Written by Dr Gerard Ee, MBBS (UK), MRCS (Edinburgh), PGDip Practical Dermatology (Cardiff). Last medically reviewed and updated: September 2026.
HIFU can reduce a mild double chin and sharpen a softened jawline in one session. It tightens the loose tissue under the chin and shrinks the small pocket of fat beneath it. In published studies most people improved by about one grade on a double-chin scale. A chin that is mostly heavy fat in a full face usually needs a different treatment.
HIFU double chin treatment is one of the areas where HIFU performs best, and one of the easiest to get wrong. This page covers what a double chin is made of, what the studies show, which HIFU suits which chin, and when fat reduction does more than HIFU. The HIFU Singapore guide explains the treatment as a whole.
What a double chin is made of
A double chin is rarely one thing. There is the fat under the chin, the skin over it, the platysma band that runs down the neck, and the jawbone and chin that give the whole area its frame. HIFU works on the first two. It cannot change a small chin or a low hyoid, and it does not tighten a strong platysma band. I look at all four before deciding whether HIFU is worth doing.
How HIFU treats the double chin and jawline
HIFU places tiny points of heat under the skin at set depths. At 4.5 mm the heat reaches the fibrous layer that holds the chin and jaw in place, and the tissue tightens as it heals with new collagen. At 6.0 mm the heat reaches the fat under the chin, and those fat cells are damaged and cleared by the body over the following weeks. A single treatment does two jobs, tightening and slimming, which is why the chin responds better to HIFU than most other areas.
What the studies show for HIFU double chin treatment
- A 2021 prospective study treated 40 Korean patients once, at 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 mm. At eight weeks, 62.5% had improved by at least one grade on the clinician’s double-chin scale, and 67.5% were satisfied. Side effects were mild and short-lived [1].
- A 2025 prospective study in 30 Asian patients used 4.5 and 6.0 mm in a single session. On the clinician scale, 20 patients started at moderate or worse and 14 were still at that level at four weeks, a statistically significant shift. Patients rated their own improvement at 82%. No significant adverse events were reported [2].
- A 2026 study followed 28 women for twelve months after one microfocused ultrasound treatment. Satisfaction peaked at three months, and 89.2% said they would repeat it. Side effects were redness in 67.9% and swelling in 28.6%, all settling within a week [3].
- Across 45 studies, a 2025 systematic review found lower-face and neck laxity improved by 18 to 30%, with side effects in under 5% [4].
None of these is a randomised trial against another double-chin treatment, and most follow-up is short. The fair reading is a real but modest improvement from one session, with the best results in mild to moderate cases.
Which HIFU suits which double chin
Deep HIFU with Tightan 2
For a jawline that has softened and a chin with some looseness, typically in the forties and fifties. One session, part of the $3,500 full face, neck, under the chin and eyes treatment, before GST. Tightan 2 HIFU face lift
Gentle HIFU with Sygmalift, set to fat
For a younger face with no sag that wants a sharper V-line and a slimmer chin. A course of sessions, $1,200 each or $4,500 for five, before GST. Sygmalift HIFU
When HIFU is not the right double chin treatment
- A double chin that is mostly fat. Heat shrinks fat by a limited amount. Fat freezing with CoolSculpting or Z-Lipo, or truSculpt iD, reduces a mostly fatty double chin much more effectively than HIFU.
- A small or receding chin. That is a bone and projection problem, and chin filler changes it where HIFU cannot.
- A neck with heavy loose skin in the sixties and beyond. Heat tightens by millimetres, and advanced laxity needs more than that.
- A thin face. Fat reduction under the chin is welcome, but the same heat higher on a thin face can hollow it. The HIFU risks page covers this in detail.
HIFU double chin results and recovery
The tightening starts to show at around four weeks and builds to about three months as collagen forms. Fat reduction under the chin follows the same timeline. There may be mild tenderness and swelling under the jaw for a few days. A branch of the facial nerve runs close to the surface along the jawbone, so the treatment is planned around it. What HIFU costs across Singapore, and why quotes vary, is set out on the HIFU price page.
Book a consultation with Dr Gerard Ee
Dr Gerard Ee consults and performs HIFU at The Clifford Clinic, 50 Raffles Place, Singapore. Consultations are by appointment. Message the clinic on WhatsApp, or call 6532 2048.
HIFU double chin questions
Can HIFU get rid of a double chin?
It reduces a mild to moderate double chin in most people, by about one grade on the scales used in studies. It does not remove a large one, and a mostly fatty double chin responds better to fat freezing.
How many HIFU sessions for a double chin?
Deep HIFU is one session. Gentle HIFU is a course, usually five, about a month apart.
How long does HIFU for a double chin last?
Fat cells that are cleared do not come back, but ageing continues. Most people repeat the tightening about once a year.
Is HIFU under the chin painful?
Under the chin is one of the more comfortable areas. Along the jawbone it stings more, and the settings are adjusted during treatment.
This page is written from published research and from clinical experience treating faces in Singapore since 2012. It is for general education, not medical advice. Suitability, likely result, downtime and risk can only be established at a consultation. Dr Gerard Ee provides the treatments described on this page at The Clifford Clinic.
Dr Gerard Ee consults and performs this treatment at The Clifford Clinic, 50 Raffles Place, Singapore.
Show the 4 references
1. Kwon HH, Yang SH, Choi M, Jung JY, Park GH. Tightening and Reduction of Unwanted Submental Fat Using Triple-Layer High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound. Dermatol Surg. 2021;47(12):1595-1600. doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000003241. PubMed 34608087
2. Goo B, Kim E, Yoon SE, et al. Efficacy and Safety of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) on Reduction of Unwanted Submental Fat in Asian Patients. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2025;49(13):3750-3755. doi:10.1007/s00266-025-04890-0. PubMed 40355620
3. Li X, Xie G, Yang Z, et al. Evaluating the Long-term Effects of Microfocused Ultrasound on Facial Tightening Using Quantitative Instruments. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2026;50(2):692-706. doi:10.1007/s00266-025-05205-z. PubMed 40931143
4. Haykal D, Sattler S, Verner I, et al. A Systematic Review of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound in Skin Tightening and Body Contouring. Aesthet Surg J. 2025;45(7):690-698. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaf053. PubMed 40184185
