Is stubborn fat under the chin making you feel self-conscious? Whether it’s making you look older, heavier, or just more unhappy with your appearance, double chins can be incredibly frustrating and seemingly impossible to remedy. But with Kybella, you can achieve a structured, contoured jawline with just a few simple injections. At Boulder Plastic Surgery in Boulder, CO, we can help you treat your double chin and get you feeling more gorgeous in no time!
Is Kybella Treatment Only for the Chin?
Kybella is highly specialized in that it is used exclusively to eliminate stubborn fat under the chin. Because this treatment involves breaking down cells, it can’t be used anywhere else on the body – only the fat cells under the chin are isolated enough that the product won’t touch any important surrounding tissues. It’s both incredibly effective, and completely safe! If you want to learn more about this treatment and whether it’s right for you, read on.
What Is Kybella?
This simple treatment is a revolutionary, FDA-approved prescription medicine used to eliminate “submental fat”, AKA the fat under your chin. It is injected into the chin using a very fine needle, then it targets and destroys problem fat. Patients love it because it works quickly, is minimally invasive, and leaves the surrounding areas unaffected. It’s quickly becoming one of the most effective treatments for this issue on the market.
How Does Treatment Work?
This treatment utilizes a key ingredient called deoxycholic acid, which is actually found naturally in the body. It breaks down dietary fat in the stomach during digestion. In the case of this treatment, it is used in the exact same way but breaks down fat cells specifically in the double chin.
The product, with deoxycholic acid as its main component, is injected into the fat under and around the chin with a needle. It immediately targets the fat cells and starts breaking them down. Many cells will release fluid and shrink down to a much smaller size, while some will be destroyed completely. Then the fluid and the destroyed cells will leave the body. This process is gradual and happens naturally as part of the body’s metabolic process.
The result is a stunning, sharper jawline. Patients love that fat cells can’t regrow after they’ve been destroyed, which means the results are long-lasting. No need to keep coming back for follow-up appointments!
Will I Have a Negative Reaction to This Treatment?
Deoxycholic acid is organically produced by the body, which means it’s highly likely the body won’t reject it as some kind of foreign substance. Most patients are very tolerant to the treatment, and it’s considered one of the safest ways to eliminate a double chin available.
What Will the Treatment Be Like?
Prior to Treatment
This is when you’ll come in for your consultation, where you’ll discuss your cosmetic goals with a member of our fantastic staff. We’ll examine your medical history and clarify what medication you’re on (if any). Doing this allows us to ensure this treatment will be safe and effective for you.
One of the biggest benefits of this treatment is that it’s individually tailored. During the consultation, we’ll design a plan specific to your body and goals, including the number of injections you’ll need, and how many sessions you’ll be asked to attend to receive the actual treatment.
During Treatment
This treatment is performed in-house by a member of our experienced team of doctors. It’s a simple process; just a small injection with a fine needle, and then you’re all done! It’s quick and most patients report experiencing no pain whatsoever.
How Long Does a Session Take?
The exact length of a session depends on the individual and how much fat they’re carrying around the chin. Generally, we take about twenty minutes to half an hour. Whatever the exact length, they’ll always be pretty quick, so you can rest assured they won’t mess up your day-to-day schedule. You can slot an appointment into your lunch break, or after brunch on the weekend!
What Is the Recovery Period Like?
Amazingly, there’s almost no recovery period expected following this treatment. Because it’s minimally invasive, you can carry on with your day after the session. Plus there’s no anesthetic used, which means you can drive yourself to and from sessions. This makes this treatment a popular alternative to something like liposuction, which requires a long recovery period as your body heals from surgery.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Some patients have found that they’re satisfied after simply one session, while others decide they’ll need to follow up a few times to achieve their cosmetic goals. That could be as many as four, generally with a month between each session. As with the number of injections needed, it will come down to the individual, how much fat they’re carrying on the jawline, and what results they’re hoping for.
How Long Will It Take to See Results?
After treatment, the fat cells and fluids must leave the body via excretion. This is gradual and the exact amount of time it takes will depend on the individual and how their body functions. Generally, patients start to notice results after two to three weeks or even a month, and these become more prominent after a few sessions.
How Long Will the Results Last?
