Double chin removal

The young "selfie" generation in particular often suffers from a double chin despite a slim figure and would like to get rid of it. However, it is also often patients over 40 who want to have their chin tightened.

Causes of a double chin

A double chin consists of the following components: fat accumulation, excess skin and a receding chin. These factors occur in an individual constellation for each person.

A double chin is often inherited, but very often only occurs with increasing age because the bone on the chin permanently recedes over the years. This reduces the distance between the tip of the chin and the neck, resulting in a shorter neck and excess skin. We differentiate between the "true double chin", which consists mainly of fat, and the "false" double chin, which forms due to excess skin.

Before any treatment of a double chin, a precise analysis of what has led to the double chin in the individual case is required. This is the only way to create a personalized treatment plan that leads to the best result.

Removing a double chin

In many cases, it is sufficient to simply remove the fat from the chin. The best method for this is double chin liposuction, as the fat can be completely removed in a single session. Alternatives such as fat removal injections (Kybella) or double chin removal with cold (CoolSculpting, Cryolipolysis double chin) are only recommended in very rare cases because the results are almost always unsatisfactory.

If the cause of the double chin is the regression of the chin bone, a reconstruction of the chin is recommended for a good result. This optimizes the distance between the neck and the tip of the chin.

The method of choice is hyaluronic acid (autologous fat is only suitable to a limited extent for this problem), which is ideally injected immediately after double chin liposuction. As a rule, 1-2 ml of hyaluronic acid is sufficient, which is placed deep in the bone for a natural result. With this combination of treatments, over 80% of patients are extremely satisfied with the results.

What about your chin? Do the simple self-check: Print out your profile photo with your printer and draw a line vertically from the root of the nose down along the base of the nose. An aesthetically perfect chin would then touch this line. Does it? If not, the tip of the chin should be filled in the same way. This is the only way to achieve a perfect result.

With increasing age, the double chin is hardly made up of fat, but of sagging skin that accumulates on the chin ("false double chin"). In this case, liposuction is combined with skin tightening procedures to tighten the double chin. These can be special tightening cannulas or the ultimate tightening treatment RENUVION, which uses radiofrequency to heat the connective tissue, resulting in optimal skin tightening. In the case of pronounced excess skin, the double chin can also be tightened with a thread lift (PDO threads with hooks).

Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict how strong the tightening effect will be with these minimally invasive methods in individual cases. The only remaining option is a double chin operation – a surgical skin tightening ("neck lift").

Procedure for double chin treatment

In contrast to normal liposuction, a double chin is a small area and therefore a minor procedure – regardless of whether only liposuction or additional tightening is performed.

The treatment takes approximately 1 hour (from the initial consultation to the final consultation) and is performed under sedation. This means that the patient does not feel any pain and is fit again immediately after the treatment. The treatment itself is performed under local anesthesia. A small incision is made in the crease between the chin and neck and under the ear, making it invisible. The fat is completely suctioned out through this small incision using a very thin cannula. Depending on the findings, special tightening cannulas or RENUVION are also used. RENUVION uses a cannula whose tip emits radiofrequency energy that heats the connective tissue to 60-80°C. This results in optimal tightening. This leads to optimal tightening, which can be seen and felt immediately after the treatment. However, it takes 6-12 months before the final result is visible.

This procedure lasts for years to decades and fat will never form in this area again.

If there is a lot of excess skin, the skin is additionally tightened with PDO threads so that it "sticks" even tighter, which often leads to sensational results that are on a par with a neck lift.

After the treatment, you will be bandaged and can go home. The bandage must be worn until the next day, after which it can be removed. No further compression is required due to our special technique. In many cases, there is hardly any bruising, so that almost all patients can return to work the day after next at the latest. There is no need for any significant time off work.

Additional treatments

In addition to a double chin, "hamster" or "champagne cheeks" are often also found . In such cases, it makes sense to also tighten these "sagging" areas of the face for an optimal, fresh-looking facial area. PDO threads or certain devices such as HIFU (Ulthera) can be used for this area. A liposuction in this area can be dangerous because of the facial nerve that runs through it.

Side effects

The main complication of the treatment is that the result does not meet expectations. The reasons for this are manifold: It can be the anatomy of the face, a receding chin, a deep mouth base or sagging skin leading to results that appear rather mediocre. Often it is just sagging skin that causes a pseudo-chin. Slight bruising, discoloration and hardening are common side effects along with numbness of the tissue and adhesions. All of these phenomena resolve themselves after weeks to months. It can take 6-12 months to assess the final result. As a rule, however, most of the results are visible immediately after the procedure or the next day.