Contact Us

Double Chin Treatment in Covington, KY

Bring Back the Line Between Your Jaw and Your Neck

Common In:
Adults 30 and older
Primary Causes:
Genetics, fat, muscle laxity, aging skin
Treatment Time:
20-30 minutes per session
Results:
Build over 6-12 weeks
Woman checking her jawline and submental area before double chin treatment at Applegate MedSpa in Covington, KY
Close view of submental fullness under the chin and jaw, the concern treated at Applegate MedSpa in Covington

Understanding Your Profile

What Is a Double Chin?

Recognizing the Signs

Double chin treatment in Covington, KY starts with an honest look at what is actually creating the fullness under your jaw. A double chin, known clinically as submental fullness, is the soft convexity that sits between the chin and the neck, and it is almost never one single problem. Fat collects both above and below the platysma, the broad sheet of muscle that covers the front of the neck, that muscle loses tone with age, and the skin over both loses elasticity at the same time.

When you scroll back through photos taken from slightly below, or catch your profile in a car window, the crisp angle where your jaw used to meet your neck has gone soft. Patients from Covington, Fort Mitchell and Crescent Springs tell us the same thing: they look heavier in pictures than they feel, at a weight they are otherwise happy with.

That gap between how you look and how you feel is what brings most people to this page. Submental fullness is one of the most common concerns we see across Kenton County, Northern Kentucky and the greater Cincinnati, OH area, and it is worth understanding before you choose a treatment. You can also browse the other conditions we treat to see how this one connects to the rest of your face and neck.

Why a Double Chin Forms

Understanding the Root Causes

01The Science

The submental area holds fat in two separate layers. The superficial layer sits between the skin and the platysma muscle, and a deeper subplatysmal layer sits underneath it, close to the muscles that run from the chin to the hyoid bone. Diet and exercise reach the superficial layer far more readily than the deep one, which is a large part of why a double chin can persist in someone who is otherwise lean.

Underneath the fat, the platysma acts like a hammock across the front of the neck. As its fibers weaken and separate with age, that hammock sags and the fat above it loses its scaffolding. Published work on the anatomy and physiology of the aging neck describes this as a layered change: skin, fat, muscle and the underlying skeleton all shift together rather than one at a time.

Then there is bone. A naturally recessed chin, a short mandible, or a hyoid bone that sits low in the neck all shorten the visual distance between the jaw and the throat, so even a modest amount of fat reads as a double chin. This is where a dentist-founded practice sees things differently, because jaw position and facial skeletal structure are what Dr. Applegate has assessed every working day since 1993. Addressing the fat layer with Emsculpt Neo for submental fat is only useful once we know how much of your profile is fat and how much is structure.

02Deeper Understanding

The Platysma and Your Jawline

How Muscle Tone Shapes Your Profile

A defined jawline is really a shadow. It appears when the tissue above the jaw bone is firm and lifted and the tissue below it falls away cleanly. Anything that softens that transition, loose skin along the jaw, descending cheek fat, or a slack platysma pulling downward, blurs the shadow and makes the chin and neck read as one continuous surface.

This is why double chin concerns and lower face laxity so often arrive together. The same loss of collagen and elastin that creates sagging skin and jowls along the jaw also thins the support under the chin. Treating only the fat can leave the skin above it looking emptier rather than tighter, which is the outcome nobody wants.

The muscle side of the equation responds to stimulation. Emface for the lower face and chin uses synchronized radiofrequency with HIFES muscle stimulation to tone the facial muscles that support the lower face, so the jaw edge lifts and the transition to the neck reads sharper. Paired with fat reduction below the jaw, it addresses both halves of the problem instead of one.

Contributing Factors

What Makes a Double Chin More Noticeable?

Identifying Your Triggers

Several factors stack on top of each other to create submental fullness, which is why two people at the same weight can have completely different profiles. The same combination of stubborn fat and muscle loss that frustrates people below the neck is at work under the chin.

Treatment room at Applegate Dentistry and MedSpa in Covington, Kentucky, where double chin care is provided

Why Applegate

Why Choose Applegate MedSpa for Double Chin Care in Covington, KY

Your consultation is with Elizabeth Taylor, APRN, who brings a background in acute care medicine and advanced aesthetic training to every assessment, inside a practice founded by a cosmetic dentist who has been reading jaws and facial structure since 1993.

Anatomy-First Assessment
We evaluate jaw position, chin projection and hyoid height, not just the fat pad, so the plan matches your actual anatomy.
Two Technologies, One Roof
Emface tones the lower face while Emsculpt Neo targets submental fat and muscle, and both are delivered in the same practice.
Honest About Limits
If your profile is driven mostly by skeletal structure, we will tell you plainly rather than sell you sessions that cannot deliver.
Needle Free Options
Both treatments are non surgical and non injectable, so most patients return to work and normal activity the same day.
Consultation With a Clinician
Your assessment is with Elizabeth Taylor, APRN, not a sales coordinator, and the number of sessions and the full price are quoted before you commit.
The Whole Picture
If weight is part of the story, an InBody body composition scan is available in the same visit, so the chin plan sits inside an honest view of the whole body.

