A breakthrough needle-free treatment that experts claim can banish a double chin in only 20 minutes is being offered at UK cosmetic clinics.
The £1,000 procedure hones and tones neck fat using a pad placed under the chin that emits high-intensity electromagnetic energy.
This means it uses pulses of energy to activate the nerves that control the muscle in the neck.
This causes it to contract spontaneously, effectively acting as a workout which tones the chin area and reduces skin looseness.
Some clinicians claim it mimics the effect of 20,000 sit-ups in one 30-minute session.
Studies show the same painless technology is highly effective at reducing fat around the midriff and improving muscle definition.
BEFORE AND AFTER: Louise Tarbuck didn’t reveal her secret but now feels far more confident
Now, clinicians are using the device – called the EMFACE Submentum – to combat double-chins, which they claim could improve the lives of countless people in the UK.
One of the first places in the country to offer the procedure is Aesthetically You, a Liverpool skin clinic, which has carried out the treatment on 50 patients.
Experts say the device could be transformative. ‘I’ve been using this technology for over a decade now, and this device is the most effective version yet,’ says Dr Rita Rakus, a cosmetic surgeon in London.
‘For most patients who want to get rid of a double chin I would recommend this over an invasive procedure. It is highly effective and has little-to-no side effects.’
Studies suggest nearly four out of five people say they are self-conscious about their neck fat, also known as submental fullness.
The saggy skin problem is most common in people who are overweight. However, it also becomes more of an issue as people age because skin loses its elasticity.
Other options include liposuction, which is an invasive operation involving making an incision in the chin and removing fat by sucking it out via a surgical tube.
Patients may also get a neck lift which involves tightening the skin under the chin. This is done using small clips, called sutures, which are attached to the edges of the neck muscle – the digastric muscle – to shorten it, pulling the chin skin in closer to the neck.
However, these procedures are not without risks. Liposuction often triggers bruising and swelling, as well as a numbness in the skin. In some cases patients experience severe side effects including bleeding and infections.
Moreover, patients also have to be given general anaesthetic, meaning they often stay in hospital overnight.
But the new EMFACE procedure is much faster, and carries far fewer risks. Alongside electromagnetic energy, the chin pad also uses another type of energy – called synchronised radio frequency – which research suggests can also help combat skin sagginess. Patients are advised to get four 20-minute sessions, seven to ten days apart.
The procedure usually costs £250 per session.
Michelle McLean, from Aesthetically You, says many patients notice a positive change after one session, with the best results usually seen after 90 days. In a clinical trial, carried out by EMFACE, the technology was shown to reduce face wrinkles by about 27 per cent in three months.
In 2018, the company launched its EMsculpt, which uses the same electric energy technology to combat stomach paunch.
Studies suggest the EMsculpt can reduce the depth of the fat layer that covers the stomach by up to 20 per cent, or 3.4mm on average. A similar US trial is ongoing assessing the effectiveness of the EMFACE at reducing excess chin fat.
One patient who benefited is Louise Tarbuck, a florist from Liverpool who began treatment in March this year.
The procedure, called EMFACE hones and tones neck fat using a pad placed under the chin that emits high-intensity electromagnetic energy
Louise, 45, spent years suffering from low self-confidence because of her double chin.
Her insecurities grew to the point where she was afraid to go outside or exercise because she was embarrassed by her chin.
‘When I heard about the EMFACE, I thought, ‘well, I’ll give it a go – I can only try’, she says.
‘And to be honest, I was completely blown away, even after the first session, so it was brilliant and I just thought I’d carry on.’
She finished treatment in mid-April and now feels like a ‘completely different’ woman. She says the procedure was painless and without side effects.
‘Nobody knew that I’d been anywhere,’ she says. ‘But then a couple of weeks later, somebody said ‘Oh, your face has got a lot slimmer, you’ve lost a lot of weight.’
Her husband has also noticed her growing confidence.
When I had photographs taken, I would always put my hand under my chin to hide what was ther,’ she says. ‘Now I don’t, I just smile.’
