In the medical world, a double chin is known as submental fat and there are only a few options available to treat it. A double chin is right up there with lines and wrinkles as one of the top causes of concern among patients. At Radiant Divine Medical Spa in Avon, OH, we understand how difficult it can be to deal with a double chin and want you to know you can zap your double chin quickly and easily with Kybella.
Previously, patients looking to address their double chin had few options outside of surgery or liposuction. While both of these procedures are effective, they’re also both invasive. Kybella is the first non-invasive treatment designed to melt away your submental fat, boost your confidence, and leave you with lasting results you can enjoy for years to come.
Why Is Submental Fat So Hard to Eliminate?
The appearance of a double chin has to do with the shape and structure of your jawline, genetics, and the type of fat that makes it up. A double chin can develop regardless of how much excess weight a person is carrying, often causing significant distress in people who do not otherwise have a lot of unwanted fat.
What Types of Fat Are There?
There are two main types of fat that can have a significant effect on your appearance: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Visceral fat is the kind that’s stored in areas where people typically tend to put on excess weight. These areas can change from person to person and include the abdomen, thighs, upper arms, thighs, and buttocks. When you engage in regular exercise and eat a healthy diet for the purposes of weight loss, most of the fat that you lose will be visceral fat.
The other type of fat your body stores is known as subcutaneous fat. This is the fat that sits between your skin and your muscles, and it can be highly resistant to both diet and exercise because its appearance and location are due primarily to genetics and not to lifestyle. If you or someone you know has lost a significant amount of weight but has pockets of fat around their body that is difficult to lose, it’s probably subcutaneous fat.
The Role of Subcutaneous Fat in Forming a Double Chin
When you gain weight, some of it is gained in the form of visceral fat and some of it in the form of subcutaneous fat. When you exercise and eat healthy to lose weight, the fat you burn is mostly visceral, though some of it will be subcutaneous. If you reach your target weight and notice that you still have a double chin, continuing to exercise probably won’t yield the results you want.
Since submental fat is primarily subcutaneous, it’s very hard to deal with using traditional methods. Submental fat can be more accurately addressed by undergoing treatments, such as Kybella, which target the fat and destroy it. Once it’s gone, the appearance of your double chin will be eliminated too.
How Does Kybella Work?
The active ingredient is synthetic deoxycholic acid. The deoxycholic acid used during treatment is termed “synthetic” because it was synthesized in a lab. However, deoxycholic acid is a naturally occurring molecule in your body which helps break down and absorb dietary fat.
As it turns out, deoxycholic acid doesn’t just work to break down dietary fat. When injected into submental fat, the molecule is able to work its magic by breaking down and destroying the fat in that location, leading to a slimmer, smoother appearance and no double chin.
How Is Treatment Administered?
Treatment should only be administered by a trained healthcare specialist, such as those on our staff. Each treatment consists of multiple small injections beneath your chin and only takes about 15 or 20 minutes to complete. The exact number of injections you receive at each session will depend on how much submental fat exists below your chin and the results you desire.
How Many Sessions of Kybella Do You Need?
How many sessions of kybella do you need? This is one of the most frequently asked questions. Everyone’s chin profile is different. The amount of fat in the area, the size of the area, and your desired results will influence the number of injections you need during each session as well as the total number of sessions required. We will determine how many sessions you need based on the previously mentioned factors.
Treatment sessions are given one month apart, and the total number of treatments patients receive is no more than six. Whether you will require the full six-sessions for treatment or not will depend on the results you’re expecting. For most patients, two to four sessions will be enough to see significant change and achieve the results they want.
Is Treatment Safe?
The treatment is very safe as long as you adhere to the accompanying safety guidelines. It’s extremely important that treatment is only administered by a trained medical professional, as it is important that the injections reach the proper depth and are administered in the correct areas.
Currently, Kybella is FDA-approved for the treatment of submental fat, and it has not been approved for use in other areas of the body. That doesn’t mean it’s unsafe or ineffective, however, as studies are currently being carried out to determine its effectiveness at treating other areas of the body.
Are You a Candidate for Treatment?
Another factor that influences the safety of the procedure is whether a patient is a good candidate for treatment or not. It’s very important to receive a proper assessment before undergoing treatment, and the medical professionals at our office are adept at assessing potential patients who are interested.
Treatment is intended for both men and women who are experiencing mild-to-moderate amounts of submental fat and a minimal amount of skin laxity. Candidates for treatment should be in relatively good health and have realistic expectations about what the treatment can do.
Can It Treat a Turkey Neck?
A “turkey neck” refers to the excess flap of skin that can form underneath a patient’s jaw. It can sometimes result in the appearance of a double chin when you move your head in certain ways, but the cause of a “turkey neck” isn’t caused by the same issue that causes a double chin.
As we age, our skin loses its elasticity and ability to hold its shape against the forces of gravity. As a result, a flap of loose, excess skin can hang beneath your jaw, forming a “turkey neck,” jowls, or both. Kybella is a treatment that destroys fat cells. If your skin does not have enough elasticity to shrink back up beneath your jaw, you may need to look into additional treatments to address this.
Excess Loose Skin
If excess submental fat is only part of your problem, you may require more comprehensive treatments or surgical procedures to meet your desired aesthetic goals. The time-tested way to address the issue of excess loose skin in the face and jaw is a facelift.
Facelift
A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is an elective procedure designed to create a younger appearance in your face. It can reduce the sagging or folding of skin on the cheeks and jawline as well as other issues that arise due to the effects of aging on your skin.
A facelift works to rejuvenate your appearance by pulling back a flap of skin on each side of your face and then surgically altering the tissues below the skin to return a more youthful contour and shape. Excess skin is removed, which tightens the remaining skin on your face and eliminates jowls and/or a “turkey neck.”
Are Kybella Results Permanent?
The treatment is designed to destroy the fat cells beneath your chin, not to shrink them or temporarily remove them. Once the fat cells are destroyed, they do not come back, and your double chin should be gone for good. It may take more than one session to effectively treat all the submental fat you’re trying to remove, so don’t get discouraged if your first session doesn’t completely eliminate your double chin.
If you gain a significant amount of weight after treatment, it’s possible that the remaining fat cells beneath your chin will swell again. However, since there are fewer fat cells in the area after treatment, the area under your chin will not get as large as it was before, and if a double chin does form, it will be easier to get rid of via diet and exercise.
Achieve the Look You Want
If the accumulation of submental fat has resulted in a double chin, you’re not alone. Millions of people experience the same thing. A double chin forms when excess exercise and diet-resistant subcutaneous fat accumulates beneath your chin, and it can be successfully eradicated through treatment with Kybella. If you think the treatment is right for you, look for kybella near me, call us at Radiant Divine Medical Spa in Avon, OH today.