If you’re frustrated by the appearance of stubborn fat in your neck and face, you’re far from alone. Millions of Americans have a double chin they would love to get rid of. Sometimes though, no matter how many times you head to the gym or how many calories you count, that fat just won’t go away. Luckily, there’s a treatment that can melt a double chin away in mere weeks, and it’s one we offer at Priority You MD in Clearwater, FL. The FDA-approved Kybella treatment has the power to make a double chin disappear for good.
Kybella is an FDA-approved, minimally invasive, injectable cosmetic treatment approved for use along the jawline in the area where double chins, also called “submental fat” or “submental fullness,” form. In order to understand how and why it works, we must first examine how body fat works and what often makes it so tough to get rid of.
Fat in the human body is stored in fat cells. It’s easy to think that when we lose weight, we’re losing fat cells, and when we gain weight, we’re gaining fat cells. That, however, is not the case. In fact, the number of fat cells in the body remains more or less constant after we age out of adolescence. Once that number is set, it’s actually very hard to get rid of fat cells themselves.
Instead, when we lose weight, our body is drawing on the nutrient stores within our fat cells, causing them to shrink. When we gain weight, our body is storing more nutrients in the form of fat in those cells, and they expand. The fact is that no matter how much we might work out, our fat cells still stick around. This is what makes some areas of the body so difficult to tone and tighten. Those fat cells aren’t going anywhere, so there’s only so much we can do. Unless, of course, we could find a way to kill those cells outright. That’s where Kybella comes in.
A treatment that melts away a double chin might sound too good to be true. That’s usually the case when we hear about an easy, quick fix for fat. Here though, the hype is real. Kybella works because it harnesses the body’s natural chemistry and aims it squarely at fat cells. This treatment comes in the form of an injection of a synthetic form of deoxycholic acid, which is a naturally occurring compound in the body. When injected into a fatty deposit, though, it has a unique effect.
Deoxycholic acid, when injected, destabilizes and destroys fat cells. That’s right: those notoriously tough fat cells are killed by this treatment. The human body then processes them, flushing them out and leaving a slimmer profile and firmer chin behind. For now, this treatment is only available for submental fullness, but research is being done into using it to shape and contour other areas of the body, as well.
The Kybella treatment consists of several injections over the course of anywhere from twenty minutes to one hour, depending on both the patient and the size of the submental fullness being treated. A treatment usually consists of between twenty to thirty injections, although that number can go as high as fifty, Each injection is administered via a very thin needle. Prior to the injections, your practitioner will numb the area of treatment with an ice pack or other numbing agent, so the most you’ll feel during the treatment itself is a light pinching sensation.
There is no need to prepare for the treatment, and there is no recovery downtime afterward. In fact, you could even come to our Clearwater offices over your lunch break, receive a treatment, and head back to the office with no one the wiser. That’s a far cry from more invasive traditional procedures like liposuction or plastic surgery which usually require days of recovery downtime.
Most patients experience some light swelling in the treated area, but that’s perfectly normal and even healthy. This inflammation is your body’s reaction to the deoxycholic acid, and it’s what triggers the body to start removing those fat cells.
This treatment is not an instant cure for a double chin. It will take some time for your results to fully manifest. Most people who undergo this treatment start to see lessened submental fullness after four to six weeks, although your results can continue to improve well beyond that. Many people who undergo this treatment will continue to see improvements in the treated area up to six months after their last treatment.
This is because it takes the body time to break down and process the dead and damaged fat cells. As those cells gradually disappear, the skin around them has time to reshape and mold around the new contours of your jawline, resulting in firmer skin and a slimmer overall profile. In other words, if you’re worried about saggy skin being left behind as the fat disappears, don’t be. Your body will take care of that concern for you.
The number of treatments each patient requires depends on the size of their submental fullness and their desired results. Most people require two to three treatments. Treatments must be spaced at least one month apart, and the maximum number of treatments a person can undergo is six.
If you just want to cut down on submental fullness a bit, a single treatment or two will suffice. If you want to melt away an entire double chin, more might be necessary. When you visit our office in Clearwater, FL, we will work with you to develop a personal treatment plan according to your needs.
This treatment destroys fat cells outright. With those cells permanently gone, there’s less space for the body to store fat. That means the results from a Kybella treatment are permanent or semi-permanent, with few exceptions. It is possible for the body to start manufacturing new fat cells in the event of extreme weight gain, for example.
The remaining fat cells in the area may also begin to store more fat, resulting in a return of at least some submental fullness. That’s why many people continue to return for maintenance treatments, usually once every few years rather than once a month. If you maintain good diet and exercise habits and intend to keep them, though, you can expect your results to last a lifetime.
This treatment can work wonders for many people who want to get rid of a stubborn double chin. The body generally tolerates deoxycholic acid very well because it is a naturally occurring compound in the body. That does not, however, mean that this treatment is for everybody. Here’s how can you know if you’re a good candidate or not:
It’s important to note that body contouring treatments like this, and even others like CoolSculpting or EmSculpt, are not weight loss procedures. They are purely cosmetic treatments meant to help people who are unhappy with a specific area of their body. People who are obese or otherwise want to lose weight for health reasons should speak to their physician to formulate a weight loss plan.
If, however, you are at or near your target weight, over the age of 21, and have a double chin you just can’t seem to get rid of, this treatment might be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Plenty of people have submental fullness. In fact, as we grow older, almost everyone will develop submental fullness in some form. There’s nothing wrong with it at all, but if yours is making you self-conscious, or if you feel that it makes you appear heavier or older than you truly are, you would likely benefit from a round of Kybella treatments.
Liposuction has its uses, but invasive surgery and the downtime that comes with it are not an option for everyone. For those people, a quick, downtime-free, minimally-invasive treatment like this might be a great option. In order for this treatment to work its magic, your submental fullness must be big enough to justify the injections and small enough that a maximum of six treatments will give you the results you want. Come visit us at Priority You MD for a consultation to discuss further.
There are some individuals for whom a treatment like this will not be the best option. You may want to look into alternative treatments if any of these sound like you:
People with respiratory issues or swallowing problems may find those troubles exacerbated by this treatment. If you have any issues of this kind, it’s always best to speak with your personal physician about them prior to visiting us for a consultation.
There are plenty of reasons not to undergo a treatment like this while pregnant, including the fact that pregnant women’s bodies undergo a lot of change over nine months and elective procedures should be avoided while the body is focused on its pregnancy.
If you are thinking of becoming pregnant within the next six months, the same concerns will pop up. When you start this treatment, you may be committing to six full treatments over the course of a half a year, so if you hope to become pregnant during that time, you may find that it’s best to wait to have your treatment.
Plenty of people have a phobia of needles and injections. If you’re one of them, this treatment may not be for you. Although the treatment is perfectly comfortable and you will not feel anything, your phobia may still make you feel uncomfortable.
If you are looking for a solution to a stubborn double chin that doesn’t involve highly invasive procedures like liposuction or plastic surgery, Kybella is the fix you’ve been waiting for. There is no cutting, no tissue is removed, and there is no need for lengthy recovery downtime. Best of all, it is a safe, reliable treatment that has been proven to melt away the fat that forms a double chin faster than diet and exercise could ever accomplish.
If you’re ready to get rid of your double chin once and for all, contact Priority You MD in Clearwater, FL to schedule your consultation today.
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