How to get rid of a double chin depends on the cause. Weight loss helps when overall fat is the cause, Kybella injections treat fat under the chin, chin filler helps a weak chin, and surgery such as chin liposuction or a neck lift suits larger fat pockets or loose skin.
Written by Kiara DeWitt, BSN, RN, Founder and CEO
Medically reviewed by Dr. Josh Allen, D.O., Medical Director on October 30, 2026
Medical disclaimer: This article is for education and is not medical advice. Results vary from person to person. Talk with a licensed clinician before any treatment.
A double chin is extra fat under and around the chin, loose skin, or both. Cleveland Clinic says a double chin typically goes with carrying excess weight, because many people gain weight across the whole body, including the face and chin.
Genetics play a part too. Cleveland Clinic notes that some people inherit a stronger jawline and others a softer one, even at a healthy weight. Loose skin under the chin can create the same look.
A weak chin, meaning one that sits back from the rest of the profile, can make the area under it look fuller. Genetics, loose skin, and chin shape don’t depend on body weight, which is why a thin person can still have a double chin.
Weight loss helps when the fullness comes from overall weight. Cleveland Clinic is direct about the limits: there’s no research supporting a way to lose a double chin naturally, and there’s no overnight fix.
Four exercises are commonly recommended to tone the muscles under the chin. These steps follow Cleveland Clinic’s guidance:
1. Chin tuck. Sit or stand upright and lightly touch your chin with one index finger. Pull your head and neck straight back without moving the finger. Hold for up to 10 seconds, and repeat for a set of 10.
2. Ceiling kiss. Tilt your head back, look at the ceiling, and pucker as if kissing it. Hold for five to 10 seconds, and repeat for a set of 15, twice a day.
3. Tongue stretch. Open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out until your chin and neck muscles tighten. Hold for 10 seconds, and repeat 10 times.
4. Neck rotation. Lower your chin to your chest and slowly rotate your neck in a full clockwise circle, keeping your shoulders down. Do 10 in all.
Exercise tones muscles, and it doesn’t target the fat cells under the chin. Cleveland Clinic’s fitness specialist says these moves can support the benefits of healthy eating and exercise but can’t replace them. Start slowly, because overworking the jaw and neck can strain the muscles.
Kybella is a prescription injection of deoxycholic acid. It is FDA-approved for adults with moderate to severe fullness from fat under the chin, and it destroys fat cells in the area where it’s injected. It is not approved for fat anywhere else on the body.
The Kybella prescribing information tells clinicians to screen for other causes of fullness under the chin, such as an enlarged thyroid or swollen lymph nodes, before treating. People in the trials had moderate to severe fullness under the chin without excessive skin laxity, which is why Kybella suits fat with firm skin.
A single treatment can include up to 50 small injections. The label allows up to six treatments, spaced at least one month apart. In the trials, 59% of participants received all six, and results were measured 12 weeks after the last treatment. Johns Hopkins Medicine says most people get two or three.
The most common effects are swelling, bruising, pain, and numbness. In the label’s trials, 87% of Kybella participants had swelling, 72% had bruising, and 70% had pain. Hopkins puts the swelling at about 10 days after each session.
In the trials some effects lasted longer, with numbness in 42% of people and swelling in 20% still present after 30 days. The label also warns about nerve injury and trouble swallowing, and our Kybella side effects guide covers the risks in detail.
Kybella is $799 per vial at InjectCo, and how much Kybella costs covers the cost in more detail. For how treatment works with our nurse injectors, see Kybella at InjectCo.
FDA-approved for moderate to severe fullness from fat under the chin in adults, with a plan set by our nurse injectors.
Kybella $799 per vial
Filler doesn’t remove fat. It adds projection to the chin, and when a weak chin is the reason the area underneath looks full, that added projection can make the fullness look smaller.
The FDA lists chin fullness among the approved uses of dermal fillers for adults 22 and older. Dermal filler is $699 per syringe at InjectCo.
