HYANNIS – Are your once youthful lips not as full as they used to be?
Do you have an extra chin that you suddenly noticed one day while looking in the mirror?
You’re not the only one.
Plumping lips and other lip fixes have proven to be the second fastest- growing facial procedure in the United States since 2000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Injectable Hyaluronic acid products such as Juvederm, Belotero and Restylane were used to make fuller lips, remove “smile lines” and smooth facial skin in just under 2 million injection procedures in 2015.
“We do mostly injections for lip augmentation,” said Michael Loffredo, MD a plastic surgeon with Cape Cod Hospital.
“We almost exclusively use Juviderm, which is a nice soft product that works great on the lips.” It’s a Hyaluronic acid, a natural product that adds volume and helps the area retain moisture and softness.
The procedure takes about 15-20 minutes in the office and the effects of the injections last about nine months.
While those procedures have been around for a while, two options for non-invasive neck repair of double chins have arrived within the past year.
“Up until about six months ago, we didn’t have much to offer patients for neck repair other than surgery,” said Dr. Loffredo. “Now there are two products that have been introduced that can be used for neck correction.”
And they have become popular for men as well as women.
“Men typically get a double chin, sometimes even at an earlier age than women do,” he said.
Kybella is a product that is injected using a small, fine needle into the double chin in the neck area. It causes your body to remove the fat permanently and “it’s pretty impressive,” according to Dr. Loffredo.
The procedure requires two sessions lasting 15 to 20 minutes, four weeks apart. You see the final results in four to six weeks after the second session.
Lorna Steinruck of Eastham, a patient of Dr. Loffredo’s, couldn’t be more pleased with the Kybella. Her double chin is “gone for good!” she said.
“I considered myself in relatively good shape but with age I started to develop a double chin,” she said. “My dad has no definition in his neck anymore and it made me think that if I didn’t do something now, it would be too late.”
She had the encouragement of her 15-year-old daughter who wanted her to “do something about it.” Steinruck thought about it for a year and then decided to pursue it. She heard about Kybella on the Today Show.
During her consultation with Dr. Loffredo, they discussed the various options and, in the end, he chose Kybella as the best solution for Steinruck.
Dr. Loffredo also told her that he and his practice partner, Seth Jones, MD, have performed the procedure on each other, so he was able to tell Steinruck exactly how it would feel and the recovery process.
“How can you not trust them when they’ve both done it to each other?” Steinruck said.
Freezing Fat
The second process is called Coolsculpting. An applicator applied to the chin pulls the fat into the applicator cup where cold plates reduce the temperature to a pre-determined freezing point. This initiates the breakdown of the fat cells, which the body eliminates over the next 12 weeks.
While Dr. Loffredo has used Coolsculpting to treat “love handles,” backs and stomachs for the past three years, the development of the neck applicator provided the newest option for neck repair.
Both the Coolsculpting and Kybella procedures are done in the office, have minimal discomfort and swelling, no scars, incisions or downtime, and the results are permanent.
To make sure your results are what you want, Dr. Loffredo will meet with you for a consultation to discuss all options available to you. He also recommends that anyone considering plastic and/or cosmetic surgery or minimally invasive cosmetic procedures check to make sure their provider is board certified in plastic surgery or dermatology.
“In terms of safety, it is important to do your homework and go to an appropriately trained provider,” said Dr. Loffredo.
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