The options are limited for correction of submental fat or the fat that causes a double chin. This is unfortunate because, aside from facial lines and wrinkles, few other problems cause more concern for cosmetic consumers. Surgically, the options for dealing with fat in the neck are:
There are other options like radio frequency treatments like Ulthera but they do not work well and have poor satisfaction ratings on the internet “worth it” poles. Now we have a great non-surgical option called Kybella.
Tired of Wearing Scarves and Turtlenecks to Cover Up Your Double Chin?
A double chin can make you look older and heavier no matter what your age or weight. Usually this chin or neck fat does not get much better with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. This is, in large part, because of your genetic makeup or it’s just “the way you come”.
It’s Time to Ditch your Double Chin
It’s ditch your double chin and achieve a tighter, more contoured look without incisions or downtime. Until Kybella FDA approval, there was little you could do about submental fat except wear turtlenecks or get a surgical liposuction treatment or a neck lift. But now, with Kybella, you can achieve a tighter, more contoured look without the incisions or downtime of liposuction or a neck lift. If Botox and fillers are the best thing for facial wrinkles, Kybella is the best non-surgical thing available for the double chin.
Kybella Injections to Dissolve a Double Chin
Kybella is a new injectable touted as a “fat buster” to reduce fat under the chin. Kybella is used to improve the contour of the upper neck or area under the chin to remove the double chin look. Through a series of injections, Kybella can remove a double chin without an invasive surgical procedure and the downtime associated with surgery.
Kybella Results & Reviews
Patients are extremely pleased with their no-hassle, non-surgical, minimal downtime Kybella treatments and the dramatic results Kybella can produce. Increased self-esteem is a common benefit enjoyed by Kybella patients. People who have been self-conscious about their double chins their entire lives are finally free of that burden. They feel more attractive, happy, and confident. Most Kybella reviews are very positive. Kybella results are more than skin deep!
Kybella FAQs
What Exactly is Kybella?
Kybella d is really a chemical called ATX-101 or deoxycholic acid. This is a synthetic form of a chemical your body naturally produces to break down dietary fat in your stomach so that the fat can be absorbed into your body, deoxycholic acid. Kybella has been under study and in development for over 10 years now. It was used in over 2600 patients in over 20 clinical trials. Kybella has been shown to be both safe and effective for treating double chins. In other words, Kybella contains a naturally occurring molecule which eats away at fat. When injected properly, all other cells are left healthy and intact resulting in an improved chin contour.
What Causes a Double Chin?
A double chin is most often caused by genetics as well as natural aging and weight gain. A double chin can result in an older and heavier look and many people are bothered by this submental fullness.
What can be done about a Double Chin?
Traditionally, a double chin or submental fullness has been fixed with procedures like a neck lift or liposuction. These are more invasive procedures that can have complications as well as they have some downtime. Non-invasive skin tightening includes radiofrequency treatments like Ultherapy and Thermage, but the satisfaction ratings for these is quite low and continually dropping on RealSelf (down to 60 and 32 % respectively) and that amount of actual skin tightening not what many people expect. Kybella injections offer a non-surgical approach to the double chin problem without any downtime.
How Are Kybella Injections Done?
Kybella is injected with multiple small injections, very much like Botox is done. Usually 2 to 3 vials are used per Kybella injection treatment. Generally, 2 to 3 three treatments are required to get the results that most patients are looking for if they have a double chin but it could be up to 5 treatments. The treatments are usually done about a month apart.
Are the Results Immediate?
The results are NOT immediate and the effects of each injection usually take about a week or more. There is more improvement after each injection.
Are the Results Permanent?
Although the science would suggest that fat cells that have been “eaten” or dissolved by Kybella injections will not return, we do not know for sure as Kybella has been around long enough to use the word “permanent”. They should last a long time however.
Will Kybella Tighten The Skin of the Neck?
It does appear that as the fat cells are being dissolved that there is some inflammation of the tissue and skin in the area which leads to a degree of skin tightening. Certainly, all of the results to date suggest some tightening of the skin.
How does Kybella work?
Kybella is a medication that is used to treat excessive fat under the chin. It is very effective for the treatment of the unsightly double chin. It works by breaking up or dissolving your fat cells in the area it is injected. This leads to a permanent loss of fat in the treated areas since fat cells do not grow back (you do not grow or lose fat cells with weight fluctuation, you just make them bigger or smaller).
What is a Kybella treatment?
Kybella treatment is the injection of the drug Kybella into the fatty area of your neck or double chin to improve the appearance of this area.
How long does it take for Kybella to work?
Kybella works almost immediately to dissolve the fat cells within 0.5 mm of where it is injected but this results in some swelling that will last up to one month after each treatment. The average person needs between 2 and 4 treatments spaced out at least one month apart.
What is recovery like for Kybella injections?
Patients may experience a stinging sensation for 10-15 minutes immediately after treatment. The most common side effects after Kybella injection are mild swelling and bruising. Patients may develop some redness and discomfort after the treatment session, which can last for a few days.
The swelling following Kybella can last for up to two weeks but at a usually only lasts for a few of days. This swelling is not very noticeable and patients who have had Kybella injections say that they are ablero be out in public without anyone noticing that anything was done.
Where Can I Get or Purchase Kybella?
You cannot buy Kybella as it is really a treatment that must be done by a trained physician or physician extender. Kybella is available in many board certified plastic surgeon and dermatologist offices.
