Submentoplasty
Because one chin is enoughOur faces are on display now more than ever, and one of the first things many of us notice is our chin. If you are bothered by a “double chin” appearance or feel like your lower face lacks youthful definition, submentoplasty can help sculpt a smoother, more defined jawline.
Dr. Samir Pancholi would be happy to discuss how he can personalize your submentoplasty procedure to enhance your natural features and optimize your results in a private consultation.
Video transcript
“One of the big things that’s coming up now are necks, and we’re seeing that because people are taking off their masks and they’re saying okay, I thought I looked like this or I didn’t know I looked like this. Either way, one of the things that looks most beautiful in people is having that right angle go from their chin down their neck and just have that nice angle. So, how do we get that? Some people have, with age, just developed the little bands that go down their neck, and that’s because the muscles have separated. We have to go back in and bring them back together.
Other times, there’s just excess fat that’s there, and it can look, no matter how much weight you lose, like you have a little bulge. It can also be seen whenever you tilt your chin down and you start noticing a double chin that you didn’t used to have before. All of those are reasons that we start going and looking at the neck and seeing how we can get you that nice right angle back to where you want it to be.”–Dr. Samir Pancholi
What is submentoplasty surgery?
Submentoplasty, also known as Neck & Chin Lift, Mini Neck Lift, or Deep Neck Lift, is a specialized procedure that specifically targets the chin and jawline by directly removing fatty deposits from the submental area and tightening the central neck muscles. This reshapes the chin and neck, eliminating unwanted volume and creating a more defined neckline.
Submentoplasty is less invasive than a full facelift; however, it achieves significant aesthetic improvements in the profile and overall appearance of the chin and neck region.
- Key Benefits
- Glossary
- Enhanced Jawline Definition: Submentoplasty can create a more defined jawline, reducing the appearance of a double chin and refining the transition between the neck and chin.
- Reduction of Excess Fat: The procedure often involves liposuction to remove excess fat from under the chin, providing a slimmer and more contoured neck profile.
- Tightening of Loose Skin: Submentoplasty can tighten loose or sagging skin in the neck area, resulting in a more youthful appearance.
- Improved Neck Contour: By addressing excess fat and loose skin, the procedure enhances the overall contour and appearance of the neck.
- Minimally Invasive: Compared to more extensive neck lift or facelift surgeries, submentoplasty is less invasive, typically resulting in a shorter and easier recovery.
- Reduced Appearance of Aging: The procedure can help combat signs of aging in the neck and chin area, often making individuals look younger.
- Quick Recovery Time: Recovery from submentoplasty is generally quicker than more extensive surgical procedures, with many individuals able to resume normal activities relatively soon after the surgery.
- Anesthesia: Medications used to prevent pain during surgery, which can be either general (inducing unconsciousness) or local (numbing a specific area).
- Chin Contour: The aesthetic shape and profile of the chin area, which can be enhanced or altered in submentoplasty to achieve a more balanced facial appearance.
- Cervicoplasty: A surgical procedure often combined with submentoplasty, which involves tightening the skin of the neck for a more youthful appearance.
- Double Chin: A common term for excess fat beneath the chin, often the target area in submentoplasty.
- Incision: A surgical cut made during submentoplasty, typically under the chin, to access and remove excess fat and tissue.
- Jowls: The sagging skin below the jawline, which can be addressed in combination with submentoplasty procedures for comprehensive facial rejuvenation.
- Liposuction: A technique that may be used in submentoplasty to remove excess fat from under the chin.
- Lower Neck Lift: A surgical procedure that focuses on improving the appearance of the lower part of the neck, often performed in conjunction with submentoplasty to enhance the overall result.
- Platysma Muscle: A muscle in the neck that can contribute to the appearance of sagging or banding. It is sometimes tightened during submentoplasty.
- Recovery Period: The time it takes for a patient to heal postoperatively, during which activities may be restricted and swelling and bruising subside.
- Submental Area: The area under the chin, which is the focus of improvement in submentoplasty.
