Double Chin Removal Treatment
How Do Double Chin Injections Work?
Double chin injections work by permanently destroying the fat cells in a process known as adipocytolysis. Once the fat cells have been destroyed, they cannot store fat again. Imagine your fat cells are balloons and double chin injections are darts. Injecting the product under the chin is like throwing a dart at fat cells. Once they have been popped, they cannot be blown up again.
Double chin injection vials contain an acid which is found naturally in the body. This acid is like the one released by the gallbladder that helps dissolve fatty foods when you eat them.
At Cityskin, we use the ‘American product’ for double chin removal in Melbourne. This product has different names in the USA and Australia, but it is essentially the same product. Regulations dictate that we are not allowed to mention the name of the product on our website, therefore it will be referred to ‘double chin injections’ or ‘double chin removal’ online. However, we will happily explain the brands we use in an in-person consultation.
Double chin injections are an effective, non-surgical way to reduce fullness under the chin. Cityskin was one of the first clinics performing double chin removal in Melbourne using injections, and we have treated hundreds of patients since the product was launched in 2017. Book a consultation today!
Am I Suitable for Double Chin Injections?
The treatment guide below shows a grading scale for double chin fat, also known as ‘sub-mental fat.’ It ranges from 0 (no localised sub-mental fat) to 4 (extreme submental convexity). The ideal patient for double chin removal would be a ‘2’ or ‘3’ on sub-mental scale, so someone with moderate to severe sub-mental fullness.
Most of the patients that we treat at Cityskin have a mild fullness under the chin (1 on the scale below).
Who Is Not Suitable for Double Chin Injections?
Patients are not suitable for double chin removal in Melbourne if there is significantly loose skin under the chin or if there is an active infection under the chin.
The only contraindication on the product information sheet is ‘active infection’ in the treatment area. This includes active acne under the chin.
How Many Double Chin Treatments Are You Likely to Need?
This is the most difficult question to answer because it varies greatly between patients. We recommend at least 2 treatments to see results. Some patients need up to 4 treatments to see full results. The number of treatments that you need depends largely on the amount of fullness that you have under the chin. In some cases, patients are happy with their results after just one treatment, but these patients are generally those with a very small area of fullness under the chin.
What Results Can You Expect from Double Chin Injections?
Studies show that with a full course of treatments, 68.2% of patients noticed at least a 1 grade or more improvement in the fullness of their double chin area (see scale below) and 16% of patients noticed a 2 grade or more improvement in double chin fullness1.
What to Expect on the Day of Treatment?
Prior to the procedure, you will have had a thorough consultation with our medical practitioners and filled out all necessary paperwork and consent forms. A ‘before’ photo will also be taken for your personal record. You will then be marked out with a special stencil and numbed.
The actual injections for double chin removal in Melbourne only takes about 5-10 minutes. At Cityskin, we can use anaesthetic to numb the area first, as this treatment without any anaesthetic would be quite uncomfortable. The size of the area will determine how many injections you will receive. The injections are spread out in a 1cm grid to cover the marked area within the ‘safe zone’. Each one of these injections only take a few seconds, much like anti-wrinkle injections.
Aftercare for Double Chin Injections
- Avoid strenuous exercise and excessive alcohol use in the 24 hours after treatment.
- You may experience mild pain post treatment this can be treated with regular cold compress on the first day and paracetamol as instructed by your practitioner.
- Do not massage the area.
- You should notice swelling around the area post treatment, this can be excessive and may take 2 weeks to subside completely.
- Some patients experience temporary numbness under the chin. This sensation generally wears off within 30 days on average.
- A mild feeling of warmth or redness may appear on the day of treatment.
- Post treatment a feeling of firmness or ‘induration’ under the skin can be felt, this will resolve.
Follow up advice
Your practitioner will discuss your required treatments, most patients require 2 treatments, but many require more. A review appointment will be requested at the 6-week mark after your second treatment. Any follow up treatments should be spaced 6 weeks apart.
What Are the Risks of Double Chin Injections?
Most side effects from double chin injection treatment are mild and not permanent. Studies show that with each treatment, side effects occur less frequently and to a lesser degree.
