Do you struggle with a double chin that doesn’t disappear no matter how well you eat or how much you exercise? You are far from alone. Plenty of people hold a little extra fat in their neck and chin. Luckily, there are procedures that could reduce or eliminate the appearance of a double chin.
What exactly are these procedures? While there are quite a few, CoolSculpting®, Kybella® and liposuction are the top three contenders.
Understanding Your Options
Before you schedule any procedure, you want to make sure you fully understand your options and how each could benefit you. Every treatment will have its pros and cons, and which is right for you will depend on many factors, including how large your double chin is, what recovery time you can manage and your overall health.
To help you narrow down your choices, here are the key details you need to know about CoolSculpting, Kybella and lipo for reducing a double chin.
CoolSculpting
This treatment option is designed to eliminate small amounts of stubborn fat from most any area of the body. Using an applicator, it delivers cooling energy to the fat cells, crystalizing them and allowing the body to flush them out. Treatment sessions vary based on the targeted area. For double chin treatment, sessions are typically around 30 minutes.
The original treatment is designed for the back, hips, thighs and other large areas. The newer CoolMini has a smaller applicator, which allows for the treatment of smaller areas, making CoolSculpting for a double chin possible. It can also be used on the arms and knees and is known to help skin appear more youthful.
CoolSculpting does not damage the skin cells or other tissues, which means that there is virtually no recovery time. While there can be side effects, they are rare. Results will vary between clients, but most find that they are comparable to those delivered by traditional liposuction.
Kybella
Kybella is a treatment that was specifically designed to reduce or eliminate the appearance of a double skin. It is an injectable treatment that has been FDA approved. It uses deoxycholic acid to destroy fat cells, rendering them unable to store fat and causing them to shrink.
Kybella treatment sessions are pretty short, coming in at less than 30 minutes in most cases. There is no downtime associated with the procedure, though many clients prefer to take the day off. It is not known to typically cause skin sensitivity, so clients can go back to spending time in the sun directly after their session.
Liposuction
Unlike the other options, liposuction is a surgical procedure. It can be performed under local or general anesthetic. With this procedure, a small amount of a solution is injected into the fat targeted for removal. This helps to liquefy it, making it easier to remove. Then, a cannula is used to suction out the fat.
While non-surgical methods take time for results to develop, liposuction results in instant fat removal. However, it also has a more significant recovery period. Clients typically need to take at least several days off work so the bruising and swelling can go down and the incision can heal.
How They Compare
Ultimately, each of these treatments have the potential to offer you a safe and effective way to reduce or eliminate your double chin. Your most difficult task is deciding between them.
First, look at the similarities. Kybella and CoolSculpting both permanently destroy the fat cells while liposuction removes them. With the non-surgical treatments, results are seen in about 3 months. With lipo, it comes sooner, but residual swelling may last several months, which renders these to body contouring treatments pretty much even.
The differences are where you will ultimately make your decision. With Kybella, up to 20 injections are needed to complete the procedure. CoolSculpting uses a suction-based application and no needles or injections are required. With liposuction, an actual incision is made into the chin, requiring stitches and likely leaving a small scar.
Then there are the number of sessions needed to reach optimal results. With Kybella, this is as many as six different sessions. CoolSculpting typically requires just two. For lipo, one time is usually enough.
In terms of cost, there is also a difference. While prices vary between practices and based on how many sessions you require, Kybella is almost always pricier than CoolSculpting treatment. Liposuction tends to be the most expensive due to the anesthesia used and the fact that it must be performed in a specialized facility.
Finally, out of the three options, only CoolSculpting is known to sometimes address skin laxity. Both Kybella and lipo have the potential to make skin laxity worse.
To determine which form of treatment is best for addressing your double chin, speak with a qualified plastic surgeon.
Author’s Bio
Serving the Orange County and Los Angeles area since 1980, Facial Aesthetic Concepts is an award-winning cosmetic surgery center with two highly experienced surgeons who offer facial, breast and body plastic surgery. Facial plastic surgery including facelifts, blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty and otoplasty, as well as “mommy makeovers” are some of the core competencies of the surgical team.