Chin Liposuction vs Platysmaplasty - What's the Difference?

Chin Liposuction

Chin Liposuction is a procedure done under IV sedation to remove submental fat (double chin). This fat does not come back with weight stability. You may think, "Well yes, that's what I want." Let me explain a Platysmaplasty, or Corset Platysmaplasty, and then let's see how you feel.

Platysmaplasty

A Platysmaplasty is a procedure also done under IV sedation to remove submental fat (double chin) both above and below your Platysma muscle. An incision is made through the Platysma muscle itself, and it is then tied like a corset (hence the name) to your hyoid bone. This gives you the sharpest chin-throat angle possible for your body.

This procedure helps define your chin, neck and jawline for a sharper profile. It is actually part of all Neck Lift surgeries. You know those neck bands that you start to see with age? That's actually the banding of your Platsyma muscle.

Both procedures have a small incision at the base of your chin around an inch in length.

Why should I pick one over the other?

Most commonly, patient's have fat present both above and below the Platysma muscle. If this is the case, doing liposuction to the fat below the muscle alone may not give you your desired results. If there is fat present above the muscle, and is not removed, the submental fullness may lessen, but not as much as it could. At your consultation, we can determine which procedure you can do to achieve your goals.

Recovery is relatively similar for both procedures. It is generally a 5 day recovery. You will have a tight headwrap on after your surgery that we ask for you to leave on until your 24 hour follow up, and then we will switch you over to a compression head wrap (head bra) to apply compression under your chin. This helps prevent fluid from filling in this area. It is worn for 4 more days, for a total of 5 days of compression.

After this, patients are usually off their medications and feel more comfortable returning to work. Patient's can expect some bruising and swelling in the neck and even down into the chest in the first week after surgery.

But, will that work on me?

This does differ for each patient because everyone's airway is positioned differently, some more forward than others - this does not actually interfere with your airway, though you may have a strange feeling when swallowing in the few days after surgery. If your skin is loose in your neck, another procedure may be recommended for you to address the sides of the neck (Isolated Neck Lift procedure). This is generally done by adding incisions behind the ear to address the skin and muscle for a more widespread result.

Chin Liposuction vs Platysmaplasty - What's the Difference?