Introduction
Double chin, also called excess submental fat in medical terms, is an area of concern for both men and women. A double chin distorts the jaw shape and overall facial appearance. Every individual wants a chiseled-shaped, well-defined jawline as this aids in better facial features. Earlier, only surgical options were available for the reduction of double chin; however, nowadays, a new treatment called Kybella injections has emerged, which is gaining popularity due to some of its advantages over surgical procedures.
What Are Kybella Injections?
Kybella injection treatment is one of the newest techniques in the cosmetic industry for the treatment of double chin. These injections are meant to dissolve the excessive fat from the double chin and are approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their usage. Kybella injection contains sodium deoxycholate as an active ingredient which eliminates the unwanted fat of the double chin when injected underneath the skin of the target area (double chin).
What Are the Indications for Kybella Injections?
The FDA has only approved Kybella injections for fat reduction in the double chin area. It has not been approved for any other medical conditions or extra fat reduction in other body parts.
How Do Kybella Injections Work?
The mechanism of action of Kybella injection is based on the function of deoxycholate. Deoxycholate or deoxycholic acid is a bile acid produced by our body for fat metabolism (breakdown).
Kybella injections are made up of synthetic deoxycholate, which is a pure, artificially created non-human and non-animal deoxycholate that has undergone almost ten years of development and extensive well-planned FDA trials.
Kybella injection is considered an adipolytic medication which means when it is injected underneath the skin of the double chin, it results in the breakdown and, ultimately, death of the fat cells. In medical terms, this procedure is called injection lipolysis, or in general, these injections are referred to as fat-dissolving injections.
This injection dissolves the extra fat cells in the double chin region, and they are eliminated from the body, making the double chin less noticeable and providing a visible change in the shape of the jawline.
Who Are the Good Candidates for Kybella Injections?
The following qualities make an individual suitable for Kybella injections treatment:
Individuals who are healthy and physically fit and do not have any serious underlying medical conditions.
Individuals who do not have an allergy to synthetic deoxycholate, which is the active ingredient of this injection.
Those who do not want to undergo surgical procedures to eliminate their double chin and instead prefer nonsurgical treatment for the same.
Those who have mild to moderate double chin due to weight gain, medication side effects, post-pregnancy, or genetics.
Who Cannot Undergo Kybella Injections Treatment?
The following criteria make an individual unfit for this treatment:
The safety of Kybella injections is still unknown for teenagers and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Therefore these individuals should avoid undergoing this procedure.
Individuals who want to tighten the loose or sagging skin on the neck are not suitable for this procedure because Kybella injections can reduce the volume of the double chin, but they can not tighten the sagging skin of the neck.
How Are Kybella Injections Given?
The procedural steps of Kybella injection treatment are listed below:
The surgeon marks the treatment area with a surgical pen.
After that, an injection grid is applied on the double chin for marking injection sites.
The Kybella injections are injected slowly underneath the skin of the double chin because these are subcutaneous injections.
The injections are given to all the injection sites marked with an injection grid on the double chin. In general, 50 injections are given in one sitting.
This procedure is entirely noninvasive and nonsurgical and can be done as quickly as ten minutes.
What Happened After Getting Kybella Injections?
Immediately after receiving Kybella injections, the patient might feel soreness and mild discomfort. This is not a single-sitting treatment, and it requires multiple sittings with a gap of a minimum of a month, depending upon the treatment results. The swelling usually occurs after this treatment which initially feels like a double chin has grown bigger; however, it resolves after a few weeks. There might be redness as well.
Are the Results from Kybella Injections Permanent?
The results are not visible immediately after the treatment because of the huge swelling that occurs after the injections. However, once the swelling starts to subside, the results become noticeable. The initial results can be seen as early as six weeks. The results get better over time, and the final results are usually visible after 12 weeks because the dissolution of fat occurs gradually. Therefore, it takes time.
Results can be enhanced by taking multiple sittings. The results are long-lasting and considered permanent because Kybella injections destroy the fat cells, which are eliminated by the body, and the new fat cells do not grow in the double chin area.
However, it should be noted that not all the fat cells are dissolved by these injections, and weight gain in the future can result in the reappearance of a double chin. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle and a stable body weight should be maintained to retain the results of this treatment throughout life.
What Are the Side Effects of Kybella Injections?
Although these injections are safe and FDA-approved, this procedure can result in the following side effects:
Swelling.
Hematoma (collection of blood outside the blood vessels.
Bruising.
Pain.
Numbness.
Redness.
Lower jaw nerve dysfunction can result in an asymmetric smile.
The patient may not be satisfied with the treatment results.
Conclusion
Double chin reduction by Kybella injections is preferred by many people because they are nonsurgical, noninvasive, safe, less expensive, do not leave scars, have lesser recovery time, and are done quickly as compared to other surgical procedures for neck rejuvenation like a neck lift. Therefore, this procedure is considered a safe alternative to surgery for enhancing the lower face appearance. In addition, this treatment should always be done by an experienced practitioner to avoid complications like nerve injury.
