Fat dissolving treatments

Injections are a synthetic form of deoxycholic acid, identical to your body’s fat dissolving natural bile acid. This injection is made by the same company that manufactures volumizers & muscle relaxers. 

These treatments have a good efficacy, but it requires up to 5 or more treatments over a span of 6-8 months. This is providing the pre-platysma fat is treated. 

They do give some skin tightening (due to collateral inflammation), however the results are not as predictable as energy-based liposuction. 

If you have a lot of fat under your chin, you will require a lot of injections. This is more expensive than liposuction, and results would take longer. Liposuction & skin tightening is a better option for most.

Candidate selection is critical for good results. Ideally-

• Submental fat that is pre platysma (superficial, pinchable)
• Average BMI, with a stable weight
• Downtime of 5-7 days per treatment (multiply by 5-6)
• Surgery phobic

2-5+, depending on your chin’s profile, & your goals & expectations.

Hint: under chin liposuction is more predictable, gives you better results, with less overall costs & one third the downtime of Kybella / Belkyra.

At Cutis we have 5 ways to effectively remove under chin fat, namely injections, liposuction, Coolsculpting, RF treatments & HIFU. Summarised below.

The area is marked with a temporary tattoo. This guides us where to put Belkyra & how much to use. Local anaesthetic is then used to numb up the area. We ice the treatment zone for 60-90 seconds, then inject 25-35 points.

The whole procedure takes 10 minutes to perform, but one week to recover. Expect swelling the next day. 

Yes, but it doesn’t have to. Our injectors will use local & ice packs before & after the injections. The injection itself causes a burning feeling under your chin that lasts for a few minutes.

Immediately after your double chin will swell up. The swelling is a sign that your fat cells are undergoing destruction. In most cases there is bruising. 

Swelling peaks at 72 hours & starts subsiding at 1-2 weeks. The under chin may feel hard for a few weeks after the procedure. This treatment is repeated 6-8 weeks later for up to five sessions (still not keen on neck liposuction? Read more). 

Maximal results are seen at 9 months. Most will require two to five treatments spaced 8-10 weeks apart. Each treatment removes some fat, the amount is highly variable. The swelling after each treatment temporarily increases your double chin- the bullfrog effect. This takes a week or longer to settle. 

*In comparison, under chin liposuction results are seen instantly & continue to improve over 3-5 months.

Liposuction. Hear us out. Our group offers ALL treatments, from injections to HIFU & liposuction, so we are unbiased in our options. We prefer liposuction because-

• The results from liposuction are highly predictable. Fat is physically removed; skin is then tightened.
• Downtime is minimal, compression dressing for 48 hours only.
• Costs are minimal (half the price of injections).
• Pain is minimal (as compared to injections).

Yes. Any fat destruction treatment (including Kybella, liposuction & Coolsculpting) results in permanent removal of fat cells. In this context, providing you keep a steady BMI, you will not gain any more fat in the treated area.

The caveat is that if you gain a lot more weight, the remaining fat cells can increase in size (but not number). Hence it is super important to maintain a steady weight with ANY fat reducing treatment. 

Under chin fat removal is an investment of time, effort, & money. Here are some helpful pointers that may help you along your journey. 

• Number of sessions: up to 5+ sessions over 6-9 months. 
• Downtime: over a week with each treatment, 4-6 weeks off in total.
• Predictability of results: unlike neck liposuction, results are not predictable.
• Time frame: 6-9 months for the best results.

We firmly believe that liposuction offers greater advantages to patients, unless one has contraindications to surgery, or would like a non-surgical option.