3 Face Types That Benefit from Submental Lift Surgery

Hello. I’m Director Heo Jae-won, a board-certified plastic surgeon at Ipter Plastic Surgery, where I perform rejuvenation procedures.

Today, I’d like to share something special.

“Doctor, does a double-chin contour injection work?”

“Isn’t liposuction enough?”

“What about tightening it with a laser?”

These are questions I hear very often in the consultation room.

But when I actually see people who have only had simple liposuction, there are surprisingly many cases where they say, “Hmm... something feels lacking.”

Why is that?

The misconception that removing fat alone will solve it

A double chin is not caused only by fat.

Under the chin, there are complex structures intertwined, including the platysma muscle, the submandibular gland, and the skin and fascia. So if you only remove fat, the line you expected may not appear. That is why the submental lift was introduced.

What is remarkable about this surgery is that it does not cut the skin at all.

Traditional neck lifts involved a long incision behind the ear, extensive skin separation, and removal of excess skin,

whereas a submental lift uses only a small incision under the chin to precisely refine the structures beneath it while leaving the skin intact.

I call this “soft contouring for the double chin.”

It is a contouring surgery that does not shave bone, does not cut skin, and works only on soft tissue.

So who is this surgery best for?

After analyzing Dr. Marten’s paper, I found that three types of people tend to see the most dramatic results.

First: Young women with an obtuse neck line

They do exist. Their face is slim and pretty, but from the side, they have a pronounced double chin.

Their face is small and their chin is small, so even a slight downward tilt of the head can make it look like they have a double chin.

In these cases, it is not actually because there is too much fat; it is a structural issue.

• A naturally small chin

• A relatively large submandibular gland

• Low platysma muscle tone

For people like this, there is absolutely no reason to cut the skin.

In fact, Dr. Marten warns that “if the skin is cut in such cases, the neck line may become worse due to the Bow string effect.”

Second: Middle-aged men with a dull neck line

Men generally have thicker skin and good elasticity, so if the deeper layers are properly refined, the skin follows along well on its own.

In particular, a masculine impression comes from a sharp jawline and a distinct boundary between the jaw and neck, so a soft contour procedure through submental lift can create a natural and effective change.

According to the paper, up to one’s 50s, a neck-only lift can be enough to noticeably improve the impression.

It shows especially dramatic changes in the side profile.

Third: When the face lift is done, but only the neck is still unsatisfactory

Among people who had a face lift 3 to 5 years ago, there are cases where they are satisfied with the face but the double-chin area remains awkwardly visible.

Or there are people who said at the time of surgery, “I was scared, so I left out the neck, but now that I look at it, it seems lacking.”

For these people, a submental lift serves as a natural finishing touch to the previous surgery.

The incision is not long, and since the face itself is not touched, it is a good option for those who feel, “This seems manageable.” Of course, this surgery is not suitable for everyone.

• Advanced age

• Severely reduced skin elasticity

• Significant skin laxity already present

In these situations, refining only the internal structures may not create enough change.

No matter how well the inside is refined with soft contouring, it is not very useful if the skin that needs to cover it has already become loose.

For those patients, a traditional neck lift that removes some skin should also be considered.

Accurate diagnosis is the key

That is why this surgery requires especially careful diagnosis, even among people who say, “I want a lift, but I don’t want a noticeable scar.”

It is best to decide which type you fall into and which method is most appropriate through a sufficient consultation with a specialist.

In the next post, I will explain in detail how this submental lift is actually performed, from the incision location to the process of refining the muscles, fat, and glandular structures.

If, while reading this, you thought, “Oh, this sounds like it might be exactly right for me,” please feel free to leave your current concerns in the comments.

Thank you.