- Submental Liposuction: A procedure that specifically targets the removal of excess fat from the submental area (under the chin) to reduce a double chin and improve the chin contour.
- Submentoplasty: A cosmetic surgical procedure aimed at improving the appearance of the area beneath the chin, often by removing excess fat, tightening muscles, and sometimes removing excess skin.
- Swelling and Bruising: Common postoperative symptoms following submentoplasty, typically lasting several weeks as the area heals.
Benefits of submentoplasty
Dr. Pancholi offers tailored submentoplasty for his Las Vegas patients, featuring several attractive benefits, including:
- Enhanced neck, chin, and jawline contours
- A more balanced, youthful appearance
- Targeted fat removal
- Long-lasting results
Submentoplasty uniquely addresses underlying muscles that cannot be targeted by exercise, and it removes superficial and deeper fat deposits that don’t always respond to healthy, active lifestyles. Simply using liposuction to treat the neck area will remove unwanted fat; however, liposuction will not address the deep fat deposits or lax neck muscles. Submentoplasty’s comprehensive approach to rejuvenating the lower face and neck achieves more transformative results.
Are you a good candidate for submentoplasty?
Good candidates for submentoplasty have excess fat under the chin, non-contoured angles from the chin down to the neck, and relatively good skin elasticity in the neck area.
The best way to determine if submentoplasty is right for you is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Pancholi. In the meantime, here’s a simple method to determine if this procedure could benefit your appearance: Draw an imaginary line from the tip of your chin all the way down to the base of your neck. Ideally, the line should have a strong, contoured angle (called the cervicomental angle) where the skin under your chin meets the top of your neck. If your line looks more like a “C” shape than a “7” shape, you may be a candidate for submentoplasty.
Video transcript
“So, when we look at the neck, there’s a question of can I just have liposuction done, or is there more to it? When we look at just the structures that are there from the outside, we have skin, then we have fat, and that’s the area we can liposuction if there’s fat there. Then we have muscle, and then there’s another layer of fat. That second layer of fat inside the muscle is often what’s causing people to have a double chin or just that bulge in their neck. So, when we go after that, we need to be able to go and do more than just liposuction, and that’s what’s determining whether we get to get away with liposuction or we have to go and do something a little bit more. Go after that fat inside the muscle, and we call that procedure a submentoplasty.”–Dr. Samir Pancholi
Preparing for your submentoplasty procedure
Your Consultation with Dr. Pancholi
Your journey begins with a comprehensive consultation with our highly sought-after cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Pancholi. This is your time to freely discuss your concerns and goals for your appearance. Dr. Pancholi will discuss your medical history and examine the treatment area to ensure submentoplasty can safely achieve an attractive new neck and jawline for you. You and Dr. Pancholi will discuss a personalized treatment plan based on your unique anatomy and goals, so you feel confident moving forward.
We’ll also provide specific pre-surgery and post-surgery guidelines and explain your financing options.
What to expect during submentoplasty surgery
We perform submentoplasty under general anesthesia. Dr. Pancholi carefully places a single incision in the natural shadow or crease under your chin and removes excess fat above and below the platysma muscle as needed to sculpt your neck. Once this unwanted fat has been removed, Dr. Pancholi tightens central neck muscles to secure the look of the naturally angled neckline.
Dr. Pancholi may recommend additional complementary procedures, such as a chin implant, to achieve stronger improvement for some patients. A chin implant can not only lengthen your neckline by correcting a “weak chin” but also create balance with the overall side profile.
Once Dr. Pancholi is pleased with the new contour, he’ll carefully suture the small incision and wrap the area with compression dressings to limit swelling and support healing tissues. The submentoplasty procedure usually takes about 1 hour; Dr. Pancholi can give you an accurate time estimate based on your personalized treatment plan.
