Chin Liposuction in Istanbul, Turkey
- Surgery: About 1 hour
- Hospital stay: Day case
- In Istanbul: ~5 days
- Socially presentable: ~1–2 weeks
Indicative ranges for chin liposuction on its own. When it is part of a neck lift or facelift plan, that operation's ranges apply. Your plan, recovery and clearance to travel are individual.
What Chin Liposuction Is
Chin liposuction — also called submental or neck liposuction — removes the superficial fat under the chin through one or two incisions a few millimetres across, placed under the chin and behind each earlobe. The fat is loosened and suctioned evenly across the area so that the contour is smooth rather than dented, and the skin is left to retract onto the new shape.
The whole operation depends on that last step. Liposuction removes volume; it does not tighten anything. Whether the result looks sharp or loose is decided by how well your skin retracts, and that is something I assess before surgery rather than hope for afterwards.
Is Your Problem Fat, or Skin, or Muscle?
A heavy neck has three possible causes and they need three different operations.
Fat above the muscle is what liposuction treats, and it is the picture in most younger necks with a full under-chin area, a defined jawline underneath and skin that snaps back when you pinch it.
Fat below the muscle, along with the platysma bands and the glands that sit beneath it, is not reachable by liposuction at all — suctioning the surface of such a neck flattens the top layer and leaves the deep fullness exactly where it was. That is a deep neck lift.
Loose skin and a descended jawline are not a fat problem in any layer. Removing fat from that neck removes the filling that was holding the skin out, and the neck looks emptier and looser rather than sharper. That face needs a deep plane facelift with a neck lift.
Deciding which of the three you have is the entire consultation, and it is the reason I ask for a photograph in profile with the chin level rather than raised.
What It Cannot Do
Chin liposuction does not tighten skin, does not treat platysma bands, does not lift jowls along the jawline, and does not change the position of the chin bone. A small or receding chin creates the same shadow under the jaw as fat does, and no amount of suction corrects it — that is an assessment I make on your profile, and it changes the plan rather than the technique.
It also does not reach the deep fat beneath the muscle, which is what surprises most patients who have had liposuction elsewhere and come to me because the neck is still full.
Who It Suits
Chin liposuction on its own suits a younger neck: a genuine pocket of superficial fat under the chin, a jawline that is still defined beneath it, skin with good elasticity, and no bands or laxity. In that neck it is a short, low-impact operation with a clean result.
It suits poorly, and I decline it, in a neck where the skin has lost its recoil, where the platysma has separated into bands, or where the fullness is deep rather than superficial. Saying so costs an operation and spares you a bad result; the neck lift page describes what I do instead. What I look for in your photographs is set out plainly.
How I Perform It
The area is infiltrated first, then the fat is removed through fine cannulas passed from small incisions under the chin and behind the ears, crossing each other so the contour is even. I stay above the muscle and leave a deliberate layer of fat on the underside of the skin — taking too much is what produces the irregular, adherent, skeletonised neck that is very difficult to correct. A supportive garment is fitted at the end.
On its own the operation is a day case under local anaesthesia with sedation. As part of a neck lift or facelift it is performed under the same general anaesthetic, and liposuction then becomes one step of a larger operation rather than the operation itself. What the day involves is on your surgery timeline.
Chin Liposuction or a Neck Lift?
| Aspect | Chin liposuction | Deep neck lift |
|---|---|---|
| What it treats | Superficial fat above the muscle | Deep fat, platysma bands, the muscle itself and, with a facelift, the skin |
| Skin | Relies on the skin retracting on its own | Skin redraped as part of the operation |
| Incisions | A few millimetres, under the chin and behind the ears | Under the chin, and in front of and behind the ear when combined with a facelift |
| Best suited to | A young neck with fat and good elasticity | An ageing neck: bands, deep fullness, laxity |
| If the wrong one is chosen | An emptier, looser neck | — |
In a facelift patient, chin liposuction is almost never the answer on its own: the deep neck lift performed with the facelift addresses the same area more completely, and the superficial fat is dealt with as part of it.
With Other Procedures
Where chin liposuction stands alone it often sits beside other small operations in a younger face — a lip lift, or occasionally buccal fat removal where the cheek is genuinely full. Where the neck has aged, it becomes a step inside a neck lift or a deep plane facelift. The logic of what I combine, and where I stop, is on combining facial procedures.
Results
A good result is a clean line from the chin into the neck, with no dents and no visible edges where the suction stopped. It appears gradually, because swelling and firmness under the chin persist after the fat has gone. Every case in my results gallery lists the full combination of procedures performed, so liposuction inside a neck lift is never presented as liposuction alone.
Recovery
The supportive garment is worn as instructed, and it matters — it is what holds the skin against the new contour while it retracts. Swelling and firmness under the chin are normal and take longer to settle than the bruising, which is usually modest. Numbness of the skin under the chin is common early. The final contour is not visible immediately, and judging the result in the first weeks is judging swelling. The general rhythm of facial recovery is in the facelift recovery guide.
