By Eileen Spatz
You may be hard-pressed to pinpoint exactly when your chin decided to develop a backup chin. One day you looked in the mirror and realized the lower region of your face has lost the definition it once had due to fat accumulation below the jawline in what is referred to as submental fullness.
A double chin can result from age, weight gain, or genetics, depositing a layer of fat accumulation that stubbornly hangs on regardless of your efforts to lose pounds. The advent of the dreaded double chin can cause you to look and feel older than your years. In fact, the double chin is among the most complained about flaws articulated within the walls of the plastic surgeon's office.
Thanks to continuing strides in body contouring technology there are some safe and effective cosmetic treatments that can lay waste to that secondary chin and give you a gloriously defined new profile with fewer risks.
CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting, also referred to as cryolipolysis, is a cosmetic procedure that removes targeted areas of fat using a process that freezes fat cells. CoolSculpting is an FDA-cleared procedure that uses an applicator that vacuums the skin over both the submental (double chin) and the submandibular (under the jawline) areas, then cools the fat cells and breaks them down. Over time the body expels the dead fat cells, significantly reducing the effects of a double chin by 33% after two treatments according to a clinical study.
The CoolSculpting procedure for the jawline only targets fat cells, leaving other cells, underlying tissue, and skin unaffected. CoolSculpting for the submandibular area can treat patients with up to a 46.2 BMI. Each CoolSculpting session lasts about an hour, with no recovery time needed. Results are complete in about 4-6 months time.
Kybella
Kybella uses a patented synthetic form of deoxycholic acid that is administered via injection. Kybella is the first FDA-approved injection type solution for dissolving fat in the U.S. The procedure uses the deoxycholic acid to metabolize dietary fat deposits by disrupting the membrane of fat cells, allowing it to release the fat and be metabolized by the body. Multiple injections in the fat layer will result in the skin shrinking back into place once the fat has been released.
Kybella injection treatments typically utilize 2 to 3 vials of the product, and require 2 or 3 sessions for optimal results. Results are visible within 12 weeks of the last treatment session and are long-lasting to permanent.
SculpSure
SculpSure is a laser treatment that targets fat cells by heating them up. The procedure, which is FDA-approved for treating the double chin, works by utilizing a fat specific wavelength laser increases the temperature of the fat cells while keeping surface skin cool. The heat destroys the fat cells, after which they are naturally metabolized and eliminated by the body. The SculpSure device, a flat, non-suction applicator, is specifically designed for the submental region, allowing for precise targeting of the excess fat using laser energy. The device?s special heat feathering design provides natural looking results.
Depending on your individual needs and your providers recommendations, you may need more than one treatment. SculpSure treatments are typically at six-week intervals and can offer a noticeable improvement in the submental area. The permanent results are first noticed at about six weeks, with the full effect, a dramatically re-contoured submental region, in about three months. Sculpsure is approved for treating patients with up to a 43 BMI.
Prior to the introduction of these three cosmetic procedures, liposuction was the only viable treatment technique available to alter the appearance of submental fullness. These three body contouring options do not require incisions as liposuction does, thereby reducing the risk of infection or anesthesia complications, providing a safer treatment alternative to lipo. Re-contouring your jawline can melt years off your appearance and boost confidence as well. Zap that double chin with heat, cold, or injection, and watch your beautiful new profile emerge.
