Since 1998 · Zagreb & Daruvar
Double Chin Laser Liposuction in Croatia
What holds most people back is usually not the fat under the chin, but the fear that once it is removed, the skin will be left hanging. That is why Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, developed a method in which the laser melts the fat tissue and tightens the skin in the same procedure — under local anesthesia, through entry points that as a rule leave no visible scar.
A double chin is not always a matter of weight. You notice it in photos taken from the side, on a video call, in a shop-window reflection — and your profile no longer looks the way you remember it. Diet and exercise rarely help here, because that deposit comes from genetics and age, not calories. What usually holds you back is the fear that after the fat is removed, the skin will be left hanging. That fear is justified — and it is exactly why Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, developed a method in which the laser both melts the fat and tightens the skin in the same procedure. He presented it in Paris in 2012, and surgeons from around the world have been coming to Zagreb and Daruvar ever since to see how it is performed.
Is this for me?
The double chin that neither diet nor exercise will shift
A double chin is a deposit of fat tissue under the chin and in the upper part of the neck. It appears in women and men, in every age group, and regardless of body mass index. That is why so many people have one even when they have done everything else right.
The reason is simple: in this region, fat accumulation is often genetically determined or a consequence of aging, not of calorie intake. When the body loses weight, it does not choose where to start — and this region is often last in line, or does not respond at all.
Why it develops
Aging and gravity. With the years, the skin loses elasticity and collagen. The cheeks descend, the lower third of the face drifts downward, the jawline loses its definition, and fat tissue gathers under the chin.
Genetics. For some people it is simply an inherited trait, present even at a completely normal body weight.
Weight changes. Weight gain increases deposits everywhere, including here. Rapid weight loss can leave excess skin that makes the double chin look worse.
Platysma laxity. The platysma is a neck muscle that weakens with age, leading to vertical bands and loose skin on the neck.
What you are afraid of
Why you fear the skin will be left hanging — and why that fear is justified
This is the question people google the most and get answered the least. We will answer it honestly: the fear is well founded.
With classic liposuction, the fat tissue is removed and the skin loses the volume that was holding it up. The expectation is that it will retract on its own. With younger, elastic skin, it often does. With everyone else it does not, and the result is what patients describe as empty skin — sometimes a worse look than before the procedure. The solution offered at that point is yet another operation, a surgical neck lift, with long scars.
That was precisely the problem that interested Dr. Maletić. He had performed face and neck liposuction for years and was not satisfied with the results, because the energy that would settle the skin onto its new, smaller volume was missing. When lasers entered his practice in 2008, the missing piece appeared. He developed the method fully and presented it in 2012 at the international aesthetic medicine congress in Paris. In collaboration with the experts at Fotona, the treatment was named endotight; other manufacturers later introduced the name endolift for the same idea.
“The skin does not end up empty after this procedure. That was the problem I wanted to solve — and it is the reason this method exists at all.”
Since then, aesthetic surgeons from around the world — from the United Kingdom, Italy, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Israel, Russia, and other countries — have regularly visited the Polyclinic to see how the procedure is performed. We do not write this to boast, but because it is the only reason you can have this method done by the person who conceived it, rather than by someone who saw it at a course.
How it is performed
What double chin laser liposuction looks like
A laser fiber is introduced under the skin through openings only 1.5 to 2 mm wide and acts on three levels at once.
It melts the fat cells. The heat of the laser breaks down the membranes of the fat cells. Depending on the amount, the melted fat is either removed by vacuum or left for the body to break down naturally.
It seals small blood vessels. The laser coagulates them with heat, which reduces bleeding and bruising.
It stimulates collagen production. This is the part classic liposuction does not have. Collagen gradually firms the skin and reinforces the tightening in the treated area.
“In the same procedure, the laser melts the fat and tightens the skin. Classic liposuction cannot do that.”
The procedure, step by step
- Preparation and anesthesia — local tumescent anesthesia is applied. It numbs the area, allows painless work, and reduces bleeding. You are awake and talking with the physician.
- Three entry points — at the middle of the chin and on each side, below the earlobe. 1.5 to 2 mm wide, most often with no stitches.
- Introducing the laser fiber — a thin cannula with the fiber is introduced through the openings, and the surgeon guides it precisely under the skin.
- Melting and tightening — the main phase, in which the laser melts the fat tissue and tightens the skin at the same time.
- Aspiration — the melted fat is suctioned out or left for the body to break down naturally, depending on the amount.