Double Chin Treatment Options Compared

These are the two treatments Applegate MedSpa offers for the chin and jawline. Many patients combine them.

TreatmentBest ForSession TimeResults TimelineMaintenance
EmfaceLower face and jawline tone20 minutes6-12 weeks1-2 sessions yearly
Emsculpt NeoSubmental fat and muscle30 minutes6-12 weeksEvery 6-12 months

You May Be Dealing With a Double Chin If...

These are the signs patients describe most often. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that localized fat can persist despite diet and exercise, which matches what most people experience here.

Book a Consultation

  • Lost Jaw Definition

    The clear line that used to separate your jaw from your neck has softened, and your chin and neck now read as one surface.

  • Photos From Below

    Group photos and video calls shot from a low angle show fullness under your chin that you do not see in the mirror.

  • Weight Loss Did Not Help

    You lost weight and your face slimmed, but the pocket under your chin stayed almost exactly where it was.

  • Chin Tucking Habit

    You catch yourself lifting your chin, angling the camera up, or turning your head in photos to hide the area.

  • Necklines and Collars

    Higher necklines, scarves and collars have quietly become your default because they break up the line under your jaw.

  • Skin Feels Loose

    When you press gently under your chin the tissue feels soft and mobile rather than firm, especially by the end of the day.

Your Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Will losing weight get rid of my double chin?
Sometimes, but often not. Weight loss reduces the superficial fat layer more readily than the deeper subplatysmal fat, and it does nothing for loose skin, weak platysma muscle or a recessed chin. Most patients who ask us about this have already lost weight and found the area barely changed. That is a structural result, not a willpower problem.
What causes a double chin if I am not overweight?
Usually anatomy rather than weight. A naturally recessed chin, a short mandible, or a hyoid bone that sits low in the neck all shorten the visual distance between jaw and throat. Add age related platysma laxity and thinning skin, and a small amount of submental fat reads as a full double chin. We assess all of these at your consultation.
How long before I see a difference under my chin?
Most patients start noticing a firmer jaw edge around six weeks, with fuller results building through twelve weeks as muscle tone improves and treated fat cells clear. Emface is typically 3 to 8 sessions and Emsculpt Neo 4 to 10 sessions, spaced across several weeks. Results vary by individual and by how much of your profile is fat versus structure.
Can Emface and Emsculpt Neo be combined for the chin and jawline?
Yes, and for many patients that combination makes the most sense. Emsculpt Neo addresses submental fat and muscle below the jaw, while Emface lifts and tones the lower face above it, so the transition from chin to neck reads sharper. Elizabeth will sequence the two based on which layer is driving your profile.
Does Applegate MedSpa offer Kybella, CoolSculpting or a neck lift?
No. We do not offer injectable deoxycholic acid, cryolipolysis or surgical submentoplasty. Our approach to the chin and jawline is non surgical and non injectable, using Emface and Emsculpt Neo. If your concern is better served by a surgical option, we will say so and point you toward an appropriate specialist.
How much does double chin treatment cost in Covington, KY?
Emface is $500 per session, typically 3 to 8 sessions, and Emsculpt Neo is $500 per session, typically 4 to 10 sessions. Your exact plan depends on whether we treat one area or both, which we confirm at consultation. Cherry Financing is available and lets you spread payments over time. Call us at (859) 365-3300 for a personalized quote.
Is there any downtime with these treatments?
No downtime for most patients. Emface feels like warmth with a tapping sensation and takes about twenty minutes. Emsculpt Neo produces strong but tolerable muscle contractions alongside radiofrequency warming. Both are non invasive, and most people return to work, the gym or their afternoon in Covington right after the appointment.
Location322 Greenup StCovington, KY, 41011Phone(859) 365-3300Emailinfo@applegatemedspa.com

Schedule Today Your Double Chin Consultation

Scientific References

  1. Shadfar S et al., Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America. (2014). Anatomy and physiology of the aging neck. PMID: 24745379.
  2. Sturm A et al., Clinics in Plastic Surgery. (2023). Nonsurgical Rejuvenation of the Neck. PMID: 37169415.
  3. Shah GM et al., Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. (2017). Noninvasive approach to treatment of submental fullness. PMID: 29224033.
  4. Park SY et al., Skin Research and Technology. (2024). Lipolytic agents for submental fat reduction: Review. PMID: 38297988.
  5. Kohan J et al., Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. (2024). High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) Energy With and Without Radiofrequency for Noninvasive Body Contouring: A Systematic Review. PMID: 37957393.
  6. Halaas Y et al., Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum. (2025). The Simultaneous Application of Synchronized Radiofrequency and HIFES Technology Improves the Tone of Facial Muscles, as Assessed by Ultrasound Echo Intensity: A Pilot Study. PMID: 40503101.
  7. American Academy of Dermatology. (2024). Patient guidance on nonsurgical fat reduction, including what these treatments can and cannot achieve.
Book Consultation