Chin Liposuction
Chin Liposuction is just that. Liposuction of the chin area. But what does it really involve? And why is it important? This is an important area of your face and head and a delicate area. Your chin supports the bottom of your face so to speak. You can appreciate people who have a small or receding chin appear to lack something about their faces. Their face does not appear to be well-balanced. Often these patients seek or are advised to get a chin implant or filler to achieve that balance. Alternately, persons who have too much chin take on a more masculine appearance or look pugnacious.
Why Should You Get Chin Liposuction?
Then we have the problem of developing a sagging or droopy chin or acquiring fat around your chin. This can often give the appearance of aging, sadness, and heaviness. Or it can just make your face look fatter and less refined. Chin liposuction can make you look younger while also giving your face a trimmer look.
Who Is A Candidate For Chin Liposuction?
Chin Liposuction is a highly sought-after procedure as people recognize that their face just looks heavier or older when they develop this sagging, fatty, wide, and bulging chin. It often also involves the jowls (the lower cheek ) which can then sag below the natural jaw line and bulge out chipmunk-like from the sides of your lower face. Some people anticipate the development of a fatty chin because they see their parents or relatives as they become older, develop this fatty chin, and they want to avoid this look.
Are There Other Treatments For A Fat Chin Besides Liposuction?
Many facial treatments can partially address this problem – thread lifting, laser treatments, microneedling, facelift (but even with facelift we often still perform chin liposuction to get optimum results), injections – but the best and most effective long-lasting option is chin liposuction where you get rid of that excess fat and your skin can snap back to the original contours of your face.
What Does Chin Liposuction Involve?
This is liposuction with the traditional technique – tiny cannulas are introduced under the skin through strategically placed incisions, and the fat is gently suctioned away, around and about the chin and jaw bones, under the chin, and contoured down the neck. This is a delicate procedure since Your chin and neck contain many important blood vessels and nerves. Not only that, but it is an area where utmost care must be taken to prevent readily apparent irregularities – it is your face! And also an area where previous treatments or problems can easily affect the final appearance. The procedure takes about an hour and can be performed under local anesthesia. You can go home immediately after the procedure is completed.
What Is The Recovery Like From Chin Liposuction?
You will wear a chin garment for the first week day and night. After the first week, we ask that you wear the garment whenever you are able but you do not have to wear it out during the day.
There can be some swelling and bruising but in most patients this is minimal. There is rarely much pain involved. We also ask that you try to sleep on an incline and not flat for the first 7 – 10 days to help to decrease swelling. Sutures are removed after 1 – 2 weeks. It may take as many as 6 weeks for you to see the results.
Can You Get A Massage After Chin Liposuction?
Yes. Many of my patients schedule chin massage or lymphatic massage starting 1 or 2 weeks post liposuction to help mobilize the swelling and accelerate healing. It may also decrease the incidence of lumpiness or irregularities.
What Are Some Complications Of Chin Liposuction?
As mentioned before, this is a delicate area since there are many important nerves and blood vessels in this area. One common minor temporary problem is that some patients will develop drooping of one (or rarely) both sides of their mouth. This can occur due to swelling around a nerve that traverses across the lower portion of the chin near the angle of the mouth. If this problem develops, it will resolve in a few weeks without any treatment. Other complications are swelling which may produce granulation tissue or lumps which then have to be treated, asymmetry, hematoma (blood clot formation), infection, and scarring. Again these are not common and may occur in 6 or 7% of patients.
Will I Develop More Fat In My Chin Area?
As with all liposuction, although you will be left with fewer fat cells around your chin, they can grow larger if you gain more weight. If you remain at the weight at which you had your procedure, it is unlikely that you will develop more fat under your chin. You will continue to have an excellent contour for most of your life.
Can The Area Be Liposuctioned More Than Once?
Yes it can but the procedure could be much more difficult and you may be more at risk for complications or more scar tissue since there is such a thin layer of fat between the skin and the chin.
How Much Does It Cost To Get Chin Liposuction?
Most chin liposuction costs between $2500 – $4500, depending on the difficulty of the procedure and how much fat has to be resected. Liposuction of the jowls is an additional cost.
How Do Patients Feel After Chin Liposuction?
Patients are extremely happy after they recover from this procedure. Some even feel this is life-changing since their whole appearance changes just from this small procedure. They look in the mirror and see a different person and the people around them respond to them differently as well.
How Does Chin Liposuction Compare To Kybella?
Many of my patients have had Kybella treatments. They come to me because they did not see the results they were hoping for. Kybella helps to dissolve fat and helps the immune system to remove fat but the fat cells still remain. Sometimes there is significant scarring after Kybella treatments that can not be seen or felt but may retard the dissolution of more of the fat on the chin. Liposuction removes fat cells so fewer fat cells are remaining. This can give better long-term results, remove more fat, and gives a more refined and defined look.
How does chin liposuction compare to Morpheus 8?
Morpheus 8 microneedling does destroy some fat cells by radio-frequency stimulation and can stimulate collagen and elastin to help to tighten the skin around the jawline. Sometimes I treat my chin liposuction patients with the Morpheus8 to help tighten the skin after chin liposuction if their skin does not retract completely. But still, the liposuction treatment removes more fat than either Kybella or microneedling and I feel you have more control over the end result and look than with the other two treatments.
Does chin liposuction leave sagging skin?
If you are older, your skin loses its elasticity and in some individuals, the skin will sag after the fat has been removed. We will then need to do additional procedures to tighten the skin around the jawline.
Dr. Dolores Kent has been performing chin liposuction for over 20 years and is considered one of the experts in this field. She is sensitive to your needs and listens carefully to your concerns. Her skills allow her to treat patients with even the smallest amount of fat who just want to better define their jawline, to patients with significant fat accumulation. This procedure requires special tools in order to perform the procedure most carefully and she has all of the instruments needed to get the best results.