KYBELLA

What is KYBELLA

Kybella is the commercial name for deoxycholic acid. Your body naturally produces this substance in your digestive system. It helps to break down fats so they’re more easily digested. Deoxycholic acid is also used as an emulsifier in foods. It’s also a non-surgical option for lipomas, non-cancerous tumors made of fat cells.

How Kybella works?

When a practitioner injects Kybella into your submental area (your chin) it kills fat cells, reducing the appearance of a double chin. The FDA has only approved Kybella for use in this area.

You can get up to six Kybella injections, spaced at least a month apart, for maximum results. However, most people get two treatments. The treatments should be spaced about 4 to 6 weeks apart.

This type of procedure is called injection lipolysis. This means that it’s a procedure that breaks down fat through an injection.

People often choose Kybella because it’s a non-surgical option for excess chin fat removal. It has a lower recovery time than surgical procedures and has fewer risks.

Before & After

About Kybella

Who Can Inject Kybella?

In the U.S., only trained medical professionals like a doctor, nurse, or physician’s assistant should inject Kybella. In some states, a nurse or physician’s assistant needs to be under the supervision of a doctor to perform injectable medspa procedures.

Practitioners can give Kybella injections in a variety of settings. A medspa, a spa-like setting for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, is one option. You can also receive injections at many cosmetic surgery offices.

What to Expect for Kybella Recovery

Getting Kybella usually takes about 20 minutes. In one sitting, a practitioner may give you up to 50 injections from the same syringe of Kybella. The injections are usually about 1 centimeter apart. Directly after receiving a Kybella injection, you can expect:

Bruising
Swelling
Inflammation
Pain
Redness
Temporary numbness at the site of injection

Other side effects include:

Difficulty swallowing ( dysphagia)
Skin ulceration
Temporary nerve injury
Temporary or permanent beard hair loss

The swelling usually goes away after anything from a few days to a few weeks.

You can usually go back to your regular activity level right after the procedure. Your doctor may recommend a compression garment to help with the swelling.

Some people prefer Kybella to liposuction because of the shorter recovery time. However, some people decide to stay home until the swelling goes down if they are self-conscious about it. Kybella is also an option for people who are not good candidates for facial plastic surgeries like liposuction or a neck lift.

You can expect to see results in 6 to 8 weeks following the procedure. You will notice a tightening of the skin in the chin area and less of an appearance of a double chin.

The effects of Kybella are permanent. However, if you gain a significant amount of weight, you may see some fat come back to that area of your chin.

Is Kybella Safe?

Kybella is generally considered to be safe. The procedure does carry a small risk of nerve damage that may result in a lopsided smile or difficulty swallowing. In most cases, this damage is temporary.

Kybella has only been approved for use in the chin area. There may be other risks when Kybella is used “off-label” for other areas of the body.