Kybella in Portland

We all experience the changes that accompany maturity. Some of these changes are wonderful, like the fact that as I get older I care less what others think of me. And some of these changes are not so wonderful, like as I get older, the more jowling around my lower face I notice. I suppose we can choose to love this part of maturing also, however this does not seem to be the case. Jowling is probably the most common complaint I receive from clients and often the impetus for sitting in my chair.

There are a variety of treatments that address the jowling concern. We can use filler to lift, volumize, and soften shadows; botox to tighten around the jawline, and kybella to dissolve fat cells. Kybella is pretty cool because it offers permanent results, but historically it can be a difficult treatment to endure because of the sensitivity and downtime. The good news is recently I have learned a new technique to provide more ease and comfort in this service. 

Earlier this year, when I attended the Head and Breakfast weekend training, I was introduced to a new technique for applying Kybella. Instead of introducing the kybella into the tissue with needles, which can take 40 injection pokes, we instead use a cannula which reduces 40 pokes to 4 pokes!  This leads to a treatment experience that is more comfortable and efficient. Using the cannula method also leads to a downtime with less needle trauma to process, and an overall potential reduction to the inflammation during healing.

Kybella is a prescription medication that is FDA-approved to treat severe submental fullness, AKA double chin. The active ingredient of kybella is synthetic deoxycholic acid which is a naturally occurring molecule that aids in the absorption and breakdown of dietary fat. When injected into areas of fat, kybella destroys the fat cells and can give a noticeable reduction in fullness. Once destroyed, these cells can no longer store or accumulate fat so further treatment is not expected once we reach your aesthetic goal.

You are a candidate for treatment if you have pinchable fat under the chin and/or at the jowl without notable skin laxity. When laxity is present and we remove the fat, we can expect to be left with loose skin which is not the look we’re going for!  

As an acid, the introduction of kybella into the tissue can have a lot of sensation. To offset this experience, we numb the area with topical lidocaine, use ice, and add lidocaine into the solution. I notice that people experience the burn at first, but this subsides by the time the treatment is complete. Appointment time is about an hour with injections lasting about 15 minutes of this hour.

When treating the jowls and under chin area, expect about 4-6 vials with subsequent treatments typically trending downwards. The number of treatments is dependent on the individual and your goals with studies using up to 6 treatments. Treating the jowls alone typically takes 1 treatment with 2 vials. Downtime is notable with Kybella and swelling can last about 2 weeks with results taking about 12 weeks to notice.

If you’re curious about whether or not Kybella would work for you, book a free consultation, come on in, and we can discuss.

Thanks for reading,
Heather