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Kybella is today’s modern approach to skin rejuvenation. Do you experience that feeling of self-consciousness about the appearance of your submental region? Do you wish for something that could improve the appearance of your chin and jawline? Because of this inconvenience, do you usually cover your neck in turtlenecks and scarves? If so, deoxycholic acid injections, popularly known as Kybella, may be the appropriate treatment for you. Today, we’re taking a closer look at this treatment, including the longevity of the results.
What Is Kybella?
As the only FDA-approved treatment that destroys fat cells under the chin, Kybella injections help improve the facial profile. Kybella may be right for you if you:
- Do not want to undergo surgery
- Eat well and exercise, but the feeling of submental fullness persists
- Feel you appear older or fatter than you are (unhappiness, self-consciousness, embarrassment)
- Get bothered by submental fullness, also known as fat under the chin (sadness, self-conscious, shame)
How Kybella Injections Work
Kybella injections contain synthetic deoxycholic acid as their active ingredient. The body naturally produces deoxycholic acid, which aids digestion and absorption of dietary fats.
By injecting Kybella under the chin, fat cells are destroyed, causing a noticeable reduction in fullness under the chin. After these cells are destroyed, they cannot store or accumulate fat, so you won’t need further treatment once you achieve your aesthetic goals.
Good Candidates for Kybella
You must attend initial consultations to verify that Kybella injections are appropriate for you. You must take several steps to ensure this treatment will be safe and effective for you. One such effort is verifying you are generally healthy enough to receive this treatment safely. For example, we need to know about any bleeding or chronic skin disorders we suffer from across the board. Be prepared to discuss your medical history in detail.
Also, we need to verify that you are currently healthy enough to receive these injections. For instance, it is crucial to have not been ill within two weeks of your scheduled Kybella injection session. Furthermore, regardless of your health, you will not be considered a good candidate for this treatment if you are nursing or with a child. If you are currently trying to become pregnant, you should postpone this treatment.
What to Expect from Kybella
To determine whether Kybella treatments are right for you, your doctor or healthcare provider will examine the area under and around your chin. Once your specialist has determined how much fat is under the chin and your aesthetic goals, your treatment will be tailored accordingly.
The Treatment
“How is it administered?”
A trained healthcare specialist can only administer the Kybella injection treatment. During each treatment, you will receive several small injections under your chin, and the injection process will take about 15 to 20 minutes. The number of Kybella injections will vary based on the amount of fat under your chin and your desired profile.
“How many treatment sessions will I need?”
As everyone’s chin profile is unique, many treatments differ from patient to patient. Your personal treatment goals and the amount and distribution of submental fat will determine how many treatment sessions you need. Kybella injections are generally spaced at least one month apart, and you should not receive more than six treatments. In clinical studies, 59% of patients received six treatments.
“How should I prepare for Kybella?”
Another step we must take to verify your candidacy for this treatment is ensuring that you can follow all preparation steps before administering your injections. One of the essential preparation steps is wearing protective sunscreen diligently in the 14 days leading up to your scheduled injection session. It would help if you were prepared to wear sunscreen diligently until your final results are achieved.
You must wear sunscreen diligently in the two weeks following your appointment because your skin can’t be irritated at the time of your appointment. You must wear sunscreen diligently in the two weeks following each session because you need to protect your skin from sun damage and irritation as it heals from the dozens of Kybella injections.
The Results
“How long do Kybella’s results last?”
One significant advantage of Kybella injections is that the fat removal results of the treatment will last a lifetime. Individual physiologies vary, but most adults stop being able to grow new fat cells when they reach the age of 25. The deoxycholic acid in the formula destroys a large percentage of the fat cells in the treatment areas. Over time, your lymphatic system flushes out the dead fat cells, which are gone for good.
“How soon will I start seeing noticeable results?”
Generally, you can expect your ideal results in one to seven months. During your first consultation, practitioners will discuss your cosmetic goals, evaluate your current aesthetic, and advise you on how many treatment sessions you will need to achieve your results. To give you a general idea, you can expect to need around one or two treatment sessions if poor posture or sagging skin is causing your submental fullness.
You can expect to need 3-4 Kybella injection treatment sessions if your submental fullness can be attributed to a mild or moderate amount of excess fat. If the cause of your submental fullness is a severe amount of excess fat, you should expect to need five or six treatment sessions. Each treatment session is scheduled approximately four to six weeks apart, and it may take four to six weeks for all of the fat to be flushed out.
“How can I experience my final results faster?”
The only way to see your final Kybella injection results faster is to boost the efficiency of your lymphatic system. If you’re dehydrated, you can accomplish this by consuming enough hydrating fluids so that your urine becomes pale. You may not feel thirsty, but until your urine is pale, you have not consumed enough fluids to be hydrated. If you’re struggling to drink enough water, you can get hydrating fluids from other sources, like:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Sparkling water
- Fruit-infused water
- Broth-based soup
- Coconut water without added sugar
Eating nutritious food can also help you boost the efficiency of your lymphatic system. Just like every other system in your body, your lymphatic system needs clean fuel to burn, so it has the energy to do what it needs to do. At the same time as you’re making sure to get your RDA of micronutrients, you should make a conscious effort to minimize the number of processed foods and beverages you consume. Processed products will slow your lymphatic system.
The Bottom Line
Kybella injections destroy fat cells that your body cannot replace with new ones. Therefore, the results of this treatment are considered permanent. But it is still possible to need touch-up sessions in the future if your submental is complete. Schedule an appointment with your doctor or healthcare provider to learn more.
Are you interested in Kybella? Our great friends at Central Oregon Aesthetics can help you today. Visit them now
