Liposuction (or lipoplasty) of the facial oval slims the lower third of the face and the neck in patients with localized fat deposits around the chin or neck (double chin) and jowls. This procedure achieves a better-defined, more harmonious and firmer face with virtually invisible scars.
Facial oval liposuction: in summary
- Result: Natural within a few days. Final after 3 to 6 months.
- Anesthesia: Light general or local
- Hospitalization: Outpatient
- Duration of the procedure: 45 min
- Pain: Between 1 and 2/10
- Scars: 2 mm, hidden under the chin and behind the ears
- Recovery: 1 to 2 days
- Return to sport: Gradual from 2 weeks
Aging of the facial oval
The neck and cheeks are indeed the two areas of the face most prone to storing fat, whether in the form of a double chin or more or less lax jowls. They are also the areas of the face that visibly experience sagging over time as well as weight fluctuations earlier than other areas.
What is a double chin?
A "double chin" refers to the presence of localized excess fat under the chin. The presence of a double chin distorts the facial oval, giving it a heavier appearance and prematurely aging it.
There are two main causes of a double chin:
- The presence of fat deposits under the chin, which contributes to a loss of definition of the cervico-mental angle
- Skin laxity (or ptosis), which alters the shape of the lower third of the face, resulting in a less defined contour.
> Remove a double chin and excess fat in the neck
What are jowls?
The term "jowls" describes the part of the face located below the cheeks and on either side of the chin. The appearance of jowls follows a mechanism similar to that of a double chin. Indeed, jowls can become "saggy" due to tissue ptosis or fat storage.
> Remove jowls and facial fat without surgery
Principle of facial oval liposuction
What is liposuction?
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery technique that permanently removes localized excess fat. Liposuction is less a weight-loss method than a technique for reshaping contours by removing localized fat deposits.
Liposuction is often indicated for removing stubborn fat that is difficult to lose through diet or exercise. Often used to treat areas of the body such as the hips, the abdomen, the arms, or love handles, liposuction can also be used on the face. This is referred to as facial oval liposuction or submental liposuction.
Who can undergo face liposuction?
Facial oval liposuction is indicated for patients who wish to slim the lower part of their face and/or correct its sagging.
Liposuction of the lower third of the face removes the fat deposits responsible for jowls and a double chin. The result is a better-defined, firmer and more harmonious face.
Face liposuction can be performed under two conditions:
- The lower third of the face must have a sufficient amount of excess fat so that the desired result can be achieved.
- The patient must have moderate skin laxity so that the skin can still retract during healing to achieve the best possible result. Indeed, good-quality skin allows for better retraction and thus an optimal result.
If these two conditions are not met, a medical or surgical alternative should be considered to best address the patient's indication (see below "What other treatments are possible?"). During an initial consultation, the surgeon can review the different treatment options that meet your expectations with you.
What happens during facial oval liposuction
Liposuction involves inserting rounded-tip cannulas, perforated with several openings at their end. The cannulas are connected to a closed circuit in which negative pressure is created, allowing for the suction of fat cells.
Removal of the fat deposits is performed evenly, while preserving a layer of fat beneath the skin to avoid any potential irregularities.
Facial oval liposuction lasts about 45 minutes. It is performed under light general anesthesia or local anesthesia. Patients can leave the clinic the same day as the procedure (outpatient hospitalization).
Results of face liposuction
Recovery
Recovery after facial oval liposuction is simple and almost painless. Patients can go home the same evening as the procedure. Work can resume within 2 days following the procedure.
Dr. C. Kron will have you wear 2 headbands at night to prevent edema from settling in during the first few days.
Recovery mainly involves some slight bruising and a bit of edema. Slight bruising is not systematic and disappears naturally within a few days. Edema is relatively moderate and gradually disappears over 2-3 weeks.
As for resuming sports activity, it is best to resume gradually after 2 weeks.
It is important to limit sun exposure during the period when bruising is present.
Does face liposuction leave scars?
The cannulas used to suction fat deposits are particularly fine for facial liposuction (3 mm). Although these are fine, they necessarily require an incision in the skin and therefore small 2 mm scars. These small scars are hidden under the chin and behind the earlobes. These scars can therefore be considered virtually invisible.
Due to the use of very fine cannulas, the appearance of the skin will be improved by the skin retraction that follows during healing.
When can the result be observed?
While the result of liposuction may be visible at the end of the procedure, it will then quickly be masked by postoperative edema.
After three weeks, the result is already quite clear as the edema resolves. However, the skin takes about 3 to 6 months to fully retract onto the new contours and adapt to the new silhouette. The result can then be considered final.
What other treatments are possible?
Facial oval liposuction is a proven technique that achieves very good results. However, there are alternative treatments that may be indicated depending on the patient's expectations and anatomy.
Aesthetic medicine treatments
For patients who do not wish to undergo a cosmetic surgery procedure, aesthetic medicine techniques are available. These non-invasive techniques avoid recovery time and the risks inherent to a surgical procedure (even though these are minimal).
When sagging of the facial oval is explained more by the presence of localized fat than by tissue ptosis, CoolMini Coolsculpting and ONDA Coolwave treatments are indicated. These are 2 non-invasive treatments that remove excess fat deposits from the face as well as the rest of the body. CoolMini is preferred when fat deposits predominate. ONDA Coolwave is preferred when skin laxity of the facial oval predominates.
Placement of thread lifts may be indicated for redefining the facial oval when this is due to moderate tissue ptosis. In cases of significant facial skin laxity, a facelift will be more suitable.
Cosmetic surgery treatments
A facelift is particularly indicated when loss of the facial oval is associated with other signs of facial aging: development of jowls, deepening wrinkles, presence of a double chin.
Developed by Dr. Kron, the LVPA facelift involves redraping the skin and re-tensioning the muscles in the same operative session. This deep facelift technique achieves a very significant, lasting result, with very mild recovery and virtually invisible scars. Unlike face liposuction, the LVPA facelift does not involve bruising in the neck.
When the neck angle is not very pronounced, the platysma muscle is lax and/or the horizontal skin of the neck is lax in a localized way, the surgeon can perform a neck lift by skin-and-muscle platysmaplasty. If localized fat deposits are present, these are resected during the procedure. It should be noted that these fat deposits are located behind the muscle and are therefore not accessible by liposuction.
In case of localized excess fat (double chin), the LVPA facelift can include lipoplasty to remove this fat in the same operative session.
Before-after: Face and neck liposuction
Result achieved on a 40-year-old woman who wished to slim and redefine her facial oval. The "after" photos were taken 7 months after the procedure, with no weight loss on the patient's part.
