Aqualyx, which is not approved in the U.S. is essentially little different from Kybella, which is FDA approved. Both are injectable fat dissolvers. The advantage of injectable fat dissolvers like these is that they may be used for shrinking localized fat deposits, such as submental fat ("double chin"), are simply injections and require no aggressive surgery or liposuction. The downside is that a series of injection sessions are typically required to achieve optimal results and significant swelling typically results from treatment and may last a couple of weeks following each injection session, a side effect that puts many potential candidates off. Long before Kybella came on the scene, many physicians, myself included, were already injecting pharmacy compounded versions of desoxycholate (the active ingredient in Kybella). While the desoxycholate worked to shrink the fat, many patients found the swelling that followed each treatment session to be totally unacceptable. It was then that I switched to injecting hyaluronidase, while performing manual cannula subcision to physically break up the fat and promote new, native collagen synthesis and fibrosis to tighten the under chin region. Although this, too, requires a series of treatments to achieve optimal results, there is typically little significant swelling following each procedure. Be sure to consult with a board certified aesthetic physician. Best of luck.
