Double chin got you down? The
FDA recently approved a new treatment (formerly known as ATX-101) called Kybella. Up until now, chin liposuction has been the only tried and true treatment to remove that pesky chin strap. While chin lipo can make a huge difference, it is surgery and involves some down time (not to mention the dreaded compression garment). Kybella is a fat dissolving injection with much less downtime, and offers a non-surgical alternative to reducing that stubborn wattle.
Is a lunchtime procedure really going to transform your chin fat?
According to the FDA, you should expect to have up to six treatments no less than one month apart. During each treatment you will have about 50 injections to the chin area. Each visit should take less than an hour.
How does it work?
It is an acid that melts the cell membranes. It will actually melt anything it comes in contact with, so it's important to find an experienced doctor. Once the cells are destroyed their remnants are flushed from the body (aka you pee it all out).
Watch RealSelf user Cherchou's first Kybella injections below , and follow her video review here.
What is the downtime?
Normal side effects include bruising and swelling, like with any injection treatment. The FDA also reported the possible side effects of redness, numbness, and hardness in the injection areas. You may want to schedule your treatments on a Thursday or Friday so you can ride out the swelling over the weekend, or learn to embrace the neck scarf. Arnica gel is always a popular topical treatment to reduce bruising and swelling according to RealSelf users, and can be purchased at most pharmacies and health food stores. Discuss recovery tactics with your doctor if you need to be out and about.
Just the chin area?
Of course, the biggest question is: "Why can't I have this injected into my love-handles, outer thighs, bra roll, buttocks, (insert trouble spot here)?"
The short answer is that it is only approved for the chin area at the moment. Is this the beginning of a new generation of fat dissolving miracle injections? Would it be cost effective for larger treatment areas? Maybe — only time will tell. At the moment, the FDA specifically says that injecting outside of the chin area (aka off-label) is "not approve and not recommended."
Want to know more? Check out this article on our RealSelf Trends Blog: WILL KYBELLA LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?
Are you interested in trying Kybella injections to get rid of that pesky chin fat? Try our
Find A Doctor feature to see who offers it in your area. You might need to check back later, as it won't be available until later in 2015.
If you do decide to try Kybella be sure to
start a review so we can follow your entire journey from consultation to final results. We'd love to support you along the way.