Double is a word that usually connotes good things: double your fun, double your money back, double down at the tables, even a double with the Bees on the diamond (hopefully we can get back to at least those games this spring!).
Double chins. Not so good.
The depressing reality is that most of us have at least some extra stuff going on beneath our jawbone. If you want a better sounding term, use submental fullness. That’s the clinical term for “double chin.”
Considering how prevalent they are, it’s kind of interesting that the aesthetic industry has paid so little attention to this area of the body. A person really had to have a facelift or a neck lift to do much about their double chin.
That changed with Kybella®, a prescription medicine available from Dr. Saltz. Kybella® is the prescription brand name for an injection formulated with deoxycholic acid that dramatically improves the appearance and profile of moderate to severe fat below the chin, the proverbial double chin.
Most people have a double chin
If you feel like you have some extra fat under your chin, you’re in good company. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery conducted a survey in 2015 and found that 67% of people said they’re bothered by a double chin. That’s two thirds of the country. Plus, people in the survey were as bugged by their double chin as they were about wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Aging and sagging skin go together like conspiracy theorists and the Internet. There are a variety of factors that play a part: the pull of gravity, simple intrinsic aging (where decreasing production of collagen means the skin has less underlying support), genetics (some people simply have looser skin below the jawline), and weight gain. All of these factors cause our skin to droop. And because the skin under the chin has no underlying bone or muscle beneath it, it’s even more obvious when it becomes lax and hangs downward. Fat accumulation is usually the main culprit behind this skin sagging downward.
Kybella® to the rescue
Obviously tired of two thirds of the country walking around with double chins, in April 2015 the FDA approved Kybella®, the only injectable treatment to improve the appearance and profile of a double chin.
Kybella® is basically just deoxycholic acid. Deoxycholic acid is a naturally occurring molecule in the body whose job is to aid in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat. When injected into the fat beneath the chin, Kybella® (and its deoxycholic acid) destroys the fat cells. After those cells are gone, there is no longer a storage mechanism to accumulate fat in the area. So, your double chin is gone for good, as long as you don’t gain a bunch of weight.
Multiple treatments yield the best results
At Spa Vitoria, our Kybella® treatments are customized for every patient. Some patients see the results they want after two to four treatments; others require six (six is the maximum allowed by the FDA). The number of treatments will depend on the amount of fat stored under your chin, along with your desired final profile. Each treatment is spaced four weeks apart.
After your Kybella® injections, it’s likely you will have some swelling. This usually lasts a few days and is in proportion to the amount of fat you have under your chin.
Leave the doubles to the Bees and get rid of your double chin with Spa Vitoria and Kybella. Call us at our Salt Lake office, (801) 274-9500, or our Park City office, (435) 655-6612, and ask about it.
