Having a double chin is one of the most annoying facial features people face today. Instead of having a smooth contour of the jawline, many people experience having a bag of loose skin, sometimes filled with fat deposits sagging behind the chin. This feature is not only seen in people who are overweight, but also in individuals who just happened to have more fat around their cheeks and jawline areas despite having normal body mass.
A double chin is not a serious medical condition, but it is difficult to remove. This is because the muscles around the chin and jawline are not always utilized, thus the fat present in these areas is not burned at the same rate as the arms or thighs. It is also easy to acquire a double chin by means of unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and lack of physical activity.
During the recent years, cosmetic surgeons have started developing ways to get rid of the infamous double chin. Nowadays, various types of cosmetic surgery have been done to various patients to address double chin issues, and these are referred to collectively as the “chin lift.”
Chin lifts come in different methods, and it is important to get to know them so that you are able to determine which procedure suits best to your needs. These include:
Platysmaplasty
A platysmaplasty is a procedure that tightens the neck in order to make it slimmer, especially when fat deposits are concentrated on the neck area and not in the face. This type of chin lift not only eliminates the double chin, but also helps in giving a better contour of the neck.
Rhytidectomy
On the other hand, a rhytidectomy works on tightening the facial skin, including the skin under the jawline to remove the appearance of a double chin. This procedure intends to address sagging skin in the chin area, which usually arises when fat has been removed in such places, or when a person ages.
What type of chin lift do you need?
It is the attending surgeon who will recommend the type of chin lift that suits your needs, depending on your medical situation. There are people who will benefit more from a rhytidectomy, while others may need a platysmaplasty instead.
These aforementioned procedures are likewise supported by other cosmetic surgeries, such as laser-assisted liposuction. Since the jawline is an area that is not suitable for liposuction procedures using traditional incision, laser is the preferred tool to remove the fat deposits in this part of the body.
Once the fat is removed from the jawline, a chin lift procedure is conducted on the patient in order to finally eliminate the double chin.
Aside from liposuction, a chin lift may also be accompanied by a chin implant and rhinoplasty, when the composition of the facial features involves a large nose to the point that it overwhelms the face. This procedure may not always be prescribed depending on the findings of the attending surgeon.
How to determine if you need a chin lift
There are considerations which doctors look at to determine if one needs cosmetic surgery to remove a double chin. These include the features of the face and neck, as well as the condition of the double chin, and if non-surgical methods have been done to reduce its appearance.
The patient’s medical history is likewise reviewed prior to recommendation for a chin lift, so that complications that may arise from the procedure can be fully avoided.