Do I need to be clean shaven before Kybella injection?

Question

Hello! Tomorrow I'm going in for my second round of Kybella injections. Is it okay to have some beard stubble or do I need to shave it off completely? Just curious since beard grown usually helps reduced the appearance of the swelling. Any information/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Kristin M. Baird, MD · Answer

Shaving is not necessary prior to Kybella treatments. Short stubble will not interfere with the Kybella treatment since the Kybella acts on the fatty layer which is below the skin and hair follicles. As long as the area can be marked appropriately by the physician the treatment should go well. The second treatment usually has much less swelling that the first so your downtime should be much improved. Best wishes.

Shanthala Shivananjappa, MD · Answer

Marking the area  before kybella injection is a critical step, it would be hard to mark with hair on the skin, it is very essential to keep the area sterile before injection. In my opinion it is helpful to shave the area.
Best
Dr. Shanthala

Sabrina Fabi, MD · Answer

If you have just a little beard stubble, it shouldn’t interfere with your Kybella injections. I prefer not to treat patients with beards, however, because the hair can displace the template we use to guide our injections. The hair can also interfere with the trajectory of the needle. Call your board-certified dermatologist to find out his or her preferences and then make your decision accordingly. If you are injected with the right amount of Kybella, your swelling should be minimal and only last a few days.

Aldo Guerra, MD · Answer

I prefer not to have the patient shave a full 3 days before the Kybella injection. Fresh shaven skin could lead to defects in the epithelial layer and potentially increase the risks of infection. You should speak to your injector about your concerns.Best wishes,

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I recommend following up with your practitioner about their recommendations about shaving before Kybella. It isn't necessary to shave beforehand. Keep in mind, Kybella is good for dissolving fat under the chin, but a combination approach is needed to get the most improvement with non-invasive options. I recommend Kybella with thermage, ultherapy, exilis. VASER liposuction in combination with ThermiRF is an alternative for contouring the chin, if you're a candidate. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer

John L. Burns Jr., MD · Answer

It does help to apply the "skin temporary tattoo" to ensure that the Kybella is perfectly distributed.  This won't work with hair bearing skin.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Tdk588,it would be the best to check it with your plastic surgeon. 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. The liposuction can be done under local while awake in the office and recovery is about the same as kybella.Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

John Mancoll, MD · Answer

It is no necessary to be clean shaven. The smoother your skin the easier it is to apply the guide marks, but it is not necessary. Good luck

Onir Spiegel, DDS, PhD · Answer

Shaving before Kybella injections is not necessary, but probably desirable.   As long as the area can be cleaned properly you'll be fine.   The key to it is keeping the area aseptic to avoid infections.   Before injecting anywhere the area needs to be wiped with an alcohol swab and if that can still be done you are good to go.   My video below goes into more details about the procedure.  I hope that's helpful.

Lisa Jenks, MD · Answer

You will need to ask your injector what their specific protocol is.  I will administer Kybella on necks that have not been shaven, but others might not feel confident doing that.  Make sure that you are being treated by an injector with lots of experience with Kybella because the injections need to be a certain distance apart from each other.  If you have not shaved, the injector cannot put the temporary grid on your skin which tells them where to inject.

Do I need to be clean shaven before Kybella injection?

Answers (13)

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