Why is Kybella not working on me? Have had 3 rounds of injections over 6 months.

Thank you for your question. It is difficult to comment without more history and an examination. Appropriate candidates for Kybella injections should certainly see improvement after 3 treatments. Kybella is indicated for treatment of excess subcutaneous fat in the central neck. Reasons for failure of treatment could be that the undesirable neck contour is not the result of subcutaneous fat accumulation but rather some other cause. Sometimes a double chin is caused by excess fat in a deeper tissue plane in the neck underneath the platysma muscle. Kybella should be injected superficial to the platysma and it is not safe to target this deeper fat compartment with these injections. An obtuse chin-neck angle may also result from excessive loose skin. Kybella works by dissolving fat and does not substantially tighten or reduce skin excess. It would be best for you to be under the care of a board certified surgeon who is an experienced injector and an expert in head and neck anatomy, aesthetics and the full spectrum of surgical and nonsurgical treatment options.

kybella dissolves fat in the area injected. It is pretty effective in reducing the fat burden of the area injected. Perhaps there is not as much fat in the area as thought. The fat could also be deep to the muscle; an area not affected by the medicine. Perhaps the injection is not reaching the target area (e.g. The needle isn't going deep enough). I would also recommend looking at your pictures before and after to make sure you haven't become used to your new look and have forgotten what it looked like before injection. 

It is unfortunate that Kybella was injected 3 times prior to the realization that it wasn't working. Typically, the injector is not a surgeon and will not have the experience to determine if a neck lift would be the better choice. Kybella does work, though the number of patients that a excellent candidates are a minority. Most necks would benefit from at least 2 out of 3 issues corrected: skin, fat and muscle. Consider a neck lift consultation when after about 6 weeks from your last injection.

Kybella is a great option for non-invasive fat reduction under the neck; however, effectiveness depends on a lot of factors including the amount of fat, the position of the fat, the amount of product injected and the skin quality of the area treated.  In general, kybella works best in patients with a small amount of fat localized under the chin.  For larger amounts of fat, more treatments and more volume of Kybella need to be used often making it costly.  In the studies most patients had 4-6 treatments.  Return to your physician and have an open conversation about your results and expectations; it may be that you need more treatments or a different approach.  Best of luck.

Thank you for your question.  I am sorry that you are having this experience with Kybella.  It is difficult to say why Kybella hasn't given you the results you desire without pre- and post-injection photos.  Also, Kybella works by dissoving fat, which lies right below the skin. If you only have loose skin and muscle under the chin without fat, Kybella will not work as well as you would like.  Be sure to discuss your concerns with your injector, as well.  I hope that this helps!-David Gilpin

This is difficult to answer without a picture. The amount of Kybella needed varies per person. Kybella works best in combination with other skin tightening treatments. Non invasive options like  Vaser/ThermiRF in combination with thermage/ultherapy are great also to tighten the skin under the chin. See an expert for a formal evaluation. Best, Dr. Emer

Be sure you are seeing an experienced injector for this procedure.  Usung Kybella requires vast knowledge of the head and neck anatomy and the underlying structures.  Without pictures it is difficult to determine what is going on. Many patients seek out Kybella, when their problem is not fat, it is skin laxity that needs tightening.  I would expect to see results after 3 treatments. Best of luck. 

Kybella is an FDA approved injectable that melts the fat in the chin area.  It is reported to “improve the appearance of moderate to severe convexity or fullness associated with submental fat in adults”, also known as the double chin. The active ingredient in Kybella is a deoxycholic acid, a naturally occurring molecule in the body that helps in the breakdown of dietary fat. This is injected into the double chin area and helps to contour the area. Kybella is unique in that once the patient has had the recommended amount of treatments, retreatment is not necessary. This is because once the fat cell is destroyed, it can no longer accumulate fat in that area. Most patients see noticeable results within 2-3 treatments. There may be slight bruising in the area after the injection. Treatments only take fifteen minutes and are done in the comfort of our office. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Thank you for your question anan20000. I am sorry to hear about your
situation. Kybella is the first and thus-far only FDA-approved non-surgical
injectable treatment for the double chin. It is difficult to make an assessment without photographs. It may take up to 6 treatment sessions for full results. I treat patients every 3 months. I find that waiting longer allows the skin to heal and better results are seen. Please consult with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!

Dear anon2000:Kybella (Belkyra in Canada) works well and effectively to reduce sub-mental fat or fullness in the right candidate.  My recommendation is to follow up with a plastic surgeon to discuss alternative neck treatment options with you.  All the best.