).
    3. It’s performed under local anesthesia.

    CoolSculpting Cool Mini

    Coolsculpting’s Cool Mini is a specific handpiece that’s been designed to fit to the contours under the chin to freeze away the stubborn fat of a double chin.

    Kybella

    Kybella uses deoxycholic acid to dissolve fat beneath the chin and create the appearance of a sharper jawline and enhanced facial profile. Although it may take a few months for this injectable to reveal its beautiful results, your slimmed jawline and tightened chin will be permanent!

  • Improving and/or Removing Loose Skin
  • Loose skin can either be improved (firmed, tightened, lifted) through increased collagen production, or it can be removed with surgery. Ideally, you’re doing both for the patient that has severe laxity (very loose, thin skin), because even after you’ve removed all of the loose skin that exists now, very damaged skin will continue to stretch out over time.

    So the best results come from first having surgery and then maintaining those results with collagen induction treatments over the long term. For patients with only mild laxity – typically those under 50 – nonsurgical skin tightening treatments can provide a nice improvement for this area. Patients with moderate laxity may have to decide between an improvement with nonsurgical treatments or a full correction with surgery.

    Sofwave + Ultherapy Combo Treatment

    Sofwave is a non-surgical facelift option that uses targeted ultrasonic energy to stimulate collagen growth in the middle layers of the skin. When used beneath the chin, Sofwave will tighten loose skin creating your double chin. Ultherapy adds to this skin tightening treatment by targeting the skin at deeper layers than any other technology. This combination treatment will give you a rejuvenated appearance that can last 3 years or more!

    Thread Lift

    A thread lift will give your jawline an instant lift while continuing the benefits with gradual collagen stimulation over time. Thread lifts improve the appearance of loose skin, like your double chin, while smoothing other fine lines and wrinkles around your jawline and neck.

    Neck Lift Surgery

    A neck lift tightens loose skin and muscles while removing excess fat from around the chin. This surgery will not only eliminate your double chin, you will also achieve a lifted, contoured jawline for a more youthful look.

  • Removing Fat & Tightening Skin Simultaneously
  • Neck Lift Surgery

    A neck lift eliminates excess fat from the chin, as well as tightens lax skin and muscles. This surgery eliminate your double chin and also achieve a lifted, contoured jawline for a refreshed and rejuvenated look.

    PrecisionTX Smartlipo Laser Liposuction Under Local Anesthesia

    Smartlipo is one of the most effective laser lipo systems on the market and is exceptionally good at treating a double chin and sagging skin under the neck. This technology’s PrecisionTX platform addresses the under chin area in a very unique way.

     

    CoolSculpting or Kybella

    Coolsculpting’s Cool Mini handpiece is specifically designed  fit to the contours under the chin to freeze away the stubborn fat of a double chin.

    Kybella is an injectable treatment that improves the appearance of the profile by eliminate moderate the severe fat under the chin.

    View More Double Chin & Sagging Under Chin Treatment Before & Afters

    More Before & Afters

    Why Choose Reflections for Your Double Chin Treatment

    Most practices only offer 1 or 2 treatments for this area, but we offer a variety of both surgical and non-surgical options, because we have found there are many great treatments, but no one clear winner for all types of patients.

    Having a group of physicians with various specialties means you’ll get to see a doctor who’s treated many patients like you, and has the technical skill and experience to give you great results. Similarly, having a variety of treatment options means you’ll get the very best results with the least invasiveness possible – and that hopefully you’ll have a couple of options to choose from during your consultation, so that you can also pick a treatment that suits your budget, lifestyle, and preferences around recovery, scars, etc.

    We offer free consultations with our cosmetic physicians, so that you can have the conversations and evaluations that will ultimately arm you with the information you need to make an informed decision about how to proceed in your cosmetic journey.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Double Chin
    & Skin Sagging Under the Chin

    • Why do I have a double chin when I'm skinny?

      A double chin is caused by excess fat, but it’s made much more noticeable over time by the effects of gravity pulling on skin that’s also supporting that excess fat’s weight. When treated early, you can remove just the fat and generally the skin will bounce back on its own or with just a little encouragement. However, left untreated, the weight of the fat will cause the skin to sag to a point that requires more serious intervention.

    • How can I lose my double chin in 5 days without exercise?

      Laser Lipo! Seriously, by about day 5 you might be ready to take off your compression garment, cover any bruising with makeup, and have a noticeable reduction in your double chin (we’d expect some swelling to still be present). It wouldn’t be a full result by day 5, but it would be most of the way there in less than a few weeks.
      If you’ve seen crazy ads for face yoga or other scams claiming they can remove your double chin faster, don’t believe the hype! Surgery is going to offer the fastest results for this area, and there is swelling expected for at least a week after.

    Read Our Blogs About Double Chin & Sagging Under Chin Treatment

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