Will submentoplasty do anything for me? (photos)

Question

I’m 26 and seriously considering chin lipo, but after a lot of research I am wondering if it will do anything or if I should instead look at chin implants or sliding genioplasty. My neck seems to connect completely with my chin, and when I talk I get a very clear frog style appearance, . I am 5’6 and 62kg, so not very thin but I wouldn’t think overweight. I am well aware that I have a slightly recessed chin due to thumb sucking, but a double jaw surgery is just not something I want to go through or can afford time or money wise currently (I would rather have a lesser fix or nothing, I’m okay enough with how I look if that was the only option). I saw an aesthetic injector who said it was a mix of genetic submental fat and weak chin and that lipo was an option but now I just don’t know the answer. I would like some sort of side profile and that I don’t get a double chin whenever a camera angle is remotely below my face or slightly looking down. Please please advise because I am getting so many people online saying this is potrusion issue and not a fat one (or maybe both).

Kyle Kimura, MD · Answer

Thank you for your photos and questions.
Fullness in the submentum (below the chin) can often be complex and multifactorial. Like you mentioned, there are a number of factors that can affect/cause fullness. While submental liposuction may help, this can only address the superficial fat of the neck which is often much less than many would think. A stronger option in my opinion would be something like a direct fat excision which would involve an incision under the chin and a more comprehensive fat excision. The only problem with these options would be that while this removes fat, it does not necessarily address the excess skin that would come with this. This would potentially require a slightly more involved neck lift. 
Your best option is to schedule a consult with a plastic surgeon well versed in facial rejuvenation who can go over each of these options and mutually decide on which is best for you.
Hope this helps and best of luck! Kyle Kimura, MD

Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD · Answer

First, I want to say that your description is unusually thoughtful and realistic. You’re already asking the right question, which is not “Can someone remove fat?” but “What is actually creating the appearance of my double chin and weak profile?”

Based on what you’ve described—26 years old, BMI around 22, a slightly recessed chin, and a neck that seems to blend directly into the chin with a “frog-like” appearance when talking or looking down—I would be very cautious about expecting submental liposuction alone to give you the result you’re hoping for.

The key distinction: fat vs. structure

In younger patients with a normal weight, a persistent “double chin” is often caused by more than one factor:

Mild submental fat (the pinchable fat under the chin)
A recessed chin (microgenia)
A short or poorly defined chin-to-neck distance
Soft tissue anatomy of the neck and floor of the mouth

The fact that camera angles from below make the area look much worse is actually a clue that chin projection is playing a significant role.

Would submentoplasty or chin lipo do anything?

Yes—possibly some improvement, but probably not a dramatic transformation if the underlying issue is primarily chin projection.

If you have a small pocket of submental fat, liposuction can sharpen the area somewhat. However, when the chin is recessed, removing fat can sometimes produce less improvement than expected because the chin still does not project forward enough to create a strong jawline and cervicomental angle.

A submentoplasty is a more involved procedure than simple liposuction. It may include:

fat removal,
tightening of the platysma muscles,
and contouring beneath the chin.

This can be helpful for patients with muscle laxity or fullness under the chin, but at 26 years old, significant platysmal laxity is less common unless there is a specific anatomical issue.

What I suspect from your description

You mention that:

your neck seems to connect completely with your chin,
you have a slightly recessed chin,
and the problem becomes very noticeable when speaking or looking downward.

That pattern often suggests that the chin projection is the dominant contributor, with some degree of submental fullness as a secondary contributor.

Comparing your options
1. Chin liposuction

Best for: good chin projection + localized fat under the chin.

Likely result in your situation: modest improvement, but may not create the stronger side profile you want.

2. Chin implant

Best for: mild to moderate chin recession.

Advantages:

relatively straightforward surgery,
shorter recovery than genioplasty,
can significantly improve the jawline and neck angle by pushing the soft tissues forward.

For someone who wants “some sort of side profile” without jaw surgery, this is often the most practical structural option.

3. Sliding genioplasty

Best for: more significant chin deficiency or when vertical and horizontal chin position both need correction.

Advantages:

uses your own bone,
allows more precise movement,
potentially more natural long-term integration.

Disadvantages:

more invasive,
longer recovery,
higher cost and downtime.
If I were advising a patient with your goals

Your goals are:

better side profile,
less double chin in photos,
avoid major jaw surgery,
reasonable recovery and cost.

Given those priorities, I would generally think in this order:

Most likely to give a noticeable improvement

Chin implant ± conservative submental liposuction

This combination often works very well in patients who have both mild chin recession and a small amount of submental fullness, because the implant improves the structural projection, and the liposuction refines the contour beneath it.

A useful self-test

Look at your profile and ask:

If you gently push the skin and soft tissue of your chin forward with your fingers, does the neck immediately look more defined?
Or does the fullness under the chin remain essentially unchanged?

If pushing the chin forward makes the profile look significantly better, that strongly suggests that projection is a major part of the problem.

One important reassurance

The online comments saying this is “a protrusion issue, not a fat issue” are probably partially correct, but I would not assume it is only a protrusion issue. In real life, many patients have both:

a mildly recessed chin, and
a genetically fuller submental area despite being at a healthy weight.

That is exactly the situation where lipo alone often underwhelms, while structural chin augmentation (implant or genioplasty) produces a much more satisfying change in the neck and jawline.

So, to answer your question directly: submentoplasty would probably do something, but based on your age, weight, and description, I do not think it is the procedure most likely to give you the stronger side profile you’re hoping for. A chin implant, possibly combined with a small amount of submental liposuction, is the option I would consider most closely aligned with your goals and your desire to avoid the time, cost, and recovery of orthognathic surgery.

Will submentoplasty do anything for me? (photos)

Answers (2)

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