The most common side effect we see after treatment are as follows:
1. Swelling around the area injected – We expect to see swelling. It means the treatment is working! In fact, we say please call us if it does not swell. We recommend not going back to work on the day of treatment and using ice on the neck intermittently in the hours after treatment.
2. Temporary numbness under the chin. Approximately 50% of patients will feel this slight numbness after treatment, with symptoms wearing off after 30 days on average.
3. Warmth and redness – 40% of patients will feel warmth or redness under the chin on the day of treatment.
4. Firmness under the chin – Studies show that 16% of patients will feel firmness or ‘induration’ under the skin after treatment. This is not a worrying symptom and resolves, on average, after 51 days according to studies.
Rarer side effects that have been reported include temporary problems with your smile (weak smile and weak facial muscles) and trouble swallowing (2%). The risk of affecting the smile is due to the small chance of temporarily affecting the marginal branch of the facial nerve. The anatomy of the nerves in the face differs from person to person and in 2% of treatments, a small branch of the facial nerve can be affected. This would present as a temporary problem with the smile muscle (see image below). The affected side would be more difficult to perform a full smile. The problem is temporary and the average time to resolve is 44 days.
After years of treating hundreds of patients at Cityskin, we have not affected the smile muscle in any of our patients.
Should you experience any of the following please contact the clinic on 1800 248 975 immediately.
- An increase in pain, severe pain on the treatment site or the surrounding area.
- Bruising that continues to increase after initial bruising.
- If you experience a darkening of the skin, a purple or white appearance to the skin surrounding the treatment area.
- Blisters that look like cold sores appear at the treatment site and surrounding area.
If you become unwell or are concerned about any of your signs and symptoms post treatment, please contact us on 1800 248 975. In case of emergencies please present to the emergency department and contact 000.
FAQs
Most female patients need 2 vials per treatment and need at least 2 treatments to notice results. If the area that you would like to treat is the size of a credit card or larger you may want to consider an alternative to double chin injections – ideally liposuction – as using 3 or more vials per treatment may start to become uneconomical. We don’t offer liposuction at Cityskin, but we’re just trying to be honest and upfront to give you the best possible outcome.
You can do the ‘pinch test’ in-front of the mirror to estimate how many vials you might need. The fullness under the chin that we can treat is where you can pinch a little finger’s width of fat between your fingers.
- 1 vial of double chin injection will approximately treat the area of a 50-cent coin. A small number of patients fall into this category.
- 2 vials of double chin injection will treat approximately the same area as a packet of chewing gum. Most patients fall into this category.
- 3 vials of double chin injections will treat approximately the same width as a Myki or credit card.
Swelling after double chin injections peaks on the day of treatment and is most noticeable for the first 5 days. Once the initial swelling has settled, it can feel firm under the chin for a few weeks – this is the inflammatory effect of the treatment, and this helps tighten the under-chin area.
All patients experience swelling immediately after double chin injections. The swelling is directly related to the number of vials used on the day – more vials tend to cause more swelling.
Men tend to have a larger treatment area so may need 3 or 4 vials per treatment compared to an average of 2 vials per treatment for women. If men use more vials per treatment, they are likely to see slightly more swelling after the treatment.
We always counsel men that double chin injections can in rare cases cause temporary patchy hair loss under the chin in the area treated. This generally lasts for up to 3 months before growing back.
Men need to attend the treatment appointment clean shaven. This allows us to apply to temporary grid under the chin and reduces the risk of infection from treatment.
Double chin injections are not safe when pregnant or breastfeeding.
At Cityskin, we can use local anaesthetic to numb the double chin area before injection. This means that when we treat the area with the double chin injections, you can barely feel it.
After an hour or so, when the local anaesthetic wears off, it can feel fuller under the chin, and you may feel a slight ache. We recommend using Panadol and icing the area to reduce the discomfort. Remember not to leave the ice on the skin for more than 10 seconds at a time to reduce the risk of a cold burn.
We recommend having double chin injections at least 6 weeks before a major social event (wedding, graduation, etc.) to allow for any swelling or firmness under the chin to completely settle and resolve. It often resolves far earlier but it is best to be cautious.
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Clinic Locations
Cityskin has clinics across Melbourne offering anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, double chin injections, collagen stimulating filler, facial slimming and tooth grinding.
To get in touch with us at any of our clinics please visit the contact page, message Riza on live chat