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Dr. Smita R. Ramanadham is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon offering exceptional aesthetic results to her patients throughout the New Jersey and Tri-state areas. With attention to detail and a dedication to her patients, she works to understand their specific goals before formulating a personalized plan for optimal outcomes. Haute Beauty chats with Dr. Ramanadham about Kybella and all of its benefits.

HB:  What is Kybella?

 Kybella is a great non-surgical option for those stubborn double-chins that we can’t get rid of no matter how much we diet and exercise.  It’s the first FDA-approved injectable treatment for submental fat (that area right under the chin). Generally, people need 2 or more treatments spaced every 4-6 weeks for full effect. 

HB: How does Kybella work? 

Kybella is a medication that is injected directly into the area of excess fat.  Injections are performed in a grid-like pattern spaced out every 1 cm.  The medication, deoxycholic acid, then dissolves the fat over the following days to weeks and your body then absorbs it, eventually leaving you with improved contour and a more defined neck and chin. 

Photo Credit: www.instagram.com/thedrsmita/HB: Who is the best candidate for Kybella?

The best candidates are patients that have mild to moderate excess fat in the area, good skin quality without excess or loose skin, and no vertical banding typically due to the underlying platysma muscle.  They should also have realistic expectations that this will not give them a surgical correction with the same amount of skin retraction as we would typically see with liposuction. 

HB: How does this treatment compare to others of the same nature? 

Other modalities to treat a double chin include from most invasive to least include a necklift, liposuction of the neck with or without additional skin tightening such as FaceTite or Renuvion, or the use of external ultrasound (Ulthera), radiofrequency, or cooling (coolsculpt) technology.  A necklift will provide long last results and addresses all components of a double-chin including excess fat, loose skin, and vertical platysmal bands.  Liposuction options will remove the fat in one procedure and will also result in better skin tightening, the degree of which would be dependent on the specific technology used or if additional modalities are included. Ulthera or other external treatments show mild to moderate improvements in the right patient. 

HB: What does recovery look like? 

In general, patients will notice immediate swelling after injection.  This will last 2-3 days and will gradually subside. Patients may notice some numbness to the area and bruising.  I usually recommend patients wear a scarf or turtleneck during that time period.  Over the following 4-6 weeks, patients will notice improvement to the area.  Expect a minimum of 2 sessions in someone that has very mild excess fat but, more often than not, a minimum of 3 treatments or more should be expected.