Your weight has not changed, yet the area under your chin looks unusually full in profile photos. Or exercise and careful eating trim everywhere except beneath the jaw. A double chin is rarely a simple matter of weight gain, so before looking into treatments it is worth working out what is actually causing yours.
Why the cause has to be separated out first
Two factors build a double chin. One is localized fat that collects under the chin. The other is a loss of firmness — with age, skin and the tissue beneath it slacken and the jawline blurs. In practice the two usually overlap.
The difficulty comes when the treatment does not match the cause. If fat is the main driver but only tightening is done, or if sagging is the issue but only fat is reduced, the change tends to fall short of what was hoped for. This is why facial shape, fat volume and skin laxity are assessed first, and the treatments are combined from there.
V-OLET injection: fat reduction and jawline design
V-OLET is a fat-dissolving injection (deoxycholic acid, the same class of agent as Kybella) used on localized fat under the chin. What separates it from a routine lipolysis injection is the planning. Rather than delivering a fixed dose, the doctor reads the flow of the whole jawline, decides how much fat to reduce at which points, and then adjusts the placement and depth of each injection. The goal is to reduce fat while shaping a contour that runs smoothly from chin to ear.
Ultherapy: when the deeper layers need lifting
When loss of firmness is the main driver, lifting devices move up the list. Ultherapy delivers high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) down to the SMAS layer deep in the skin, contracting tissue at the fascial level and prompting collagen renewal. Because it works from a deep layer rather than the surface, it is used to redefine a jawline that has slackened and lost its edge.
InMode FX: when fat and sagging overlap
InMode FX (MiniFX) uses radiofrequency energy to reduce fat tissue and tighten skin at the same time. In a double chin where fat and laxity are mixed, it allows both issues to be approached with one device. That said, the choice of device is decided by the state of your own submental area, not by a specification sheet. What shapes the outcome is a doctor who knows the character and the limits of each device and sets the combination after examining you.
How Skinique Clinic plans a combination
At Skinique Clinic, a double chin consultation begins by sorting the case into fat-type, laxity-type or mixed-type, and only then combining V-OLET injections with lifting devices to the extent each case requires. This is why two people with what looks like the same double chin can leave with different plans. Results and how long they last vary from person to person; you can review costs on the pricing page.
Wrapping Up
Improving a double chin starts with a diagnosis, not with picking a treatment. Once you know whether yours is fat-type, laxity-type or mixed, a combination built around that is what makes a natural change in the jawline reasonable to expect. If you are unsure which type yours is, you are welcome to ask about the right direction for your jawline over chat.
This article was written by Dr. Park Tae-hyung, chief director of Skinique Clinic and an academic director of the Korean Academy of Laser, Dermatology and Trichology (KALDAT). First published March 25, 2025 · Last reviewed August 23, 2026
This article is general medical information. Skin condition and response to treatment vary between individuals. Whether to undergo treatment, and which one, should be decided through an in-person consultation.