How Much is Kybella or How Much Will Kybella Cost??
The cost of Kybella can vary greatly between practices and regions of the country. It is widely available to any injector who is licensed to buy products from the makers of Kybella, Allergan. It can be injected by nurses, physician assistants and physicians. You are cautioned to make sure you have a trusted and experienced injector for your Kybella treatment.
You can find out more about the cost of Kybella here.
Is Kybella Painful?
Kybella injections are not painful. Most patients say that Kybella injections have minor discomfort of burning right after the injections but that this settles in a few minutes
Is Kybella Permanent?
Yes, the effect of a Kybella treatment, dissolution of fat cells, is permanent.
Is Kybella Expensive?
Kybella is regarded as a non-surgical way to take care of excess chin fat that you do not like. It can be just as expensive, if not more expensive, as neck liposuction if you need a number of treatments to get a good result. In some cases, liposuction may be easier, faster and less costly. However, many patients with only a mild to moderate amount of excess fat in the double chin should be able to be treated with Kybella in a completely non-invasive manner. Get the price for Kybella here.
To find out the cost for a Kybela treatment at our office is, go to our Prices Page.
Is Kybella Covered by Insurance?
No, Kybella is not covered by medical insurance.
Is Kybella Effective?
Kybella has been shown to be very effective for the treatment of fat in the neck or the double chin. However, it may take up to 6 treatments to get the results that you would like. It is estimated that each treatment dissolves about 30% of the fat, depending upon the amount of fat present. Most patients will need at least two treatments or injection sessions to get reasonable and appreciable results.
Is Kybella FDA Approved?
Kybella is FDA approved for the treatment of fat in the neck or under the chin. It removes the so called double chin.
Is Kybella Covered by Medicare?
No, Kybella is not covered by medical insurance or Medicare.
Is Kybella Dangerous?
Kybella is a drug and should be injected only by experienced and fully trained physicians or physician extenders. Kybella, if injected into the wrong place, can have side-affects like nerve and tissue damage. However, in the right hands, Kybella is very safe.
Is Kybella a Filler?
No, Kybella is not a filler. It is a chemical called deoxycholic acid that dissolves fat cells.
Is Kybella Worth It?
It depends. Kybella “worth it” ratings on the internet are at about 83% saying that Kybella is worth it. This is a little low considering that many cosmetic treatments have “worth it” ratings above 95%. In some instances, patients who got Kybella judged their results on only one treatment. In other cases, liposuction would have been a better treatment for some, like those patients with loose skin and not excess fat in their neck. They were not good candidates for Kybella to start with.
Is Kybella For Turkey Neck?
A turkey neck refers to the excess skin flap or waddle that can occur in the neck as we get older. Kybella is not a treatment for this problem. A turkey neck or neck waddle is usually fixed with neck lift of facelift.
Does Kybella Work on Jowls?
Kybella will work on jowls but this is considered an off-label, use and in this area there are nerves that can be damaged with Kybella injections. There are other treatments for jowls that may work better such as the filler Bellafill that can be placed in front of a jowl to mask or hide a jowl.
Does Kybella Work on Belly Fat or Areas Like the Arms?
Kybella will work on any fat but a massive quantity would be needed to deal with such a large area as a tummy or the arms. Treating belly fat or arm fat with Kybella would be cost prohibitive and unsafe
Can Kybella Be Used on Cheeks?
Kybella will work on cheeks but this is considered an off-label use, and in this area there are nerves that can be damaged with Kybella injections. There are other treatments for cheeks and areas like lower eyelid bags that may work better such as the filler Bellafill that can be placed in cheeks or lower eyelids to fill in and around lower eyelid bags.
Does Kybella Work for Sagging Skin?
Kybella is not a treatment for sagging skin. It simply melts fat and will not tighten skin.
Does Kybella Work for Everyone?
Kybella or the chemical in Kybella, deoxycholic acid, will work to dissolve fat on everyone but not everyone is a candidate for Kybella treatment.
Does Kybella Leave Loose Skin?
No. Kybella will not leave loose skin.
Can Kybella Tighten Skin?
Kybella will not tighten skin. It works on the fat under the skin only.
Who Makes or Manufactures Kybella?
Kybella was developed by a company called Kythera. Just before Kybella was to come onto the market in 2014, Kythera was bought out by Allergan. Today Kybella is manufactured and sold by Allergan, the makers of several cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine products including Botox, Juvederm, Juvederm Voluma, Natrelle breast implants and Latisse.
Who Can Inject Kybella?
It can be injected by nurses, physician assistants and physicians. You are cautioned to make sure you have a trusted and experienced injector for your Kybella treatment.
How Much Kybella Do I Need?
How much Kybella is needed for each treatment depends on the patient and the size of the area that needs to be injected. Kybella treatments consist of multiple injections with a very fine needle and each injection is spaced exactly 1 cm or 0.4 inches apart. With each injection 0.2 ml or cc is injected. This means that you may need only one vial per treatment or up to 3 vials per treatment, depending on the area that needs to be treated with Kybella. Each vial contains 2 ml of Kybella.
How Many Kybella Treatments Will I Need?
The average patient will need between 2 and 4 treatments with 2 vials per treatment.
Find Out More
Please contact us if you are interested in Kybella and would like more information.
Kybella Before and After Photos
The following photos are actual Kybella patients. The photos from the study presented to the FDA for the pre-market approval.
