What would happen if Kybella got injected into a muscle?

Kybella is meant to break down fat cells in the chin. If it was injected into a muscle, it would likely result in inflammation and possibly even nerve damage. Be sure to consult with your doctor to confirm that Kybella is the right treatment for you before you move forward!

Hi! Kybella or deoxycholic acid and is an enzyme that naturally occurs in our gut to break down fat. There needs to be fat for this to really work. As the fat is being broken down, inflammation occurs and this is important for skin tightening and best results. That’s why we tell you not to take anti inflammatory medications like Motrin after the procedure. Your lymphatic system will eventually get rid of the broken down fat in this “surgery in a syringe” procedure. I think if it is injected into muscle it would just create inflammation. Again it is designed to break down fat so putting it in a fat environment would yield better results. All my best!

In short, Kybella should not be administered intramuscularly and doing so would likely result in significant pain and inflammation at a minimum. If injected at the level of the muscle, especially in the face, there a substantial risk of nerve damage including long term numbness and facial paralysis. It is only approved for injection in the chin and use in any other parts of the body is "off label". Overall the results are less predictable and often underwhelming compared to other methods of fat removal.

Injections into any tissue will cause severe inflammation and tissue damage.

This product is only FDA approved for fat removal in the chin. Personally I believe it’s an inferior product by every measure compared to liposuction.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD