About the treatment
What non-surgical double chin removal actually is
The fat under the chin — submental fat, to give it its name — is one of the least responsive areas on the body. It has very little to do with overall weight, and it is common in people who are otherwise lean. That is because where you store fat is largely genetic, and no amount of targeted exercise changes it.
Laser lipo technology takes a different route. Low-level laser energy is applied over the area and causes the fat cells beneath to release their stored contents. The cells empty; your lymphatic system carries the released fat away over the following weeks and clears it the way it clears anything else.
Nothing is cut, nothing is injected and nothing is frozen. There is no anaesthetic and no recovery, which is the reason people choose it over the surgical route for an area this visible. At our Ottawa clinic on McCarthy Road a session takes well under an hour and you can go straight back to work afterwards.
How it works
What actually happens under the chin
Three stages, and only the first one happens in the room.
The cells release
Laser energy passes into the fat layer and causes the membranes of the fat cells to become permeable. They release the triglycerides they were storing into the surrounding fluid. You feel warmth and pressure, and nothing else.
Your lymphatic system clears it
The released fat enters the lymphatic system and is processed and removed the way your body handles fat from any other source. This is why the result is gradual, and why drinking water afterwards genuinely matters rather than being spa advice.
The jawline emerges
As the volume under the chin reduces, the line between jaw and neck becomes distinct again. It is a contour change rather than a skin change — the profile from the side is where you see it first.
Being straight with you
What it will and will not do
This is a treatment with a lot of exaggerated marketing around it. Here is the honest version.
It reduces fat, not skin
If the fullness under your chin is fat, this works on it. If it is loose skin that has lost its elasticity, reducing the fat underneath can actually make the looseness more apparent. We check which one you have before recommending anything.
It is not weight loss
It is a contouring treatment for one specific pocket. It will not change the number on the scale and it is no substitute for anything else — but it does reach a deposit that diet and exercise reliably fail to shift.
It takes weeks, not days
Anyone promising a visible difference the same afternoon is describing swelling, not fat reduction. Most people notice the change beginning at three to four weeks and continuing over a couple of months.
It holds if your weight does
The cells that were emptied are cleared for good, but the remaining ones can still fill again. A stable weight keeps the result; significant weight gain will undo it, and we would rather say so up front.
Indications
What is it good for?
One area, one problem — a persistent fat pocket that has not responded to anything else.
Stubborn fat elsewhere on the body is laser lipo cavitation, and everything else we offer is on our Ottawa clinic page.
The difference
Laser lipo or surgery?
Surgical options
- Incisions, anaesthetic and a surgeon
- Days to weeks of swelling, bruising and compression
- Time off work, and a visible recovery on the face
- A larger, faster change in one go
- Surgical risk, and it cannot be undone
Laser lipo technology
- Nothing cut, nothing injected, no anaesthetic
- Warmth and pressure — that is the whole sensation
- Back to work the same day
- A gradual change over weeks, across a course of sessions
- Non-invasive, so nothing to recover from
The honest trade-off is scale against risk. Surgery does more, faster, and costs you a recovery and a real procedure. Laser lipo does less per session and asks for patience, but there is no anaesthetic, no scar and no week hiding your face. For a moderate pocket of submental fat, most people find the second trade the better one.
Getting ready
Pre & post treatment
Hydration is the one that actually affects your result. The rest is straightforward.
Before your appointment
- Drink plenty of water in the days beforehand — your lymphatic system does the work here.
- Arrive clean: face, jawline and neck free of make-up and lotions.
- Skip blood thinners: no alcohol, aspirin or ibuprofen for 24 to 48 hours, to reduce bruising.
- Shave the area if applicable, cleanly, before you come in.
After your appointment
- Mild swelling, redness or tenderness is normal and passes within a few days.
- Do not massage or rub the treated area under the chin.
- Keep drinking water — this is how the released fat actually leaves.
- Avoid heat: no saunas, long hot showers or strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours.
- Be patient: judge it at four weeks, not four days.
Results
Double chin removal before and after
A client at You Glow Aesthetics, photographed from the side — which is the angle where submental fat shows and where the change is visible.
Individual results vary with the amount of fat present, skin elasticity, how many sessions are completed and whether weight stays stable afterwards.
Also at our Ottawa clinic
Treatments that work well around this one
- Laser Lipo Cavitation in Ottawa — the same principle applied to the stomach, flanks and thighs
- Butt Lift (Laser Lipo) in Ottawa — contouring for the lower body
- Microneedling in Ottawa — builds collagen in the skin over the jawline, where firmness is also a factor
- Anti-Aging Red Light Therapy in Ottawa — supports skin firmness with no downtime
- Double chin removal brand-wide — how the treatment works across all our clinics
