Chins up

January 6, 2010, 5:55 pm Sally Obermeder Today Tonight

A double chin is almost impossible to hide and now there's two new non-surgical solutions to the dreaded problem.

Health

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Surgery has always been an option, but for those not keen to go under knife there are now two new solutions.

Wendy Gilbert-Grey is one of the few Australian therapists to offer the Medi Lift treatment, and says patients who have tried, love it.

"The Medi Lift is a treatment that uses a macro/micro current. So the muscle is shaken, held out tight and shaken again - and any debris that is on it whether it be fat or fluid is then dispersed through the lymphatic system," explains Wendy.

The treatment is based on the response of muscles to electric stimulation, a method that has been used for years to shed fat and prompt muscle tone.

"The results are fantastic, there's no down time, there's no surgery involved, it works on all different body parts and it's affordable," Wendy said.

"This is quite big in the United States, particularly Hollywood celebrities use it. Demi Moore, Sheryl Crowe, the cast from Friends are quite big users and it was used in the Golden Globe Awards as one of the top services," Wendy said.

Working mother Danielle underwent the Medi-Lift treatment to create deifinition around her jaw line. The sessions cost $150 - it was estimated she would need eight sessions.

"I found that as I'm getting a little older, I'm losing tone through the jaw line. It's genetic and a problem area for me. Now that I'm getting older it's more obvious. Anything I can do to firm up this jaw area and uplift anything under my chin would be really exciting," Danielle said.

"I don't believe in surgery so I guess I've been looking around for something that was going to make me look a little bit fresher, feel a little bit more confident, so here I am."

"No it doesn't hurt. It feels a little bit uncomfortable. A slightly odd sensation, a little bit like you're cold and your body is shivering, which you usually don't have that sensation in your face. It's not painful in any way," Danielle said.

After her final treatment, Danielle was happy with the results.

"I feel fantastic. I feel like I've had a holiday. I look in the mirror and I look really fresh and rested. It's quite a dramatic difference."

Also keen to see a difference was Sydney mum of two, Susan.

"What I have found is that the lower part of my face is what is drooping. It's an area that's a sensitive area for me, when I look in the mirror I feel that's the area that actually exposes the ageing process," Susan said.

Susan tried the Nefertiti Lift, putting her face in the hands of therapist Matty Samaei.

"What the Nefertiti lift does it actually helps to soften the jowl area. What we do, we inject Botox into the Platysma muscle of the neck, the action of this muscles is to pull the lower part of the neck down which creates that sad look. By putting Botox into this muscle we create the lift and reduce the look of heavy jaw," Matty said.

"The right patient for this procedure is for women between the age of 40 and 60, where they've got the heavy or droopy corners of the mouth - when they speak you can actually see the Platysma band, like the one we treated on Susan."

The Nefertiti lift is a one-off procedure costing approx $550, and the results are expected to last between 3-6 months.

"I feel for me it's made me feel more youthful. It's made me feel fresher, lighter around the chin area and I love it. To be able to have something done which took 10 minutes and then have a very visible result is very positive," Susan said.