What Causes a Double Chin and What Can You Do About It?

Compared to other areas of the body, the area under the chin is pretty small. For such a small area, it can be a big source of stress and strife for people, especially those who end up developing a double chin. A double chin can make you look older, can make you feel self-conscious about your appearance, and can make you look heavier than you are.

The particularly tricky thing about double chins is that they can be difficult to treat or get rid of. If you’re dealing with some fullness under the chin, here’s what you need to know.

Causes of a Double Chin

One reason double chins are so tricky is that they aren’t caused by one single thing. People don’t develop extra fat under the chin only as a result of being overweight. In some cases, people are genetically predisposed to carry fat under their chin. In other cases, what looks like a double chin is actually excess skin, or skin that’s lost its elasticity and has started to sag and droop.

Will Losing Weight Help to Reduce a Double Chin?

Losing weight might help to get rid of some of the fat in the chin area–but weight loss isn’t the answer for everyone. That’s in part because it’s possible to have a double chin even if you’re at an otherwise healthy weight.

If you have put on weight and your doctor recommends weight loss, you might see a reduction in fat underneath the chin area. The catch? If the skin in that area was stretched out by fat, you might end up with a bit of sagging skin. Although you may have lost fat, you can still look as if you have multiple chins. Weight loss is worth a try, but it might not be the ultimate answer to your problem.

Do Chin Exercises Work?

Another double chin solution you often see on the internet tells you to perform a series of chin exercises, supposedly to burn fat and build up muscle in the area. Unfortunately, there’s little to no proof that moving your chin up and down and side to side or performing other so-called “chin exercises” will do anything to burn away the fat in the area.

Getting Rid of Double Chin Fat

So what can you do to get rid of chin fat? You have a few options, ranging from surgical procedures to injections and minimally invasive treatments.

Surgical options include liposuction in the neck area and a neck lift if the skin around the chin and neck sags and has lost its elasticity.

Another treatment for a double chin recently became available. It involves injecting the area with an acid that dissolves the fat away. While the treatment does work and has helped people reduce fat in the under chin area, it often comes at a cost. You might need as many as 50 injections in the chin area during a treatment session. Additionally, you’re likely to need multiple treatments, each one spaced about six weeks apart. After the injections, many people have swelling and bruising in the area.

Another way to get rid of chin fat doesn’t require surgery or repeated jabs with a needle. The makers of Coolsculpting have created the CoolMini, a specially-sized applicator that fits in the under chin area. The applicator lets you undergo Coolsculpting on your chin. The treatment freezes the under chin fat, destroying it.

Usually, treatment with the CoolMini takes about an hour. You’re awake and can occupy yourself by watching a show on Netflix, reading a book, or listening to music.

The CoolMini can help to reduce the fat in your chin area by about 20 percent. Many people need to two treatments to get optimal results, and most patients see full results after about three months.

You don’t have to live with a double chin. To learn more about treatment options and the CoolMini, call Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique in Houston, Texas at 281-810-9083 to schedule a consultation today.