Dr. Michele S. Green is a board-certified dermatologist. Upper East Side patients and those from the surrounding areas of New York City flock to her practice for a variety of cosmetic dermatology treatments. Haute Beauty Chats with Dr. Green about Kybella, the fat melting injectable

HB: What is Kybella?

Kybella is composed of Deoxycholic acid which is a naturally occurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat.  When injected into the fat under the chin, Kybella melts the fat cells reducing the fat under the chin and producing a more youthful appearance.

HB: How Does Kybella Work?

Kybella uses deoxycholic acid to dissolve the fat cells under the chin and over the course of several weeks the body expels these fat cells.

HB: Who is a good candidate?

The best candidates for Kybella are those individuals with submental fat who are are bothered by the fat under their neck. The best candidates are those with a moderate or small degree of fat and with moderate skin laxity. Typically a patient would have three treatments of Kybella to reduce this submental fat.  If there is a great deal of fat, I prefer to treat those patients first with the Cool mini applicator of Coolsculpting.  The Coolmini reduces the “bulk” fat under the chin through freezing the fat away.  After a few months these patients would return to treat the remaining fat areas with Kybella.

HB: Why do you prefer Kybella when compared to the other existing methods?

I use a combination of treatments to treat the neck area. Coolmini works best for larger areas of fat in this area. Kybella is fantastic for permanently reducing the submental fat without surgery.  Kybella also tightens the skin as well at the same time and has that added bonus.  Most of my patients do not want surgery and this is a great non-surgical way to treat this unwanted fat.  I also combine Kybella with Thermage FLX for added skin tightening and a younger looking neck.

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HB: What does recovery look like?

The main side effect of Kybella is localized bruising or swelling which lasts for a few days after the procedure. Kybella is amazing in that it permanently reduces the fat under the neck and once corrected, does not have to be repeated. To get the best cosmetic results, an expert in Kybella should be consulted.