Kybella Double Chin Reduction

Kybella (deoxycholic acid) injections to permanently dissolve submental fat and reduce a double chin without surgery. From $600 per session; two to four sessions recommended. Each session takes fifteen to twenty minutes. Mild swelling and tenderness resolve over one to two weeks. Effective results are associated with lasting years as destroyed fat cells do not return.

Kybella is the only FDA-approved injectable treatment for submental fullness — commonly referred to as a double chin — and is available at Fulcrum Aesthetics in Chicago as a non-surgical alternative to liposuction of the neck. The active ingredient is synthetic deoxycholic acid, a bile acid that naturally occurs in the body to aid fat digestion. When injected into submental adipose tissue, deoxycholic acid disrupts the membrane integrity of fat cell membranes, causing cytolysis (cell destruction) of the targeted adipocytes. The body then clears the cellular debris via the lymphatic system over several weeks, resulting in a progressive and measurable reduction in submental fat volume. Because deoxycholic acid permanently destroys the fat cells at the injection sites, results are long-lasting — the treated fat cells do not regenerate, and further fat accumulation in that zone requires significant overall weight gain. Each session involves a grid of small injections spaced across the submental zone, completed in fifteen to twenty minutes. Two to four sessions are typically recommended to achieve the desired contouring, each spaced four to six weeks apart to allow the inflammatory resolution from the previous session to complete before the next. Post-treatment findings include swelling, numbness, and mild tenderness under the chin that typically resolve over one to two weeks. Downtime is manageable for most patients. Kybella is appropriate for patients with mild to moderate submental fat who wish to avoid surgery and general anaesthesia. For patients with more substantial submental fullness or significant skin laxity, liposuction or neck lift surgery — both offered by Dr. Hill at Fulcrum — may produce a more dramatic result.