FDA-approved fillers are prescription products given by a licensed provider. Ask which product will be used and whether your area is a labeled use.
Filler works on shape, so it won’t help if the cause is fat or loose skin. Your clinician can check which one applies before you choose.
Several device-based treatments aim at the area under the chin. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons describes nonsurgical fat reduction options and notes that none of them is a replacement for liposuction.
Results vary from person to person. The same society says people who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not have these treatments. If you’re considering one, ask the clinic which device it uses and what evidence supports it.
Surgery suits larger fat pockets or loose skin that injections and devices can’t change. Cleveland Clinic describes two common options:
Johns Hopkins Medicine says to expect about 10 to 14 days of bruising and swelling after these procedures. Cleveland Clinic adds that incisions can take several months to heal fully, and that most health insurance companies don’t cover cosmetic surgery of the neck or chin. A plastic surgeon quotes the cost.
Before surgery you’ll have a consultation about your goals, your health history and previous surgeries, your medications and supplements, and your options for anesthesia. Cleveland Clinic says most people go home the same day, with bandages and possibly a chin strap to support the skin as it heals.
Surgery carries more risk than injections. The risks Cleveland Clinic lists include:
A licensed surgeon should walk you through these risks before you decide.
| Kybella | Chin liposuction | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Injections of deoxycholic acid that destroy fat cells | Surgery that removes fat from under the chin |
| Numbing or anesthesia | Ice or local anesthetic may be used (label) | Usually local anesthetic only (Johns Hopkins) |
| Visits | Up to six, at least one month apart (label) | One procedure |
| Swelling | About 10 days per session (Johns Hopkins) | About 10 to 14 days of bruising and swelling (Johns Hopkins) |
| Suits | Fat under the chin, with firm skin | Larger fat pockets |
| Price | $799 per vial | Quoted by a surgeon |
The right fix follows the cause:
Many people have more than one cause, and a clinician can tell you which one is driving yours.
A nurse injector can check whether fat, skin or chin shape is the cause and plan your treatment.
Kybella $799 per vial; dermal filler $699 per syringe
Sometimes. If weight gain caused it, losing weight may shrink it, but genetics, loose skin, and chin shape stay the same at any weight. Cleveland Clinic says there’s no overnight fix, and that noticeable results from nonsurgical treatments take time and patience.
Usually genetics, loose skin, or chin shape, and none of them depend on body weight. Some people inherit a softer jawline, and a weak chin can make the area under it look fuller. Exercise and weight loss won’t change those causes.
It can, if overall weight is the cause. Cleveland Clinic says a double chin typically goes with carrying excess weight, but there’s no research supporting a natural way to lose a double chin. Weight loss won’t change a double chin caused by genetics, loose skin, or chin shape.
Yes, in some cases. Kybella treats fat under the chin, filler adds projection to a weak chin, and device-based treatments target fat or loose skin. None of them replaces liposuction for larger fat pockets, so the cause decides which option fits.
Up to six, and most people need fewer. The label allows up to six treatments at least one month apart. In the trials, 59% of participants received all six, and Johns Hopkins Medicine says most people get two or three.
Often, yes. In the label’s trials, 70% of Kybella participants reported pain, against 32% on placebo, and Johns Hopkins Medicine describes the injections as quite painful. Ice or local anesthetic may be used for comfort, and Hopkins puts the swelling at about 10 days per session.
Long-lasting, as long as your weight stays steady. Kybella destroys the treated fat cells, and Johns Hopkins Medicine says the results last as long as you maintain a normal weight. Weight gain can change the result.
Neither is better for everyone, and the cause decides. Kybella is a drug injected under the chin to destroy fat cells, and fat freezing uses a device to cool and destroy fat. Both target fat, so neither fixes loose skin or a weak chin.
Dr. Josh Allen, D.O., is InjectCo’s Medical Director. He oversees the clinical standards behind every treatment InjectCo offers and supports its nurse injectors across all nine Texas locations. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency in emergency medicine with Texas A&M.
