The Evolution of Double-Chin Surgery: From Liposuction to Pelican Surgery

The first procedures that come to mind for people concerned about a double chin are liposuction or fat-dissolving injections.

Because the procedure time is relatively short and recovery is generally quick, these have also been the most commonly performed methods for many years.

However, even after undergoing treatment, I often meet people who say, “My jawline didn’t change as much as I expected,” or

“It feels like my profile looks exactly the same.”

Why does this difference occur?

In the past, liposuction focused on removing the subcutaneous fat located directly beneath the skin.

The fat layer of a double chin. Double-chin structure. The double chin and hyoid bone position. This is a real model who consented to having their images made public.

Of course, if subcutaneous fat is the primary cause, good results can be expected.

In reality, however, many patients’ double chins are not caused simply by superficial fat.

Deep fat located beneath the platysma, the digastric muscles, the submandibular glands,

and sagging skin and soft tissue caused by aging often contribute together.

Tissue within the platysma. Deep fat. Salivary glands. Double-chin fat removal. Double-chin structure.

In other words, reducing only the fat beneath the skin does not resolve every double chin.

• Removing more fat does not necessarily produce better results. -

There are also cases in which fat is removed excessively in an attempt to improve results that were insufficient with liposuction alone.

However, if too much of the fat that supports the skin is removed, the skin may not contract evenly, which can cause an uneven or wrinkled appearance.

For this reason, surgery has recently evolved beyond simply reducing the amount of fat

to correcting the structures that create a double chin together.

Double-chin muscle tightening review. Before and after double-chin muscle tightening. Pelican surgery after double-chin liposuction.

• Pelican Surgery for Structural Improvement of a Double Chin -

Pelican surgery is an advanced concept that goes beyond simple double-chin liposuction.

Double-chin muscle tightening. Double-chin surgery. Pelican surgery.

In addition to liposuction directly beneath the skin, deep fat located below the platysma (subplatysmal fat) is directly removed,

and, when necessary, the degree of protrusion of the digastric muscles or submandibular glands is also evaluated and corrected.

In addition, the skin and soft tissue are sufficiently separated and then newly repositioned.

The key is not simply removing fat, but improving the structural causes of the double chin.

In other words, the important goal of Pelican surgery is not “how much fat is suctioned,” but rather

“how naturally the structure of the double chin and neck can be recreated by reducing excessive volume in the jaw and neck and repositioning the skin.”

This approach has become one of the techniques widely used today in neck-lift and facelift procedures,

with customized correction tailored to each patient’s anatomical structure considered important.

• Case of a Woman in Her Mid-40s -

This case involved a woman in her mid-40s with a relatively pronounced double chin.

Before and after double-chin muscle tightening. Double-chin muscle tightening review. Before and after double-chin surgery. Double-chin surgery review. This is a real model who consented to having their images made public.

Before surgery, the boundary between the jaw and neck was blurred, and the double chin was clearly visible in profile as well.

Through Pelican surgery, the structures were corrected together, including not only the superficial fat but also the deep fat and the muscles beneath the chin,

and the skin and soft tissue were repositioned.

Although the hyoid bone was positioned low, three months after surgery the boundary between the jaw and neck had become much more distinct,

and a natural jawline could be seen.

Above all, the distinctive feature of this case was that the overall contour was improved without making the skin excessively thin.

• Double-Chin Treatment Should Focus on “Structure” Rather Than “Fat.” -

The causes of a double chin vary from person to person.

For some people, superficial fat may be the primary cause, while for others, deep fat or muscle,

protrusion of the salivary glands, or sagging skin may have a greater influence.

Therefore, rather than applying the same method to every patient, it is important to understand the skeletal structure, including the mandible and hyoid bone,

accurately analyze the causes contributing to the double chin, and selectively correct the necessary layers.

The recent change in double-chin surgery is its evolution

from treatment that reduces only the visibly apparent fat to treatment that also addresses the structural causes.

To create a natural jawline that lasts, it is more important to accurately diagnose the cause of the double chin and appropriately correct its structure

than to focus on the amount of fat.

Pelican surgery. Turkey neck lift. Double-chin muscle tightening. Double-chin surgery. This is a real model who consented to having their images made public.