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double chin/ neck fat removal. Will it help obst.sleep apnea?
I have a double chin a larger neck size about 17+. Plastic surgen can remove the fat from the neck. Will it improve OSA? What one has to go through after the surgery?
Views: 3594
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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this is a terrific question. i am eager to hear what people say. i would think that for any fat removal procedure to be effective in treating OSA, fat tissue would have to be removed from the inside of the airway. i wouldn't think that a cosmetic procedure alone would make a difference. i'm going to ask around the forum though and get some other points of view.
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Permalink Reply by Banyon on
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I think it was Dr. Mack Jones who said, "It is not the size of the neck, it is the size of the airway inside the neck."
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Permalink Reply by Chris H on
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Did you always have neck fat? To know if it were removed would you be restored to A time when apnea was not an issue for you or has it always been? I know I should have been sleep studied at least 35 years ago.So I doubt it would help me,my airway is narrow from the start.Good sleep, Chris
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Neck size definatley plays a role in the severity of apnea. It is typically the weight of the muscles inside the neck that impacts the airway in a negative manner. I have never heard of anyone having such a surgery as a preventitive measure for apnea. I would question the surgeon as to how many surgeries he/she has done for this reason. I would also want to see success rates.
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Permalink Reply by Steven Y. Park, MD on
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It's unlikely to cure sleep apnea, since it doesn't touch the soft tissues inside the throat. However, I did have one patient who underwent a submental liposuction by a plastic surgeon, and commented that his snoring went away afterwards. It's likely that some additional scarring and stiffening in the front of the neck may prevent the tongue from falling back as much, but I'm sure the effect is minimal.
Anecdotally, in the very few patients that had infections in the neck after sleep apnea surgery, they all did very well in terms of how they felt and especially how much the AHI dropped. It's only a handful, so it may be coincidence, but there's probably some effect.
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Permalink Reply by Jenny Foerst on
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I asked an ENT surgeon at UNC Hospitals this same question, though my neck is less than 15 inches around (I've always had extra fat under my chin, even when I was skinny). He said that apnea is affected by the weight on the sides of the neck/throat, in the jugular area, but not elsewhere on the neck/chin. He said the side area cannot be reduced, precisely because of the major veins/arteries there.
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