High-efficiency Combination Treatment of Submental Neck Fullness

BACKGROUND:Fat accumulation, skin laxity, and muscle contraction cause aging cervical fullness. Combining botulinum toxin to treat muscle contraction, and technique-oriented microfocused ultrasound for skin laxity, can improve cervical fullness without requiring lipolysis. Gel-assisted depth adjustment (GADA) is a depth-targeting, image-guided approach using an appropriate gel volume to precisely heat tissue layers during real-time visualization. METHODS:A 41-year-old woman presented with moderate submental neck fullness and saggy cheeks. An appropriate gel volume was applied as determined by the targeted tissue layer’s distance from the skin. The submental and submandibular areas received 112 lines of 0.9 J/cm microfocused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) from a 4.5-mm transducer and 0.3 J/cm from a 3-mm transducer to treat the SMAS and dermosubcutis, respectively. For concomitant jowling, these transducers delivered 111 MFU-V lines to the lower cheek. Six units of incobotulinumtoxinA was injected in 1 point at the mandible to modulate hyperactive mentalis muscles. The platysma received 10U of incobotulinumtoxinA per cheek, whereas downturned mouth corners received 4U of incobotulinumtoxinA. RESULTS:One-month posttreatment, submentum improvements included changes of the vertical pogonion position, more mandible angularity, and a straighter mandibular line. Anterior chin projection was more pronounced and the pogonion had more inferior displacement, creating a younger appearance in the chin-neck complex. Patients followed-up for 3 months also demonstrated these changes. CONCLUSIONS:Delivering MFU-V using the GADA technique effectively tightens submental and submandibular soft tissues. When combined with incobotulinumtoxinA, muscles in the chin and perioral area are relaxed. Thus, GADA yields significant clinical improvement and patient satisfaction.