What Can You Do About a Double Chin?

A double chin is a common problem that can affect just about anyone. Stubborn fat under the chin can occur whether or not you are overweight. You might not have excess fat in other areas of your body, but an ample amount under your chin.

Double chins can be particularly annoying because the area is so visible. Sometimes, it can feel like nothing will budge stubborn chin fat. Exercise, and changing your diet are important for a healthy lifestyle, but they don’t always resolve the problem of a double chin. If you’re dealing with extra fat under the chin, here’s what you need to know about why fat tends to accumulate in this area–and about what you can do to get rid of your double chin for good.

Why Do People Get a Double Chin?

Often, when people gain fat, it’s a result of weight gain. However, genetics play a role in where fat is stored. In some cases, people end up with a double chin because of genetic reasons. If your parents were at a healthy weight and had double chins, the odds are likely that you may end up with one as well.

Fullness under the chin can also occur as a result of getting older. Some people naturally start to carry fat beneath their chins as they age. Sometimes, what looks like a double chin isn’t caused by fat at all. Laxity or a loss of elasticity in the skin of the neck can cause skin sagging that looks like a double chin.

What Treatment Options Are Available for a Double Chin?

Double chins have been notoriously difficult to treat non-surgically in the past. Some people have had success with using traditional weight loss methods, but only when the extra fat was a result of weight gain. Many others find that the fat in the chin area is particularly stubborn and doesn’t respond to exercise or diet.

For a while, the only reliable way to eliminate fat from under the chin area was through liposuction of the chin and neck area. If sagging skin was also an issue, some people would have a neck lift performed at the same time.

While liposuction and lifting procedures are still an option, patients now have easy access to an effective non-surgical option as well. The FDA-approved treatment is known as Kybella. It’s an injectable treatment that can permanently eliminate fat in the chin area.

The primary ingredient in Kybella is deoxycholic acid, a synthetic version of a salt that is naturally present in bile. Deoxycholic acid helps your body absorb fat by breaking it down. When it is injected into the chin area, it destroys some of the fat cells in the area. Your body then gradually disposes of the destroyed cells naturally. After several treatments and several months, the chin area becomes slimmer.

Depending on how much chin fat you have and how your body responds to the treatment, you might need anywhere from three to six treatment sessions or more, spaced at least a month apart. Many people start to notice visible changes in the appearance of their chin after two or three sessions.

Are You a Good Candidate for Treatment?

Kybella isn’t the right choice for everyone. To be a good candidate for the injections, you need to have submental (under the chin) fullness that’s caused by fat. If you have drooping or sagging under the chin because of loose skin, Kybella may not be the best treatment option for you.

While there’s no “quick and easy” way to say goodbye to a  double chin, Kybella offers the next best thing. To learn more about the treatment and to see if it’s right for you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Diane Walder, a leading dermatologist in the US. She offers Kybella at her practice in Miami. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Walder or one of her associates, call 305-866-2177 today.