Kybella: Cost, Side Effects, Before and After

Cosmetic issues within the aesthetics industry are common occurrences. In most cases, cosmetic issues usually deal with the effects of skin aging or the buildup of unwanted fat in some parts of the body. These issues are not life-threatening though. However, there are some people who feel the need to get treatments to fix or improve their skin or physical appearances. One of the most common and visible of these issues is the formation of the double chin. Many people who have this condition rely on treatments coming from medical spas. Kybella is a treatment that has already been approved by the FDA.

Causes Of Double Chin Formation

Double chin, also known as submental fat, is a common condition and can form on just about anyone. For this formation to happen, certain conditions have to be met by people. As a simple description about double chin, it is basically the accumulation of extra fat around the jaw area of a person. However, there are a multitude of causes for this to happen. You may refer to the list below for the common causes of fat deposits accumulation that causes the double chin:

The availability of excess fat

o   This usually happens as people start to gain weight. Weight gain stimulates an increase in fat deposits to various parts of a person’s body. It is just unfortunate because the area under the jaw is one of these areas. For overweight people, it may be easy to cover other areas of their bodies with clothes and accessories, but the chin is very hard to conceal. This is why most people sought treatments to improve their appearance.

The effect of skin aging

o   The main issue of skin aging is the decline in the production of collagen in the skin. This results in skin gradually losing its elasticity over time. Loss of elasticity in the skin found under the jaw would cause the skin to sag. Even though skin aging is natural and comes at a later age, there are some factors that can age the skin faster. Continuous exposure to the sun, smoking, and following poor diets are some of these common factors that hasten the skin aging process.

The practice of bad neck posture

o   This may be unfamiliar to many people, but having a bad neck posture can cause the formation of a double chin. Using mobile phones or working on laptops requires people to crane their necks to be able to see what they are doing. This posture is actually posing a negative effect on the platysma muscle. This muscle connects the chin to the person’s neck. This bad neck posture tends to weaken this muscle. This reduces its elasticity and results in the sagging effect of the skin under the jaw.

The uncontrollable effect of genetic facial structure

o   People have different face shapes. There are certain shapes that can effectively hide the results of weight gain and some of the effects of skin aging. However, there are those people who have recessive chins and weaker jawlines. These people unfortunately have to deal with visible double chins. Having this facial shape means that the skin is stretched at a smaller area and is less drawn tightly over the face. Small increase in fat deposits or decrease of the elasticity of skin will clearly show the effect of a double chin.

Treating Double Chins With Kybella

The most common way double chins were treated by medical spas in the past was usually through surgery. Surgical treatments were effective but also posed health risks due to their invasive methods. Double chins are known to be non-lethal skin imperfections and undergoing surgeries to fix them is not worth doing for some people. This is one of the reasons why Kybella was developed. It has been approved by the FDA to be used as a treatment solution to remove excess fat underneath the chin or jawline of a patient. This treatment does not use incision on any part of the person’s body. Kybella uses a man made substance called deoxycholic acid. The product is injected into the fat underneath the patient’s skin. The synthetic substance will break down the fat cells and then absorb them. Multiple injections may be applied based on the severity of the double chin. Since the fat cells will completely disappear, there will be no more chance for additional fat buildup to happen underneath the chin of the patient. This will give patients long-lasting results.

How The Process Works

It is important to be familiar with the process of undergoing Kybella treatments. There are things that people need to know before deciding on undergoing treatment so that they will not be wasting their resources on a treatment that may not work on them. The process can be seen in the following list:

Pre-treatment

o   Patients should first go to medical spas and inquire about their current issues.

o   This is an important step because this will decide if you are a candidate for Kybella treatment.

o   The medical professional will evaluate your case to see if the causes of your double chin can be solved by a Kybella treatment. Since this treatment deals with the destruction of the fat cells underneath the chin or jawline, this would mean that the treatment will not solve cases where they have been caused by the loss of skin elasticity.

o   There are other reasons that patients will not be qualified to be treated with Kybella. The medical professional will determine this beforehand.

During treatment

o   The medical professional will be marking different sites that would be injected with Kybella.

o   Since multiple injections will be given to the patient, a topical numbing agent or an ice pack may be provided to ease pain and discomfort during the treatment.

o   The number of injections that will be made may range from 20 and 50.

o   A session usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes to finish.

o   The results will not show immediately as the deoxycholic acid will gradually destroy the fat cells.

Post-treatment

o   Compared to surgical treatments, this type does not give downtime to the patient.

o   The patient may be required to come back for subsequent treatments, which will be determined by the medical professional.

Need For Subsequent Treatments And Costs

Kybella treatment is one of the most cost-effective treatments in removing unwanted fat underneath the chin of a person. With its result making it impossible for fat to accumulate due to the disappearance of the fat cells underneath the chin, patients will not worry about any risk of double chin from coming back due to fat buildup. With that being said, most of the time patients may be told by the medical professional to return for 2 to 6 subsequent treatments that will be spaced one month apart. This would sound concerning to some since the average cost for one Kybella treatment session ranges between $1,200.00 and $1,800.00 depending on the number of injections that will be given. People should always think about the effectiveness of undergoing subsequent treatment sessions. These sessions may be needed for those with extreme or severe cases of fat buildup. The safety of having no incisions made is already reason enough to prefer using this method.

Side Effects Of Kybella Treatments

In most cases, patients do not have to go through recovery periods because of the fact that Kybella treatments are known for not giving life-threatening side effects. Without going through surgical procedures, patients avoid the side effects that come after getting cut open to physically remove the fat deposits. However, there is really no perfect treatment for any type of issue within the aesthetics industry. Even Kybella treatment has some serious and minor side effects. Minor side effects include numbness, redness, swelling, pain, and swelling. It may take patients around one to two weeks before any of these minor side effects completely disappear. With regards to the more serious side effects, these include nerve injury in the jaw, uneven smile, muscle weakness, and having trouble swallowing. When a patient experiences any of these side effects, it is highly advised that the patient contact the medical professional at the soonest possible time.

Get Lasting Results With Kybella Treatment

Knowing that Kybella is an effective treatment to permanently kill fat cells underneath your chin, you are assured that fat buildup will not be the cause of your double chin in the future. Many clients who have undergone Kybella treatments have noticed clear results 12 weeks after their initial treatment sessions. This just shows that the product acts gradually in killing the fat cells. For those who wish to remove their double chins, it is recommended that you go to a reputable medical spa to have your conditions checked beforehand. A medical professional should give an evaluation if you are qualified to undergo a Kybella treatment. Do not forget that not all double chins will be treatable by Kybella, especially if they are caused by skin elasticity issues. You may contact Solea Medical Spa & Beauty Lounge at 305-932-2555 to get an assessment on your case.