- Garment, and home you go — a compression garment around the face and neck, and you head home. The same day.
The whole procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the extent. Since it is performed under local anesthesia, no fasting is required.
- Duration
- 30 to 60 minutes
- Anesthesia
- Local tumescent
- Recovery
- Back to everyday activities within days
- Performed by
- Duško Maletić, MD, MSc
Why us
Why choose us for double chin laser liposuction
Dr. Maletić’s own method
The method of laser-assisted double chin liposuction was developed by Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, who presented it at the aesthetic medicine congress in Paris in 2012.
Fotona Laser & Health Academy
A laser training center since 2008. Dr. Maletić is an Expert Clinical Lecturer of the academy.
Surgeons come to see how we work
Colleagues from the United Kingdom, Italy, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Israel, and Russia have traveled to Zagreb and Daruvar to observe.
Fat and skin in a single procedure
The laser melts fat tissue and stimulates collagen production at the same time, so the skin does not end up loose.
Minimal scarring
Three entry points 1.5 to 2 mm wide, under the chin and below each ear, most often with no stitches.
Local anesthesia, home the same day
No general anesthesia, no admission, no overnight stay. The procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes.
Top-level equipment
Fotona lasers and four operating rooms with air-recuperation systems.
A family polyclinic since 1998
Two generations, the same team from consultation to follow-up.
Is this for me
Are you a candidate — and when this procedure is not the answer
The procedure is suitable if you have a visible deposit of fat tissue under the chin that does not respond to diet and exercise, and the skin of the lower third of your face and neck is loose — but not so loose that it calls for a facelift. It is performed equally in women and men, in all age groups, including people of normal body weight with a genetically determined double chin.
We do not perform it if there is too much excess skin, in uncontrolled chronic disease, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or if the health assessment shows risks for the procedure.
“If there is too much excess skin, this procedure alone will not be enough. In that case we propose a different solution or a combination of procedures, instead of performing this one at any cost.”
The reverse is also true. If the double chin comes from a body weight that is still changing, it makes sense to stabilize the weight first. The procedure is not a weight-loss method but a way of shaping the contour.
That is why the first step is an examination, at which the ratio of fat tissue to excess skin is assessed. Without it, no one can honestly tell you whether you need this procedure — or whether it will be enough.
Recovery
Recovery and results, realistically
Same day
You go home
First 4 to 5 days
Compression garment day and night
Up to 7 days
Swelling and bruising subside
A few days
Back to everyday activities
3 to 4 weeks
Garment at night only
3 to 4 months
Final result
The fat cells destroyed by the laser do not regenerate in the treated area, so with a stable body weight the result is long-lasting. Natural aging continues, but the treated area generally still looks better than it would have without the procedure. In most cases, a single procedure is enough.
Real results
Before and after double chin laser liposuction
We show our patients’ results discreetly and only with their consent.
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Who we are
Who performs the procedure
The procedure is performed by Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, a specialist in surgery and urology, co-founder of the Polyclinic, and the author of the method itself.
He trained in aesthetic surgery in Prague, Switzerland, the United States, Italy, and Austria. Since 2008 he has been an Expert Clinical Lecturer at the Fotona Laser & Health Academy, he is the author of six professional books, and he presented the method of laser-assisted double chin liposuction with tightening of the lower third of the face and neck in Paris in 2012. He founded the Polyclinic in 1998 in Daruvar.
The Polyclinic still runs as a family practice: two generations, divided responsibilities, and the same team from consultation to follow-up. Procedures are performed with Fotona lasers, in operating rooms equipped with air-recuperation systems that purify the air in the room and reduce the chance of postoperative complications.
Examinations and procedures are available in Zagreb and Daruvar, with the same methods, equipment, and standards.
Meet the whole team
In the media
The development of the method in the media
MojPortal wrote about the development of the laser-assisted double chin liposuction method — from Duško Maletić’s first training in Prague in 1993 to the presentation of the method at the international aesthetic medicine congress in Paris in 2012.
Read the full article on MojPortalPrice
Price and the first step
Double chin laser liposuction costs €1,700.00. You can also see the prices of all procedures in the price list.
The first step is an examination, at which we assess the ratio of fat tissue to excess skin and go through realistic expectations with you. If we judge that this procedure will not give you the result you want, we will tell you so — and propose what will.
Patient reviews
What our patients say
Reviews taken from our Google Business profiles, Zagreb and Daruvar, translated from Croatian.
