Do you believe you could improve upon the shape of your face? Do you wish you could eliminate submental fullness? If so, Kybella may be just what you need. At Keller Plastic Surgery in Santa Barbara, CA, we offer this FDA-approved injectable to dissolve unwanted chin and neck fat and improve your profile quickly. Today, we’re looking at how many sessions you will need and much more.
How Many Sessions of Kybella Do You Need?
We can advise you on how many treatment sessions you will need after you come in for an initial evaluation. Most people need between three and six sessions scheduled between six and eight weeks apart. However, most people begin to enjoy a significant improvement in just one to three weeks. You can expect to see the final results of your treatment two months after your last session.
What Is Kybella?
Kybella is an injectable prescription designed to dissolve unwanted fat painlessly with deoxycholic acid. It was originally designed to treat submental fullness, also known as a double chin. It quickly became popular because you can’t spot-reduce fat with diet and exercise and chin and neck fat can result in low self-esteem. When this injectable is administered, deoxycholic acid destroys adipose tissue in the local area. Once destroyed, the adipose tissue is gone forever.
The results of this treatment are considered permanent because adults can’t produce new fat cells. This fat removal treatment is ideal for people with even the most hectic schedule. A typical session can be completed in fewer than 30 minutes. Due to a topical numbing cream, this fat removal method is pain-free. Additionally, no downtime is required.
What Issues Can Be Resolved?
This injectable is FDA-approved to remove unwanted fat from the area beneath the chin. It is used to treat the symptoms of a double chin caused by aging, particular medical conditions, genetics, or significant weight gain. The fat beneath your chin is infamously hard to correct without an invasive fat removal procedure, but deoxycholic acid is a great alternative due to its convenience and non-invasive nature.
Note, this treatment may only be used to eliminate subcutaneous fat cells. It will not address skin laxity. If you have lax chin and neck skin, we will advise you on an effective skin tightening treatment during your initial consultation.
How Long Will the Results of Treatment Last?
As noted above, the results of this treatment are considered permanent. However, it is important to maintain your weight after treatment because some fat cells will remain in the treated area. If you overeat in the future, it is possible for the remaining submental fat cells to expand with fat.
How Does Liposuction Compare to This Treatment?
Liposuction was the first fat removal method to be approved by the FDA. For decades, it was the only option, but a lot of research has been conducted on fat removal techniques since its advent. Today, we have deoxycholic acid injections to remove unwanted fat without any of the downsides of liposuction. Although liposuction for the removal of submental fat was often successful, recovering from the procedure took weeks if not months.
With Kybella, there is no need for sedation, and no time off from work is required. Additionally, it took many months to see the results of liposuction due to extensive swelling. With deoxycholic acid injections, your results will continuously improve over the course of six to eight weeks but nobody will be able to tell you’ve had professional help. There are no scars or other visible marks following this treatment.
Will This Injectable Alter the Shape of My Face?
People often wonder about the degree of their potential treatment effects. One of the most common questions we get about this injectable is will it change the shape of my face. This injectable can enhance your facial structure and natural beauty. Gradually, the development of fat pockets and skin laxity alters the shape of your face.
Deoxycholic acid injections will help you look younger and healthier by destroying extra submental fat. The contours of your chin, jawline, and neck will improve. However, the overall shape of your neck, chin, and face won’t change too much. You will look like a younger, slimmer, more vivacious version of yourself and feel more confident in the natural beauty of your facial structure.
Is This Treatment Right for Me?
This treatment may be right for you if you are an adult who is concerned about the appearance of submental fat. Before we can determine if this treatment is the best fit for you, we need to verify you are healthy and do not have any allergies or medical conditions that may affect the injection session.
Ideally, you should be no more than 20 pounds from your ideal weight. If you’re concerned about skin laxity in the submental area but you are not worried about excess fat, a different cosmetic treatment will be better for you. Furthermore, be advised pregnancy can affect your results as pregnancy often results in rapid weight gain. You may need to come in for a touch-up appointment if you gain weight quickly in the future due to pregnancy or other factors.
What Can I Anticipate?
