Kybella™ Quickly Gains Popularity in Grand Rapids and Beyond

Since its spring introduction and a summer of successful application, media outlets around the country have begun calling it a possible “end to the double chin.” It’s Kybella™, and Grand Rapids’ Bengtson Center is among the first plastic surgery facilities in the United States to offer the injectable cosmetic designed to eliminate fat deposits that sit beneath the chin.

The unwanted neck bulge known as submental fat can be resistant to dieting and physical exercise, continuing to present as a double chin despite successful fat reduction elsewhere on the body. The excess tissue can hide the contours of a well-defined jawline, making people appear heavier or even older than they truly are. Proposed remedies found online range from the professional, including liposuction for physically suctioning out unwanted fat cells, to the simple, such as constantly chewing sugar-free gum in an effort to keep the jaw area toned while sporting minty-fresh breath, to the all-natural, including rubbing any number of food products on the skin in the hopes of achieving a tightening effect. No amount of melon juice, honey stirred into milk, egg whites, or cocoa butter will dissolve fat away when massaged into the skin.

Kybella™ is not a home remedy, nor is its focus on tightening skin. Kybella™ is a double chin treatment that eliminates problem fat by destroying it.

The active ingredient in Kybella™ is a naturally occurring chemical that helps the body to break down fat for absorption. Dieting makes large fat cells smaller, but doesn’t reduce the total number of fat cells in the body. The deoxycholic acid in Kybella™ physically disrupts fat cells in the area where it’s injected, causing them to rupture and dissolve. This doesn’t just reduce the amount of fat sitting below the chin, it completely eliminates numerous fat cells contributing to submental fullness. Once these cells are gone, they’re gone. With no cell membrane to hold them together, they can no longer store fat and add their growing size to an expanding bulge or band.

The manufacturers of Kybella™ reported that a clinical trial revealed 79 percent of patients treated with Kybella™ expressed satisfaction with their face and chin after completing their own double chin treatment.

Some TV reporters have referred to the growing popularity of Kybella™ as a craze, and its rapid adoption has led many people to speculate on whether we may someday see the injectable used to treat fat in other areas. For now, however, the FDA’s approval of the cosmetic extends solely to its application for submental fat.

It’s easy to understand why people dealing with diet-resistant fat are eager to see Kybella™ expand beyond its use as a double chin treatment. A single session can run as quickly as 20 minutes, and though up to six sessions spaced about a month apart may be necessary to achieve a patient’s aesthetic goals, no need for any follow-up visits is expected. Though the FDA has stated that a single Kybella™ session may involve up to 50 injections for a patient, the idea is that patients who have a moderate amount of submental fat will see their problem go away in two to three sessions, with 15 to 20 injections per session.

Unlike liposuction patients, who can expect a recuperation process that allows for their incisions to heal, Kybella™ patients who experience post-double chin treatment issues can expect any bruising, swelling, or other discomfort to resolve within three days. There are no stitches or sutures, no drains or bandages.