A sharp, slim jawline with a defined profile is one of the hallmarks of modern beauty, but it can be difficult to achieve this standard when you have stubborn fat beneath the chin that doesn’t want to go away no matter what you do. It’s often the case that dieting and exercise aren’t effective solutions for double chins, which means you may need to turn to a cosmetic solution. The experts at ALC Med Spa in Gurnee, IL understand the most useful non-surgical solution for double chins is Kybella, a revolutionary injectable treatment.
Who Is an Ideal Candidate for Kybella?
Adults over the age of 21 who are medically healthy and who are not allergic to the active ingredients in the formula of this treatment are generally ideal candidates. This treatment is ideal for those who have a moderate amount of unwanted fat beneath the chin, particularly those who have struggled to get rid of this fat with traditional means.
Additionally, candidates for this treatment are not currently pregnant or breastfeeding. The best candidates are those who would prefer to use a non-surgical treatment to reduce under-chin fat, especially if they are not qualified or interested in cosmetic surgeries such as liposuction. We will determine your candidacy for this treatment at your consultation, either in person or virtually.
Will This Treat Excess Skin on the Neck?
No. This treatment is not capable of tightening excess or loose skin on the neck. Sometimes loose skin on the neck is caused by a combination of natural aging and weight loss, and often the only way to tighten loose skin on the neck is to use other cosmetic treatments. Laser treatments, PDO threads, and microneedling are all good treatment options to reduce a sagging neck.
Can This Be Used on the Jowls?
Yes! In fact, Kybella is approved by the FDA for the elimination of moderate unwanted fat beneath the chin, on the chin, and on the lower cheeks, or the jowls. Many patients who seek this treatment to reduce double chin often use this treatment on other areas of the lower face to smooth and slim their overall appearance. If you would like to use this treatment on your jowls as well, please let us know during your consultation.
How Does This Treatment Work?
This is an injectable treatment, which means that it is performed by injecting a special formula directly into your areas of concern. For this particular treatment, each of your treatment appointments will typically consist of several small injections to your targeted areas. You can expect that you will require more injections or more treatment appointments if you have a pronounced amount of under-chin fat.
The Science of Deoxycholic Acid
The secret ingredient of this treatment is deoxycholic acid, which is a naturally-occurring bile acid found in the human body that is partly responsible for breaking down fat for metabolic purposes. However, although deoxycholic acid is already present in the body, that doesn’t mean it always breaks down the amount of fat you want – or in the areas where you want the fat to be eliminated.
By injecting deoxycholic acid directly into the body, you can essentially tell deoxycholic acid where it needs to be working the most, and over time, that will reduce the amount of fat beneath your chin. Because deoxycholic acid is naturally found in the human body, very few people are at risk of allergic reactions, and the treatment itself is considered safe.
How Quickly Can You See Results?
Because the breakdown of unwanted fat is a gradual process, it will take some time for you to see results. But don’t be discouraged – for most patients, it takes about 12 weeks to start seeing the desired results. This is one of the reasons why you may require multiple treatment appointments.
Many patients require between two and three appointments, which are spaced about four to eight weeks apart. Your aesthetician will tell you the ideal treatment frequency and the number of appointments you will need to achieve all of your aesthetic goals.
Are Results Permanent?
Generally, the results of this treatment are permanent. After your results are complete, you should expect to enjoy the results of your treatment for several years to come. This is because fat cells are gone for good after they are destroyed; unlike skin cells, fat cells have no way to regenerate or come back, which equals permanent results for you.
What Can Undo Results?
Of course, some people may find that the results of their treatment don’t last a lifetime. The simple reason is that this treatment doesn’t destroy all of the fat cells in any given area of treatment – only most of them. And where existing fat cells are, there is also the possibility of developing another double chin.
