What is Facial Liposuction?

What is Facial Liposuction?

As a facial plastic surgeon for over 25 years I am very familiar with procedures involving facial liposuction. And I find that many patients have question about this procedure which is generally referred to as facial contouring.

Such patients are often asked most concerned with the areas under the chin and the neck (the submental areas) more specifically what we commonly call turkey neck.

So, when we are discussing facial contouring we are talking about putting fat back or removing fat from other areas. During the aging process, we lose fat in the upper face, mid face, the perioral, temporal, superorbital areas as well as areas around the mouth and in the peri nasal area.  We often deposit fat as we age in the neck or chin area which is aesthetically unpleasing to most individuals.

Also, fat may deposit along the jaw line and even during a face lift procedure we will perform liposuction in these areas. However, liposuction of the face above the jaw line is never a good idea in my professional opinion the problem being as you can often see the lines where the liposuction has gone in and it is just not a forgiving area.

Fat in The Right Place as a Good Thing.

Having said that fat grafting or adding fat can be used in the areas mentioned above primarily the mid face, lower lid, temporal. forehead and sometimes upper eye lids and perioral area. (areas around the lips and mouth presenting as fine lines, marionette lines, and flattened cupid bow).

There is one other area I should mention and that is the buckle. Just outside the mouth area, some individuals can have a ‘pouch’ l since aging can causes the contours of the face to flatten and become lax and pouchy which thy feel gives them a boyish or girlish look even though they are older. This heaviness in the are just lateral to the mouth often corresponds to the buckle fat pad which is covered in another video.

As we age we lose some of the elasticity and tissue will droop. Up until about the age of 40 when someone has submental or under chin fatty tissue they are often a good candidate for isolated liposuction procedure. Turkey neck or wobble in someone who is older will often need liposuction and lifting at the same time.

This under chin fat can be addressed with liposuction with a small incision just under the chin which allows the surgeon to perform safe liposuction of the entire chin and jaw area. This can be performed as an isolated procedure for younger patients giving nice contour to the neck and jaw line and it is often performed in conjunction with facelift surgery.

Is There a Non-Surgical Option?

There is one other treatment option that should be discussed and that is KYBELLA^®.  KYBELLA^® is Deoxycholic acid, which is basically pharmaceutical grade bio-salt that dissolves acid as an injectable treatment that destroys fat cells in the area (submental fat), addressing what is referred to as a “double chin.”   KYBELLA^® involves very small injections in the neck and can be performed as an outpatient in the office. This is an attractive option to many patient as it is not a surgical procedure with no downtime.

Since it typically takes 2-3 treatments for most people, a consultation with your doctor can help you make the best decision as a conventional liposuction procedure can be more cost effective than KYBELLA. ^®

For someone one who has a small, isolated, submental fat pocket KYBELLA. ^®  could be a great option.

For more information about facial liposuction, check our website or call the Williams Center at 518-786-7000.