Once Kybella is performed, what happens to the loose skin once the fat is absorbed

In our practice, we assess the tissue in the submentum, or what most people call the chin area, prior to treatment. We usually have a pretty good idea if someone will need to have a few Kybella treatments and if the patient will want some type of skin tightening procedure afterwards. Some skin tightening devices that can be done later are ultherapy, ThermiTight or ThermiSmooth. But it is best to wait a few months to see what happens and if further treatments are desired.

The answer to your question depends on how much loose skin you have. Kybella’s deoxycholic injections melt the fat under your chin so that your body gradually eliminates it over weeks to months. That usually gives your skin enough time to adjust to the loss of volume and tighten. However, how much tightening you get depends on the quality of your skin to begin with. If your skin was sagging and inelastic, you may indeed be left with loose skin, no matter what fat-removal technique you choose. Consulting a board-certified dermatologist will help you decide whether you’d also benefit from ThermiTight or Ultherapy in addition to your Kybella. 

Thank you for your question. The active ingredient in Kybella is a naturally-occurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown of fat. When injected into subcutaneous fat, this molecule destroys fat cells. The fat is melted away and there is no sagging skin left behind. 

Kybella is an FDA approved medicine that when injected into fat will cause the permanent destruction of the fat cell. in the FDA study some tightening of the skin was seen. It is ideal for the younger patient with no loose skin. Older patients generally require more treatments and may benefit from other skin tightening procedures such as thermi Rf, CO2 lasering or chemical peeling.

Kybella is a great option to spot reduce small pockets of fat like the area under the chin.   Because Kybella works by causing the fat cells to be dissolved over time, the body creates collagen which leads to tissue tightening.  This tightening takes place over time as the fat is going away leading to no loose skin.

If you're a good candidate, the skin should retract after Kybella. Kybella takes 1-3 treatments every 6 weeks.  Patient will develop swelling and possible bruising after each injection that may last a few days.  The benefit of Kybella is each treatment is quick and completed in the office. However, some patients need more than one treatment to get desired results. 

This will depend on skin laxity, but the skin should retract in those who are candidates.  Keep in mind, a combination approach is needed to get the most improvement with non-invasive options like Kybella. I recommend Kybella with thermage, ultherapy, exilis. VASER liposuction in combination with ThermiRF is a great alternative for contouring the chin, if you're a candidate. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer

Dear BPARKER10,Kybella typically takes 3 to 5 treatments to work. This is why I've stopped carrying Kybella in my office.  I recommend neck liposuction more often then any injectable procedure for the neck now. It provides superior results gives me more control over the area than any injectable.  It also costs about the same as what you paid for your first kybella session. The liposuction can be done under local while awake in the office and recovery is about the same as kybella.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Kybella has mild skin-tightening effects that are usually sufficient to take care of the skin that loses its supporting fat after Kybella injections. If you have a great deal of laxity, however, you may need PicoWay Resolve laser, microneedling, RF treatments and  to minimize sagging. These not only tighten your skin, they make it thicker, healthier, and more resilient. A board-certified dermatologist will let you know if Kybella alone is sufficient to tighten your submental skin, or if you’d benefit more from combination therapy. 

Depending on how much fat is dissolved with Kybella, there may or may not be sagging skin.  If there is sagging skin, this can be tightening using non-invasive treatments.  The best recommendation is to have an in-person consultation with a board certified specialist who can assist you with achieving the results you seek.  3-dimensional computer imaging can help you visualize what you may look like afterwards and serve as an important communication tool with your surgeon.