Firm, well-defined features contribute to a fit and youthful appearance. However, getting rid of a double chin (submental fullness) isn’t an easy task, as fat in this area may not respond to diet and exercise.
KYBELLA® is an effective and targeted treatment for eliminating a double chin. Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery offers this non-invasive treatment as an alternative to surgical intervention. With KYBELLA®, we help men and women get a more attractively contoured neckline and sharper delineation between their features.
View Kybella® Before and After Gallery
The Benefits of KYBELLA®
Dr. Jennifer Parker Porter is a board-certified specialist in facial plastic surgery. She has trained extensively in aesthetic solutions that restore, refine, and rejuvenate a person’s appearance, including KYBELLA®.
KYBELLA® is an injectable medication made from deoxycholic acid, which occurs naturally in your body and which assists in breaking down fat cells. Treatment with KYBELLA® can eliminate the fat that creates a double chin, and it can also tighten the skin for a smoother, firmer aesthetic.
At CCFPS, KYBELLA® patients have their consultation with and receive treatment directly from Dr. Porter. Her expertise in facial anatomy and injectables contributes to a more comfortable experience and effective outcome.
As part of your initial consultation at our Washington, DC-area practice, Dr. Porter can talk with you about the advantages that KYBELLA® offers compared to other approaches to submental fullness. These alternatives may include:
Liposuction. Like KYBELLA®, liposuction targets specific trouble-spots to eliminate unwanted body fat. Unlike KYBELLA®, liposuction is a surgical procedure, which means that patients can expect some degree of downtime and recovery. In addition, liposuction generally doesn’t improve mild skin laxity in the same way that KYBELLA® can.
Skin tightening treatments. CCFPS performs a range of skin tightening procedures to address sagging facial features. While firmer skin is an important aesthetic benefit, skin tightening alone will not remove a double chin as these treatments don’t affect the submental fat.
If your goal is to remove fat from beneath your chin and to achieve a tightly contoured, natural appearance, you may be a good candidate for KYBELLA® to be performed in combination with your skin tightening treatment.
CCFPS and Your Care
During your consultation, Dr. Porter will examine your head and neck to see if the reason for your double chin is excess fat, skin laxity, or both. Knowing the underlying cause will allow her to recommend the best approach to your care.
If you are a good fit for KYBELLA® injections, Dr. Porter will discuss this option with you, answer any questions you may have about the process and likely outcomes, and help you schedule your treatment. Many of our patients are able to have the procedure on the same day as their consultation with the expectation that they will need some downtime afterwards.
Treatment With KYBELLA®
Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery has invested in the latest aesthetic technology to make treatment as comfortable and effective as possible for our patients. We combine injections with a medical chiller from Zimmer Aesthetics in a technique we call Kool KYBELLA®:
- Dr. Porter will place a template over the area she will be treating.
- She will numb the site using the medical chiller.
- Once you are fully desensitized, she will perform a series of KYBELLA® injections.
Our patients frequently comment on how much more comfortable the experience was than they expected thanks to this approach. CCFPS will also provide you with ice to apply to the area on and off for the next 24 hours and will recommend that you sleep with your head elevated.
Depending on the amount of fat that Dr. Porter treated, your neck may appear swollen and bruised for somewhere between two days and one week. You may also have some numbness, which may take several weeks to resolve.
Dr. Porter typically conducts a series of 2-4 treatments with KYBELLA® spaced 6-8 weeks apart. If you have significant skin laxity, she may recommend a combination of KYBELLA® and skin tightening with Thermage® or Viora Reaction™, which can be performed at a separate sitting. By the end of your last session with KYBELLA®, you can expect a firmer, more youthfully contoured appearance.
KYBELLA® Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does It Take to Recover From Kybella?
Because Kybella does not involve any incisions, the downtime after the procedure is minimal. Patients can expect to experience some swelling or bruising at the site of the injections. This is normal and usually subsides within a week (though most patients find the swelling reduces significantly within a few days). Numbness is also a potential issue; however, this usually goes away several weeks after the injection. Overall, most patients will look and feel themselves about a week after the procedure, with results continuing to improve treatment after treatment. There is a rare chance for more serious side effects that patients should be alert for, including hair loss, open sores, drainage from the area, or serious bruising.
Because the downtime is so limited, many patients choose to have their first Kybella injection on the same day as their initial consultation. This helps them get started on the path to a sleeker, more contoured neck right away. Dr. Porter will be able to advise them if Kybella is the right treatment for their condition.
While patients might experience some of the above symptoms after their shots, they can still head back to work or school afterward. However, they should refrain from physical activity until the swelling goes down. To alleviate any swelling or discomfort, Dr. Porter recommends using ice therapy on the area for about the next 24 hours, as this limits blood flow and prevents inflammation. Additionally, patients will need to sleep with their heads elevated for the first night to prevent additional swelling.
How Long Does It Take to Get the Final Results From Kybella?
Results from Kybella will not be immediate, as the body needs time to process the deoxycholic acid in the injection. Deoxycholic acid occurs naturally in the body, as it’s produced by the intestines and stomach to help in the breakdown of food. When it’s injected under the chin in the form of Kybella, deoxycholic acid works to breakdown the fat cells of the neck.
Generally, Dr. Porter will recommend a series of two to four treatments for her patients, though this may vary depending on the extent of chin fat as well as how well the patient is tolerating the procedure. Some patients begin to see results much faster, so they may not need extra treatments. All treatments are spaced six to eight weeks apart to give the body time to melt away fat.
Final results will be apparent about four to six weeks after the final treatment. To boost the appearance of these results, patients can also choose to combine Kybella injections with another skin tightening treatment, such as Viora Reaction or Thermage. This way, if the fat of the neck has stretched out the skin, it won’t hang loose and flabby after the fat cells have been destroyed.
After all their treatments are complete, patients will find that they now have a sleek, contoured, and more youthful-looking appearance. Eliminating the standard double chin makes a person look slimmer and also helps better define their jawline to visually elongate their neck.
Get rid of a double chin without surgery. Schedule a consultation online with CCFPS or by calling us at (301) 652-8191.
