What Should You Get for a Double Chin? How to Choose Between Contouring Injections and Fat-Dissolving Injections

Hello. I’m Dr. Jo Won-jin, and I’ve been seeing patients for 10 years.

Contour, fat-dissolving... The names used by each clinic are different, so it gets confusing.

What should I get to see results?

To put it simply, contouring injections temporarily reduce the size of fat,

while fat-dissolving injections remove the fat itself in that area.

However, the effective procedure differs depending on the condition and characteristics of your double chin.

Under the topic, “What Should You Get for a Double Chin? How to Choose Between Contouring Injections and Fat-Dissolving Injections,”

I’ll explain the effects of double-chin procedures, how to choose based on your situation, and the side effects and precautions.

If you read this post to the end today, you’ll get a rough idea of what you should get.

Table of contents

• What causes a double chin?

• What are the principles and effects of contouring injections?

• What are the principles and effects of fat-dissolving injections?

• Which is better for me: contouring injections or fat-dissolving injections?

• What are the side effects and precautions after double-chin injections?

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What causes a double chin?

A double chin develops due to a combination of several causes, such as reduced elasticity from aging, swelling caused by poor circulation,

and fat that accumulates heavily under the chin.

Therefore, it is important to determine whether the main cause of your double chin is swelling or actual firm fat.

As shown in the table in the photo, whether a procedure will be effective or not also depends on the stage of your double chin.

2. What are the principles and effects of contouring injections?

Contouring injections promote facial lymphatic circulation and help remove waste products to reduce swelling.

Their purpose is to temporarily reduce the size of fat cells.

If you squeeze a sponge that has absorbed a lot of water, its volume and weight go down a bit, right?

It’s similar to that.

As facial puffiness goes down, the overall jawline becomes more defined.

3. What are the principles and effects of fat-dissolving injections?

On the other hand, fat-dissolving medication (Violet) destroys the cell membrane of fat cells themselves,

fundamentally reducing the number of cells.

If there are 10 cells under our chin, this reduces them to 5.

The destroyed cells are naturally broken down and processed by the body through its metabolic processes.

So when the volume of the double chin decreases, that effect tends to be maintained long term.

You can think of Violet in the photo as removing double-chin fat cells over the long term.

4. Which is better for me: contouring injections or fat-dissolving injections?

The most accurate way is to look at the face in person, feel the thickness and elasticity of the subcutaneous fat by area,

and then decide.

If you want a rough idea at home of which one may be right for you,

you can refer to the table below.

Condition and goal for my double chin	Recommended procedure
When your face swells easily in the morning and evening	Contouring
When a thick, heavy layer of fat can be pinched by hand	Fat-dissolving
When you need temporary, quick line refinement before a special event	Contouring
When you need long-term, fundamental removal of double-chin fat	Fat-dissolving

In fact, just because you have a double chin under the jaw doesn’t necessarily mean it is all fat.

Sagging skin due to reduced elasticity can also make it look like a double chin.

In that case, lifting procedures such as Shurink or Ulthera may be much more appropriate.

That’s why it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis of the cause from the medical staff providing the procedure.

As in the photo, not everything under the chin is a double chin; it may also look swollen because the salivary glands are enlarged. (In that case, salivary gland Botox may be an option.)

5. What are the side effects and precautions after double-chin injections?

Have you ever seen a sunken, hollowed-out side effect after an injection was done incorrectly?

This type of side effect usually occurs when medication is injected incorrectly into an area with a thin fat layer.

The area under the chin varies greatly in fat thickness from one part to another,

so if medication is injected into an area where the fat is already thin, hollowness can occur.

The photo above shows the procedure in progress. Proper design and planning are important to minimize side effects.

Also, if too much medication is concentrated in one area

or if the treatment interval is too short, the risk of hollowness increases.

To prevent this, the thickness of the double chin must be accurately diagnosed before treatment.

Careful dosage control by the medical staff so that the appropriate amount is injected evenly,

and a treatment plan that strictly follows the recovery interval, are both important.

Also, the medication mixtures vary by clinic.

I do not recommend long-term use of medications that contain steroids.

So before receiving treatment, it is a good idea to check the safety of these ingredients carefully.

6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. How long do swelling and recovery take?

A. Contouring injections cause swelling for about 3 to 4 hours on the day of injection due to the injected solution, but it goes down quickly.

In contrast, fat-dissolving injections (Violet) involve an inflammatory response in which fat cells are destroyed,

so soreness and noticeable swelling may last about 3 days to 1 week.

Q. How many sessions are needed to see results?

A. Contouring injections are usually recommended consistently at 1- to 2-week intervals for at least 3 sessions.

In contrast, fat-dissolving injections are usually given at 4-week intervals,

and depending on the condition of each person’s double chin, about 2 to 3 sessions may be needed.

Even after things become somewhat clearer about the procedure,

you’re still always wondering which clinic to go to.

If you read the article below, you’ll get a sense of which place to choose.

7. Key Summary of How to Choose Double-Chin Injections

Let me summarize today’s post.

• For mild swelling relief and temporary line refinement: contouring injections
• For destroying thick, heavy subcutaneous double-chin fat: fat-dissolving injections (Violet)
• To prevent hollowness side effects: accurate diagnosis of the fat layer and careful dosage control without overdoing it are key

Getting the cause properly diagnosed and receiving treatment in a safe way.

I hope you will keep that in mind before your consultation.

Thank you. This was Jo Won-jin.

[Please read this before undergoing treatment]