Kybella | Serving Rancho Mirage & Palm Springs, CA
Double chins aren’t rare. Just about everyone over the age of 35 or 40 has some degree of a double chin, clinically known as “submental fullness.” Fat accumulates under our chin and before we know it our formerly chiseled profile is anything but.
Unfortunately, nothing short of a surgical and neck lift or liposuction could really do anything about a double chin. It’s virtually impossible to target the area with exercise, so your double chin would endure and probably worsen.
But that changed in April 2015. That was when the FDA approved a new product called Kybella specifically to reduce submental fullness. Kybella is the brand name for an injectable product that reduces fat under the chin and tightens the user’s profile. Lombardo Cosmetic Surgery is proud to offer Kybella at our practice in Rancho Mirage and invite you to contact us today to schedule your appointment.
What is Kybella?
Kybella isn’t an elaborate formula. It basically is deoxycholic acid, which is a bile acid. We administer Kybella in a series of injections directly into your double chin area, where the deoxycholic acid breaks down the fat, tightening your profile. The FDA approved up to six Kybella injection sessions.
How Does Kybella Work?
Fat is the usual reason for a double chin. Fat accumulates under the chin and pushes down on the skin. Deoxycholic acid occurs naturally in the human body. Its job? To break down and aid the absorption of dietary fat.
You can see where this is going. Deoxycholic acid doesn’t differentiate between fat that is ingested or fat that simply exists in your double chin. So, when Kybella is injected into the fatty areas of a double chin the deoxycholic acid gets to work breaking down the fat. The body then uses the lymphatic system to flush the broken down fat cells from the body, as it does with all waste products. Once these fat cells are gone, they are gone for good, and your ability to store fat in the area is dramatically reduced. The end result is a dramatically slimmed profile.
Kybella Before & After Photos
Candidate for Kybella
Anyone can benefit from Kybella! There is one exception where Kybella won’t help — if your double chin is the result of sagging skin rather than fat accumulation. Kybella breaks down and removes fat; it doesn’t tighten loose skin. It slims the profile by removing the fat that is pulling the skin downward. If sagging skin is the cause of your double chin, a neck lift or facelift would be the only way to tighten that loose skin.
The Kybella Procedure
Kybella® is a prescription injectable, and it can only be administered by a Kybella-trained specialist such as Dr. Lombardo. During your session, we inject Kybella with a very fine needle across your double chin, and sometimes along the jawline in the “jowls”, usually from 12-20 injections. The needle is so fine that patients say it feels like a slight pinprick. Your Kybella session at Lombardo Cosmetic Surgery takes just 15-20 minutes.
How Long Before I See Results?
Results aren’t immediate. After your treatment, you’ll likely have some swelling for from two days to a couple weeks. This is the reaction as the deoxycholic acid gets down to the business of breaking down your fat. You’ll see results in about 4-6 weeks and they will continue to improve as more fat is broken down and flushed from your system.
How Many Double Chin Treatments Will I Need?
The FDA has approved up to six Kybella sessions. Whether you opt to have six treatments depends on your goals and on how much fat has accumulated in your double chin. Every patient reacts differently. We’ve found that, on average, most of our patients are satisfied with their results after two to three treatments. The makers of Kybella say the treatments can be spaced one month apart, but we’ve found that five to six weeks seems to be a better spacing. Waiting the extra week or two will allow your results from the previous session to become more visible.
See What Our Patients Are Saying:
“Top Notch and very professional. Dr. Lombardo is very precise in her work. I have complete confidence in her. She looks at you and does her work like an artist! Her prices are very reasonable.” -Carla C.
How Long Will My Results Last?
The fat Kybella breaks down and removes is gone for good. Once the fat is gone, your body has far less capability to store fat in the same spot, so your double chin should be dramatically reduced. Your skin can still sag, but your profile should look markedly different for the duration.
Side Effects Of Kybella Injections
As noted above, after your treatment there will likely be swelling under your chin. The injections may also create some bruising. This will be concerning at first, but it should all begin to resolve within two to three days.
The potential side effects with Kybella® are similar to those with dermal fillers. All side effects have proven to be very rare, however. They include nerve injury in the jaw that can create an uneven smile, trouble swallowing, and some weakness in the surrounding facial muscles. In clinical studies with 1600 patients, these side effects were not long-term but they did not resolve immediately.
These are the common side effects after treatment and resolve themselves:
- Numbness
- Swelling
- Redness
- Bruising
- Residual Pain
- Areas of Hardness In the Treatment Area