★★★★★
“Since high school I watched the double chin I inherited from my father grow more and more pronounced — and 15 years later, the double chin is gone. A big thank you to Dr. Maletić and the whole team for making my wish come true. The procedure was painless, and so was the recovery, with results visible after just a few days. The entire team was exceptionally kind and cheerful, and the atmosphere very pleasant. I left the polyclinic satisfied, and when, two days after the swelling went down, I saw that the double chin was gone, my satisfaction knew no bounds. I warmly recommend Polyclinic Maletić.”
★★★★★
“Blepharoplasty, 4D laser and double chin. Perfect. Highly recommended!”
★★★★★
“My experience with breast augmentation with Dr. Maletić in Daruvar was excellent. I am extremely satisfied with the result. All the nurses are very kind and professional. I absolutely recommend them.”
★★★★★
“All praise for Polyclinic Maletić in Daruvar! I had lip augmentation with fillers and I am very satisfied with the result. I would especially like to commend Dr. Mario Bartol, who is exceptionally kind, professional, and has a wonderful approach to patients, which made me feel comfortable and safe throughout the treatment. All the nurses are also very kind, accommodating, and professional. I warmly recommend them to anyone considering aesthetic treatments!”
★★★★★
“Laser acne treatment is the only treatment that helped me, and I would not choose any other facial treatment over it. Dr. Ines is one of the kindest people I have ever met and always has useful advice. Kind staff and top-level service — I warmly recommend her to everyone!”
★★★★★
“I had a wart on my face removed by laser. A very professional service with excellent results. The wart was quite large, but after just one treatment it was gone. Highly recommended!”
★★★★★
“I recently had a varicose vein procedure. All praise to the entire team.”
★★★★★
“The best team of physicians, exceptionally professional and kind. I have been loyal to Polyclinic Maletić for more than 10 years and I am always satisfied with the results. Thank you.”
★★★★★
“I came to Dr. Maletić with a big problem and a lot of stress. I was met with such warm empathy and kindness, and patience in answering all my questions. Thank you, Dr. Maletić, for the advice and sincere support. I know I can always turn to her for advice, and that means a lot to me. The staff of the Zagreb polyclinic are also very accommodating and kind. Thanks to them as well.”
★★★★★
“Dr. Maletić’s practice, both in Daruvar and in Zagreb — and I have had several procedures — I can only recommend, because I felt very comfortable there and in expert hands!”
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
Will my skin be left hanging after the fat is removed?
That is the most common fear — and the very reason this method exists. With classic liposuction, the skin has to adapt on its own to the new, smaller volume, and it does not always succeed. With laser liposuction, the laser acts on the skin at the same time and stimulates collagen production, so the skin gradually tightens and adapts to the new contour. If there is too much excess skin, we will not propose this procedure as the only solution — instead, we will talk about another method or a combination.
Does the procedure hurt, and am I awake?
The procedure is performed under local tumescent anesthesia. You are awake and talking with the physician, while the treated area is completely numb, so you feel no pain. General anesthesia is not needed.
How long is recovery, and when can I go back to work?
A return to everyday activities is possible after just a few days. Swelling and bruising usually subside within seven days. The compression garment is worn intensively for the first four to five days, then at night only for a total of three to four weeks. Be realistic when planning: for the first few days, it shows that you had something done.
Are there any scars?
There are three entry points, only 1.5 to 2 mm wide, at the middle of the chin and below each ear. They are so small that they most often do not even require stitches, so as a rule there are no visible scars.
How long do the results last, and will the double chin come back?
The fat cells destroyed by the laser do not regenerate in the treated area, so with a stable body weight the result is long-lasting. Aging continues, but the treated area generally still looks better than it would have without the procedure. With significant weight gain, the picture changes.
Do I need double chin liposuction or a facelift?
That is a question that deserves an examination, not an answer from the internet. Roughly speaking: if moderately loose skin accompanies the fat tissue, this procedure is most often enough. If there is a lot of excess skin, a facelift or neck lift is needed. At the examination we will tell you which group you are in — and if you are in the second, we will not talk you into this procedure.
Is a single procedure enough?
For the typical candidate, yes. Unlike non-invasive treatments, which require two to four visits, this is a single procedure.
When will I see the final result?
The difference in profile and contour is visible after about seven days, once the swelling goes down. The final result — when the collagen has rebuilt and the skin has fully adapted to the new volume — is seen after three to four months.
Book a discreet consultation for double chin laser liposuction
Zagreb and Daruvar, weekdays 8:00–20:00.