The double chin in young patinets has many causes. There can be too much fat, there can be looseness of the muscles (platysma) with fat underneath it, or there can be problems with the angles the chin makes with the face, especially if the chin is weak. In older patients, the neck skin and descending fat from the fface can also contribute to the appearance of a double chin.
Patients can lose weight on their own. This is the only effective method, in my opinion, that does not involve surgery.
Fat can be removed with liposuction, with or without the laser. Laser has additional complications such as burns that tumescent liposuction does not have. The tightening effect of lasers has not in my opinion been proven. Their ability to burn skin, however, has been proven, especially if tightening of the skin from below is attempted. The laser should under no circumstance be considered noninvasive.
The deep muscle layer can be tightened with a platysmaplasty. In our office, we like the Neck-Lace extended platysmaplasty for producing the best neck angles.
If the chin is weak and the teeth meet properly, patients often benefit from a chin implant.
The combination of all three can be profound in the right patient.
Be cautious of oils, creams, minimally invasive devices or lasers that promise to perform all of these. Now that you know the issues, you can design a treatment plan with your plastic surgeon that "fixes" the problems.
