Excess fat can accumulate anywhere on the body, including under the chin. When this happens, it can cause sagging and softness of the facial structure that makes many patients feel self-conscious about their appearance. Fortunately, patients don’t have to go under the knife to achieve a defined chin and jawline. Morpheus8 and Fractora™ are two aesthetic treatments that are known for their skin-regeneration and youth-enhancing abilities, that can also help to eliminate the appearance of excess fat under the chin.
What is Morpheus8 and how does it work?
Morpheus8 is a treatment that combines fractionated radiofrequency technology with micro-damage to the skin in order to stimulate a natural healing response. As a result, the body begins to accelerate its production of substances needed to make strong, healthy and tighter skin, enabling patients to also achieve a more youthful appearance.
What to expect from the procedure
Topical anesthetic will be applied to your skin approximately 45 minutes before your Morpheus8 treatment begins. This will help to minimize any discomfort that you may experience. Once your skin is numbed appropriately, the handheld device is placed over the skin where it will emit radiofrequency energy that targets the deeper layers of the skin to start producing collagen and elastin, two of the building blocks needed for skin regeneration. The warmth also helps to liquefy fat in the cells, so that it can be metabolized and passed out of the body, reducing the amount of fat in the target area. At the same time, the ultra-fine needles will create dozens of micro-injuries to the skin which also stimulates the healing response. Patients may feel some warmth and tingling but shouldn’t experience any pain. The entire process should take around half an hour, excluding numbing time.
Downtime is minimal, and you will be advised to avoid strong sunlight and wear high factor SPF for at least the first few days following your procedure. Provided you follow the aftercare instructions given to you by your technician, you should be able to get back to your usual activities within a couple of days. The first visible results should be seen within a few days, with optimal results being achieved around three weeks after treatment. In the case of application under the chin, patients should notice a reduction in the amount of fat under the skin, and significant tightening of the skin, reducing the appearance of fat and sagging that characterizes a ‘double chin’.
What is Fractora™ and how does it work?
Fractora™ by InMode is a cutting-edge fractional radio frequency treatment that is extremely similar to Morpheus8 in that it combines RF technology with microneedling to improve the skin’s tone and texture in order to create a rejuvenated, radiant and more youthful appearance. Again, the heat applied using RF energy can also liquefy the fat cells, causing them to shrink and reducing the amount of fat found under the chin, which, combined with the skin-tightening abilities of the treatment, can eliminate the appearance of a double chin.
Just like Morpheus8, Fractora™ uses a handheld device to deliver heat to the deeper layers of the skin in order to trigger regeneration, while the tiny pinprick holes created will stimulate the natural healing response that sees the skin repair itself over the coming weeks and months. A topical anesthetic, or sometimes a slightly stronger injectable variety is applied to the skin to prevent discomfort. A cold air chiller may also be used to cool the surface of the skin as the heat is applied to enable the treatment to penetrate more deeply without causing you any further discomfort. Treatment times can also be slightly longer at up to two hours, depending on the area to be treated.
Downtime following Fractora™ is also slightly lengthier, with the precise amount of time required depending on the depth of the treatment you have had. However, as you might also expect, the deeper the treatment, the more noticeable the effects should be.
For more information about Morpheus8 or Fractora™, or to schedule a consultation to discuss your options, please don’t hesitate to speak to our experienced plastic surgery team in San Diego, CA.