Risks, Plainly
The risks are contour irregularity — dents, ridges or an uneven surface — which is the commonest and is caused by removing too much or removing it unevenly; skin that fails to retract, leaving the neck looser than before; prolonged firmness; bruising and haematoma; temporary numbness; injury to the marginal branch of the facial nerve, which is uncommon and shows as asymmetry of the lower lip; infection; and the risks of anaesthesia. The largest risk, though, is not technical: it is having this operation when the neck needed a different one.
How Long It Lasts
The fat cells removed do not come back, so in a stable weight the contour holds. Significant weight gain will fill the area again from the fat that remains, and ageing continues around it — skin loosens and the platysma changes whatever was done to the fat. I do not attach a number of years to it.
What Decides the Cost
The cost follows whether the operation is performed on its own as a day case under local anaesthesia or as one step inside a neck lift or facelift under general anaesthesia, and what else is planned. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote — or, if liposuction is the wrong operation for your neck, my assessment of what is right. How quotes are built and compared safely is on the cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chin liposuction?
Chin liposuction — also called submental or neck liposuction — removes the superficial fat under the chin through incisions a few millimetres across, so the angle between the chin and the neck becomes visible again. It removes volume; it does not tighten anything.
Does chin liposuction work for a double chin?
It works when the double chin is superficial fat sitting above the muscle in a neck with good skin elasticity. It does not work when the fullness is deep fat beneath the muscle, when the platysma has formed bands, or when the skin has loosened — in those necks removing fat alone reveals the laxity and the result looks worse.
Will chin liposuction tighten my skin?
No. The result depends on your skin retracting onto the new contour by itself. Where skin has lost its recoil, liposuction leaves it looser rather than sharper, which is why I assess elasticity before surgery rather than hoping for it afterwards.
Does chin liposuction get rid of jowls?
No. Jowls are the jawline sagging over the ligament that tethers it, not fat under the chin. They are treated by a deep plane facelift; liposuction does not reach them and does not lift anything.
Am I a good candidate?
If you have a genuine pocket of fat under the chin, a jawline still defined beneath it and skin that snaps back when pinched, probably yes. If your neck has bands, deep fullness or loose skin, I will tell you that a neck lift is the right operation instead.
Is it permanent?
The fat cells removed do not come back, so at a stable weight the contour holds. Significant weight gain refills the area from the fat that remains, and the neck goes on ageing around it. I do not promise a number of years.
Are there scars?
The incisions are a few millimetres long, placed under the chin and behind each earlobe, and they settle into marks most people never find. They are among the least visible incisions in facial surgery.
How long does recovery take?
A supportive garment is worn as instructed, and swelling and firmness under the chin take longer to settle than the bruising, which is usually modest. The final contour appears gradually — judging it in the first weeks is judging swelling. The indicative ranges are in the summary at the top of this page.
What is the difference between chin liposuction and a neck lift?
Liposuction removes superficial fat and relies on the skin to retract. A deep neck lift addresses the deep fat, the platysma muscle and its bands, and — combined with a facelift — the skin itself. They treat different necks, and choosing the wrong one is the main way this operation disappoints.
How much does chin liposuction cost in Turkey?
It depends on whether it is performed alone as a day case under local anaesthesia or as one step inside a neck lift or facelift under general anaesthesia. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote for your own plan.
Start Your Assessment
Send a photograph in profile with your chin level, and one looking straight ahead. Over WhatsApp or through the form — you will receive my initial assessment of whether your neck is a fat problem, a muscle problem or a skin problem, a proposed plan and an itemised quote before anything is arranged.
Request a personal review See before & after results
Every enquiry is reviewed personally by Dr. Yilmaz; scheduling is handled by the patient coordination team.
About Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz
Written and medically reviewed by Muhsin Yilmaz, MD, FEBOPRAS — Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz is a double board-certified plastic surgeon, holding the FEBOPRAS diploma of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and the certification of the Turkish Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and practises in Istanbul, Türkiye. His practice is focused on facial and neck rejuvenation, centred on the deep plane facelift — around 150 facelift operations per year, performed at Acıbadem Kartal Hospital. He is a member of TSPRAS and ISAPS, and is registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health for international health tourism. Read his full profile.
References
- Feldman JJ. Corset platysmaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1990;85(3):333–343. PMID 2304983
- Connell BF, Shamoun JM. The significance of digastric muscle contouring for rejuvenation of the submental area of the face. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1997;99(6):1586–1590. doi:10.1097/00006534-199705010-00016
- Rohrich RJ, Pessa JE. The fat compartments of the face: anatomy and clinical implications for cosmetic surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2007;119(7):2219–2227. doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000265403.66886.54