Your Consultation
The first step in this process is to have an initial consultation to determine this treatment is right for you. At this time, we will discuss your health history and aesthetic goals and assess your submental region to ensure a good fit. If we deem this treatment to be appropriate for you, we will advise you on how to prepare for your injections.
We will also let you know how many sessions you should expect to need to get your desired contours. Furthermore, we will photograph the profile of your face so you can see the final results of your treatment more clearly. People often take months to see the changes to their contours without comparing before-and-after photos because the changes are imperceptibly gradual.
Preparation
The second step in achieving the contours of your dreams is preparing for the injection session. You must take steps to prevent the occurrence of irritation or infection in the submental area. In other words, you should not schedule any potentially irritating cosmetic treatments, like laser skin resurfacing or chemical peels in the two weeks leading up to your fat removal treatment. Additionally, you should not use any untested cosmetics to eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction.
Furthermore, you should refrain from taking any blood-thinning pharmaceuticals, herbs, or supplements. Finally, you should not consume alcohol within 24 hours of your scheduled session and shave the morning of your appointment.
Your Treatment
It is advisable to wash your face and neck with a cleanser that won’t irritate your skin before you come in for your appointment. You should not apply cosmetics below your jawline. When you arrive for your appointment, we will ensure there is no skin irritation in the submental area.
After that, we will cleanse the skin and apply a topical numbing cream. Once your skin is numb, we will administer the deoxycholic acid beneath your skin. Between the fine syringe used to administer the acid and the topical anesthetic, you won’t feel any pain during your treatment process. However, you may feel a little tingling as your fat cells are broken down. When your injections are complete, we will clean the injection sites and give you post-treatment care instructions.
Recovery
Remember, there is no downtime required after this treatment, so you can return to work as soon as we finish reviewing your post-treatment care steps with you. Nonetheless, we recommend you book your injection session at least three to five days prior to any significant social event. It is very important to stay well-hydrated as the acid works to break down your fat cells.
You will start to notice your initial results approximately two to four weeks after your first session. However, we would like to remind you that it may take between six and eight weeks after your final session to see your ideal results. You can enjoy the final results of your treatment sooner if you take steps to support an efficient lymphatic system.
What Can I Do To Support the Efficiency of My Lymphatic System?
There are many steps you can take to support the efficiency of your lymphatic system and enjoy the final results of your treatment sooner. For example, one of the simplest, most effective ways to boost the speed of your lymphatic system is to drink more water. Most Americans suffer from chronic dehydration, so there is a good chance you suffer from some degree of dehydration. Increase your intake of hydrating fluids until your urine is clear or extremely pale.
There are many ways adequate hydration supports an efficient lymphatic system. For instance, when your body is hydrated, circulation is more efficient. Your circulatory system helps your lymphatic system sweep up the destroyed fat cells so you can see your final results sooner. Adequate hydration is also essential when your lymphatic system processes and flushes out the destroyed adipose tissue. Walking is another great way to support your circulatory and lymphatic systems with minimal effort.
Why Do People Seek This Injectable?
People may seek this non-invasive fat removal treatment for one of many reasons. According to a 2014 survey published by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, 68% of Americans are just as disconcerted by submental fullness as facial lines and wrinkles. Submental fullness is such a widespread problem because 69% of adult Americans are overweight or obese and this problem doesn’t just affect the overweight. Remember, it can also be caused by medical conditions, genes, and old age.
Regardless of why people are worried about the appearance of submental fullness, deoxycholic acid injections are an ideal fat removal method because injections can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes and the entire treatment process rarely takes over 30 minutes. Besides its convenience, people think fat removal injections are a great option because treatment is painless. Other non-invasive fat removal methods can be uncomfortable and cause side effects.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Now
Don’t let submental fullness affect your self-esteem. Live life to the fullest confidently with deoxycholic acid treatments. In just a few quick treatment sessions, you can say goodbye to unwanted chin and neck fat for good. To get started, contact us today at Keller Plastic Surgery in Santa Barbara, CA to schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to helping you reclaim your desired contours.
