About Me

Recovering from Addiction to Prescription Medications

I never thought of myself as an addict, but I did end up addicted to anti-anxiety medication after developing Generalized Anxiety Disorder. At some point, the medicine stopped being a way to deal with the nervousness and panic attacks, and became something my body craved. I knew that I needed help fast. Fortunately, a local drug rehab program includes support for people like me. They helped me wean off the medication, use methods like massage therapy to help my nerves heal, and even provided ongoing counseling for our family. I don't know how I would have made it without their help. If you suspect that your medication has crossed the line from being helpful to hurtful, take heart. Let me tell you about my journey out of addiction and back to wholeness.

Latest Posts

Search

Recovering from Addiction to Prescription Medications

Submental Fat Treatments From Least Invasive To Most Invasive

by Valerie Stevens

Submental fat, that pooch of fat just under your chin that gives you that double-chin look, is a plague for many. Even when you are of average weight or on the lean side, that double chin prevails. If you are tired of people looking in your face and thinking you are fat when you are not, you can address the double chin through plastic surgery or less invasive procedures. The following submental fat treatments are ranked from least invasive to most invasive for your consideration.

Freeze It

​Cryolipolysis, or freezing of unwanted fat, is the least invasive procedure. A small device made to clip onto the pinched roll of fat is attached to your double chin. You will spend thirty minutes each session, sitting quietly, and feeling the freezing cold of this procedure numb the submental fat. It will destroy the fat cells such that they will never return. When cells are ruptured by freezing cold via this procedure, your body flushes the destroyed cells and released fat out through your lymphatic system. People who do not want to deal with needles or surgery opt for cryolipolysis.

Implode It

​A marketed and approved man-made chemical known as Kybella is injected up to thirty times in the fat under your chin. The treatment requires you to be awake, to place small ice packs under parts of your chin to numb it, and then the nurse or plastic surgeon quickly injects several needles filled with the chemical into the fat that has been chilled. The chemical is similar to the one your body already produces to metabolize fat cells. When it is injected into the fat under your chin, it causes the fat cells to rupture, and the fat to essentially implode. It then takes your body three months to metabolize the destroyed cells and eject them from your system. Most people need at least two treatments to see effective results. 

Suck It Out

Liposuction is the old, go-to method for removing fat under the chin. While this surgical procedure does leave scars, it is the most effective method of all because the surgeon is also able to remove extra skin and pull neck muscles tighter. When he/she pulls the neck muscles tighter, the muscles are stitched in place. This reduces the appearance of "turkey neck," giving you a clean, tight profile under your chin. If you so desire, you can also have the surgeon put in a chin implant, giving you a more defined chin.

Share