One of the reasons this treatment is so popular is because it destroys many fat cells. Fat cells are only produced by the body during adolescence, so once they’re destroyed, you don’t have to worry that new ones will emerge in their place.
The results can be near-permanent if the patient is willing to maintain a healthy lifestyle following treatment. It’s important to understand that the remaining cells only shrink when they lose fluid during treatment. They still can expand when storing fat, which will mean that submental fat might become visible again.
What can prevent this is patients maintaining their weight through an active, healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise and a good diet are key ways to ensure you don’t gain weight around the chin again. In doing this, you’ll continue to enjoy long-lasting results.
What Causes Fat Under the Chin?
Many factors could be the root of why someone has a double chin. If you’ve had a double chin for your whole life, that could just be genetics. If you’ve found that it’s become more prominent as you’ve gotten older, then it’s probably due to age. Many people cite fluctuating weight as being the cause of a double chin. Whatever the explanation, it’s incredibly common and very frustrating.
Many people think there’s nothing that can be done about a double chin, since exercise doesn’t directly target it, and it can be prominent regardless of your body’s overall weight. But this treatment can tackle it head-on, and melt away the fat in as little as one simple session!
How Can I Target Fat in Other Areas Around the Body?
As we’ve discussed, this treatment is exclusively for submental fat. But if you have other pockets of stubborn fat on your body, including under your arms, around your abdomen, and on your thighs, there are ways for you to address them. Here at Boulder Plastic Surgery, we offer treatments and procedures such as Liposuction, body lifts, and arm lifts. We’d be happy to talk to you in more detail if you’d like to learn more!
What Are the Benefits of This Treatment?
It Can Boost Self-Esteem
A study done by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery found that 68% of adults are bothered by their double chin. It can make people worry about how they’re smiling, laughing, and even just talking, as the fear of highlighting their double chin is always on their mind.
By eliminating your submental fat, you can feel better about your appearance, which will make you more confident and comfortable in your skin. And nothing is more beautiful than confidence!
It Can Make You Look Younger and Slimmer
Fat around the chin can make people look much heavier than they are – a person might be quite slim overall, but if someone saw just their face, their double chin might give the illusion of an additional few pounds. Rather than fad “weight-loss solutions”, this treatment targets specific areas that naturally add the illusion of weight and targets them head-on.
Likewise, a double chin can age you up, as tight skin is commonly associated with younger faces, Excess skin, on the other hand, implies sagging skin and slowing metabolism, which are both key signs of aging. A gorgeous chin profile, therefore, is a simple but effective way to appear more youthful.
Who Is a Good Candidate for This Treatment?
The best candidates for treatment are those who are healthy and not on any medication that could cause blood clotting. We also require a patient’s medical history to further make an informed decision as to whether this treatment will be safe for them. If not, we will discuss alternative treatments and procedures that might better suit their lifestyle. It’s also not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 or pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant.
Patients who lead healthy lifestyles are also ideal candidates as this will make maintaining the results much easier and more successful. We also recommend this treatment to those who have time to come in for any follow-up sessions that might be needed to achieve optimal results.
Patients should be aware that this treatment isn’t designed to help them lose weight or burn calories. It targets the cosmetic concern or a double chin, and shouldn’t be used as a weight-loss plan.
What About Sagging Skin?
Are you concerned about your double chin, but don’t think it’s caused by fat? Sagging skin can also be a factor when the skin loses elasticity over time and droops. Unfortunately, this treatment can’t remedy that, because it’s a separate matter from destroying fat cells.
Luckily, we offer neck lifts here at Boulder Plastic Surgery, which can rejuvenate and refresh the face and jawline by lifting and tightening the skin. During a consultation, we can look at your problem area and determine what treatment will be most effective in addressing it.
Schedule a Consultation Today
Does all of this sound pretty exciting? Are you ready to say “goodbye” to your double chin and “hello” to the refined jaw structure hiding underneath it? With Kybella, we can get you feeling more gorgeous and comfortable in your skin in no time. Contact us today at Boulder Plastic Surgery in Boulder, CO. We’ll talk about your options for treatment and come up with a plan tailored to your individual needs. We can’t wait to hear from you!