Dr. John Mesa is a Harvard-trained, triple fellowship-trained plastic surgeon who is known for his extraordinary surgical techniques and stunning results. His specialty is cosmetic plastic surgery for the face and neck. He is known for delivering premier, individualized care and for achieving consistently beautiful, natural-looking results. Dr. Mesa has had extensive fellowship training at top educational institutions, including Harvard. His strong credentials have given him a unique set of skills for cosmetic plastic surgery. Dr. John Mesa is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon that specializes in Chubby Cheek Reduction or Buccal Fat Removal with offices in New York City, New Jersey, and Miami. 

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Dr. John Mesa is a board-certified plastic surgeon that specializes in cosmetic procedures of the face and neck. He is extensively recognized because of his most common procedure: Extended Chin Liposuction. His social media presence and numerous reviews position him as a Chin Liposuction specialist. Haute Beauty has invited him to answer some of the most common questions related to this very trendy procedure. Here’s what he had to say:

Haute Beauty: What is chin liposuction, and why is it so trendy nowadays?

Dr. John Mesa: Chin Liposuction is a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure that corrects the double chin. It allows the patients to achieve a more chiseled, snatched under the chin area. The procedure has become very trendy because people started to be more self-conscious about the appearance of their under chin area, which is clearly visible and noticeable during zoom calls or video calls (brought on to us by COVID-19 pandemic).

HB: Can chin liposuction be done under local anesthesia? Many surgeons state it can ONLY be done under general anesthesia or sedation.

JM: Chin Liposuction can absolutely be done under local anesthesia. I have performed 99% of my chin liposuctions under local anesthesia with the patient completely awake. I have done chin liposuction under local general anesthesia only when the patient bundles the procedure with another one that requires general anesthesia, like a tummy tuck or a breast augmentation. It is a myth that chin liposuction can only be performed under general anesthesia or IV sedation (aka twilight anesthesia). Surgeons that still promote the procedure only under general anesthesia or sedation might not be familiar with the new advanced local anesthesia techniques.

HB: Is it true that traditional chin liposuction will improve my jawline?

JM: That is incorrect. Chin liposuction, as its name says, only removes the excess of fat under the chin area. Therefore it does not remove the excess of fat along the jawline or the jaw angle. That’s why I always perform what I call extended chin liposuction when somebody comes to me to improve the under chin area fullness. Even though someone would like to correct their double chin, they ultimately want to achieve a more defined jawline. The extended chin liposuction by removing the excess fat under the chin and along the haw line and the jaw angle (the “extended portion”) allows patients to achieve a snatched chin and jawline look.

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HB: Why is it essential to evaluate your chin skin elasticity before undergoing chin liposuction?

JM: After liposuction of any part of the body, especially under the chin, the skin should retract (“shrink”) to adapt to the new liposculpture area. When patients are in their twenties (20s) and early thirties (30s), the skin has excellent elasticity, and therefore, it fully retracts after chin liposuction. However, generally, when somebody is older than 35 years old or has a history of massive weight loss (at any age), their skin tends to have poor elasticity and therefore may not retract (“shrink”) thoroughly after chin liposuction, resulting in saggy neck skin post-op. Consequently, evaluating someone’s chin skin elasticity before chin liposuction is always imperative. If somebody with a double chin has poor skin elasticity, they should undergo a skin tightening procedure like NeckTite while undergoing chin liposuction.

HB: If I have a double chin and poor neck skin elasticity, can I undergo chin liposuction alone (without skin tightening) and expect great results?

JM: Absolutely not! Patients with double chin and poor skin elasticity should not undergo chin liposuction alone without skin tightening. That is a recipe for disaster! In my practice, it is sad to see patients that come for evaluation and management of saggy skin post chin liposuction. When I ask them to show me their before pictures, I immediately determine they should have undergone either a skin tightening procedure (e.g., NeckTite) or skin excising procedure ( e.g., neck lift – when there is a significant excess of neck skin) at the same time of their chin liposuction. Undergoing chin liposuction without skin tightening when needed or indicated will translate to poor results, and therefore, it is not a “money-saver maneuver” and the end.