Yes, another one. Many patients incorrectly assume that less fat cells mean less amount of fat that can grow back, but the truth is that fat cells are capable of expanding to store more dietary fat to burn for fuel later on. And when your remaining fat cells begin expanding and storing more fat, you are opening the door for the development of another double chin.
How Can You Maintain Results?
Obviously, the easiest way to get your promised lifelong results is to manage your weight. If you lead a healthy lifestyle and make good lifestyle choices that limit the possibility that excess dietary fat will be stored in your remaining fat cells, then you should expect that your results will be permanent. Eating a balanced diet low in processed foods and sugar, as well as exercising regularly, will help you maintain a healthy weight and prevent a new double chin in the future.
A double chin is defined as the illusion that you have an extra chin beneath your jawline, which can prematurely age you and make you appear unhealthy. Double chins are a fact of our society – many people have them, particularly mature people. But a lot of young people have double chins, too, so what causes them? There are actually a few contributing factors to be aware of.
Your genes could be the reason you have a double chin. To put it simply, our genetics determine how many fat cells we are born with, where those fat cells are located, how those fat cells behave, and how much fat they tend to store. Genetic factors are largely out of our control, but it can be helpful to know if your genetics are making your weight loss journey more difficult.
You can easily determine if your genetics are a contributing factor to your double chin by looking at your immediate blood relatives, including aunts, uncles, and cousins. If your parents or your grandparents have a double chin, it’s likely that the genetic code for a double chin is written into your DNA, which makes you predetermined to have one yourself.
Weight gain is another causal factor for double chins. Significant weight gain over a long period of time and sudden weight gain are both common contributors to developing a double, or even triple, chin. While some of your weight gain can also be determined by your genetics, most weight gain is decided by lifestyle factors that you are able to control.
Pregnancy is a unique causal factor for double chins because not all pregnant women develop one – but plenty do over the course of their pregnancy and many women are dismayed to learn that those double chins are there to stay, even after childbirth. Pregnancy causes both weight gain and hormonal fluctuations that contribute to weight gain, so it’s important for pregnant women to stay moderately active for as long as they are able and to monitor their weight gain closely to avoid developing a double chin.
There are also medications that can contribute to forming a double chin. Some medications have side effects that cause weight gain, while others have side effects that make it more difficult to lose weight. If you suspect that one of your medications are contributing to your weight gain, it’s smart to speak with your doctor about alternative treatments or what you can do to stay at a healthy weight.
2. Can Double Chins Go Away by Themselves?
Yes and no. While some people who develop double chins as a result of weight gain will see those double chins go away in correlation to their weight loss journey, many other people are not as lucky. More often than not, people struggle to get rid of double chins through diet and exercise, so very rarely do double chins go away by themselves.
3. Why Do People Struggle to Get Rid of Double Chins?
A double chin is composed of a special type of body fat that is resistant to traditional forms of weight control. Dietary fat stored in adipose tissue is primarily used by your metabolic process to fuel your energy, and because dietary fat is necessary to maintain your health in case of emergency, your body is usually reluctant to get rid of its rainy day fund. This is another thing that will be determined by your specific genetic configuration.
4. Does a Double Chin Mean You Are Unhealthy?
No. In many ways, a double chin is an optical illusion. There are plenty of people who are physically healthy and fit who also have a double chin, so your overall health is not a determining factor for having one.
5. Can Kybella Be Used Anywhere Else on the Body?
New studies are suggesting that Kybella can be used elsewhere on the body. In addition to the neck, chin, and jowls, some research is being conducted into the safety and efficacy of using a fat-dissolving injectable treatment such as this one to reduce fat in other areas of the body. For example, some clinics are known to use this treatment off-label to eliminate small pockets of fat on the arms and abdomen.
However, it should be noted that using a fat-dissolving injectable elsewhere on the body is not a replacement for liposuction in the same way it is for using this treatment on the chin. This is because other areas of the body contain larger amounts of fat, which makes using an injectable treatment like this one an impractical treatment approach.