Better Jawline Profile
Dr. Bethany King is a facial plastic surgeon practicing in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. King specializes in the enhancement of appearance. Improving aesthetics, symmetry, and proportion are key goals in cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic medicine has nothing to do with these specific areas not functioning properly; therefore, this elective... more
Better definition along the jawline. Everybody wants it. Especially after getting that impromptu photo that catches your profile that you wish hadn’t happened. Improvement is made by reduction of fat under the chin and jawline so that you see a better shadow under the jaw, or by reduction of fat as well as loose skin in the older patient. For the younger patient (the patient who doesn’t have to worry about loose skin), this is accomplished by surgical removal (liposuction) or Kybella, a non-surgical injection that dissolves fat. There are pros and cons to each technique. One is performed in office, one in the OR. One is with you awake, one with you either groggy or fully asleep. One requires multiple treatments to get you to your endpoint, one requires just one treatment. The cost is around the same. So, what usually happens is people gravitate toward non-surgical treatments like Kybella first. I do offer Kybella, but I wanted to explain what liposuction is like.
It’s a brief surgical procedure, the fat is removed by me until things look right, very minimal pain after surgery (this particular patient never took a single Percocet and was afraid that something was wrong since she wasn’t hurting), and usually not-so-bad bruising and swelling (less swelling under the chin than what will happen with Kybella). This photo is of a patient SIX DAYS AFTER SURGERY. This photo is with her swollen. 6 days after one Kybella injection, you will likely be more swollen than this. Most of the swelling from liposuction will be gone after 4 weeks. But, she won’t see her final result until 6 months after surgery, because it usually gets thinner and more refined. Liposuction (in the right patient, meaning one whose skin is elastic enough to contract in) is a slam dunk. It’s a one-time treatment, I actually witness the removal of the fat in the OR (as opposed to presuming the fat is going to dissolve from the injections), less swelling than Kybella, and no more expensive than the multiple rounds required with Kybella to get the result you are after. Kybella is great….just don’t discount the effectiveness of liposuction! Come see me and I can help you choose which technique would be best for you!