Recovery from submentoplasty
Submentoplasty recovery is relatively straightforward. Some mild swelling and discomfort are normal and typically lessen in the days following your surgery. You’ll need to keep the compression garment on the first few days of recovery, and Dr. Pancholi will remove the sutures at your 1-week postop appointment. You may also experience some tightness or itching in the treatment area in the first few weeks of recovery. The recovery time may be extended if you receive additional procedures during your surgery.
Most patients are cleared to resume their normal activities 2-3 weeks after surgery and strenuous activities about 4-6 weeks after surgery. Dr. Pancholi will monitor the healing process at your follow-up appointments and lift activity restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.
Video transcript
“When we start talking about recovery with brow lifts, face lifts, and neck lifts, the biggest thing is the pain tends to go away after about a week or so. However, because there’s so much blood supply there, we don’t want you exercising, getting your heart rate up, or blood pressure up. That includes even doing things around the house. We just want you to relax for a little bit and certainly not go to work if you have a physical job. On the other hand, if you have a desk job, you should be pretty mentally clear to be able to do that type of work after a couple of weeks. Going into public is a little bit different, and you should wait 3 to four weeks before considering doing anything that requires you to be in front of the public.”–Dr. Samir Pancholi
Your submentoplasty results
You’ll see a significant improvement in the contour and shape of your neck and chin area once your dressings are removed. Most of the initial swelling subsides within two weeks, and you’ll have a good idea of your final results about 3 months following surgery. You may notice continued improvement for up to 6 months after your procedure as the area heals completely and you enjoy a refined, youthful-looking jawline and neck appearance.
Submentoplasty incisions are concealed under the chin; however, you will still need to follow scar care guidelines to ensure your incisions heal and fade beautifully.
Submentoplasty FAQs
Can submentoplasty be combined with a facelift?
Yes, submentoplasty can be combined with a facelift or other facial rejuvenation procedures to achieve more comprehensive results. Dr. Pancholi offers the most advanced facelift techniques, including:
- SMAS facelift
- Deep plane facelift
If you have a moderate amount of loose skin along the neck, Dr. Pancholi will advise you on the ideal neck lift technique to correct sagging skin and achieve the look you desire.
Will my results be affected if I gain weight after submentoplasty?
Gaining a significant amount of weight after submentoplasty could alter your results. We recommend maintaining a stable weight with a healthy, active lifestyle to preserve your results.
What are the risks associated with submentoplasty?
Like all surgical procedures, submentoplasty comes with potential risks, including bleeding, infection, and changes in sensation. Choosing an expert cosmetic surgeon and following pre- and post-surgery guidelines minimizes these risks.
Is there a non-surgical alternative to submentoplasty?
No; however, there are a few non-surgical options to improve the appearance of your neck in jawline contours. Non-surgical results are typically less dramatic and shorter-lived than surgical methods but can have other benefits:
- BOTOX can reduce muscle contractions to soften the appearance of platysmal bands.
- Dermal fillers can add volume to enhance jawline definition.
- Laser skin resurfacing can help improve the tone and texture of your skin and diminish surface imperfections.
- Renuvion skin tightening uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to help tighten skin with minor sagging.
How soon can I exercise after submentoplasty?
Dr. Pancholi will likely clear you for light exercise after 2-4 weeks after chin tuck surgery and strenuous exercise after about 6 weeks. You’ll feel “normal” soon after your surgery, but allowing your tissues time to heal before you stress your body will speed your recovery and ensure you enjoy optimal results.
How is submentoplasty different from a neck lift?
There are the same; submentoplasty is another term for neck lift.
Will I have to stay in the hospital after double chin surgery?
No, we perform submentoplasty surgery at our accredited surgical facility, and you will go home the same day.
Your submentoplasty consultation with Las Vegas cosmetic surgeon Dr. Samir PancholiIf you think submentoplasty could enhance your appearance, we invite you to contact Cosmetic Surgery of Las Vegas to schedule a consultation with facial rejuvenation expert Dr. Samir Pancholi. Our Las Vegas cosmetic surgery office can be reached at (702) 363-0240 or online today!
References »
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