Can Kybella produce dramatic results that look identical to facial liposuction? (photos)

if a very dramatic result is needed as seen in these pictures the cost and time of kybella will be outweighed by liposuction.  Kybella is great for someone that has "some fat" and not looking to go through surgery.  But if more than 5-6 txt of kybella are required, then it may be best to consider liposuction.  Hope that helps!

Thank you for sharing your question.  The success of any procedure depends on appropriate patient selection and Kybella and liposuction are no different.  Kybella affords patients a minimally invasive method of reducing submental adipose tissue with little downtime.  This convenience does come with the potential need for multiple treatments to reach a desired result but also is less flexible than liposuction.  Liposuction does well in the neck with select patients and allows for removal of greater amounts of fat in a single setting.  Talk to your ASPS board certified plastic surgeon to discuss which option is best for you and your lifestyle. 

For relative small areas of fat under the chin Kybella can be a better choice than liposuction, but for larger cases such as in the pictures it would be unlikely. Each individual is different and so a specific answer to what is best for you requires an in-person consultation.

The short answer to the question is SOMETIMES.Kybella is excellent at removing fat, and people who have minimal to moderate fat centrally located in the submental area do as well with Kybella as they would with liposuction.  Choosing the right plastic surgeon who has both experience with facial liposuction and Kybella will give you the best possible results with either procedure.Kybella has less potential complications and is less operator sensitive, i.e. is easier for non-surgeons to get a reasonable result.  Obviously, since I am a surgeon, I believe plastic surgeons get the best result with either procedure.  BTW, the second group of pictures that you sent show a woman who had liposuction of the neck and a chin implant.  Therefore, your pictures don't compare apples to apples.  I have never tried Kybella with a chin implant, but I bet the results will be close to the ones you showed.

Kybella works but it is very tough to get a lipo like result with this product.  If you are looking for that, please see a VASER / ThermiRF expert.  Best, Dr. Emer.

The answer to this question lies 100% in patient selection. You have to be careful what you are considering as pure liposuction results, for example the second picture that you post shows a woman who has had a chin implant in addition to her neck procedure.

Patient selection with Kybella is important because Kybella treats fat, which it does very well. It does not treat other aspects of neck aging which can include skin and muscle. If those other aspects also need addressing, another modality may work better.

I do treat the jaw line with Kybella, although this is off label, I have a lot of experience and excellent results doing this. There is a small nerve in that area that can very rarely get irritated from the Kybella injections, which is a temporary phenomenon and the incredibly small risk is well worth the results obtained with sculpting the jawline. This nerve is much more at risk with jawline liposuction. 

To ensure you are receiving the highest level of care, seek out a modernly trained, new-school dermatologic surgeon, oculoplastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who is board certified and fellowship trained in one of these "core four" cosmetic specialties.

Cameron Chesnut#realself500 Physician

You mentioned facial liposuction in your question title, but Kybella is not indicated for treating the face. If you meant submental liposuction, Kybella is an option for this area. To answer your question about identical results, I don't think that there is any non-operative treatment that can give identical results to surgery. This doesn't mean that Kybella doesn't work, but its benefits are really for anterior submental fat in the neck. If you need contouring laterally along the jawline, liposuction will always be superior to other treatments.

The number one factor that determines if you will have a great outcome with Kybella is whether you are an appropriate candidate for it. For patients with mild to moderate amounts of fat in the submental region, results can be fantastic and produce sharp angles. Remember that Kybella does not treat fat along the jawline or sides of the neck, so for patients with this concern, Kybella isn't the best option.  Additionally, Kybella may require more than one session for optimal results. The benefit is that it is non-surgical with no downtime. Coolscultping offers similar advantages and offers treatment of a little more surface area on the neck than Kybella. In my practice, I like to de-bulk with Coolsculpting and refine with Kybella. Liposuction is generally a one and done way to contour the neck since I have full control on what comes out and where it is coming from. It is particularly useful in those patients that have more fat under the platysma muscle (can be determined by a physical examination). The disadvantage is that it's a surgical procedure with a little downtime. None of these procedures in isolation are appropriate for patients with poor skin elasticity since skin would also need to be addressed in that scenario. I would suggest visiting with a facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon to review your options after you have been examined. Good luck!

I may be a bit biased since I am a plastic surgeon who has been performing liposuction for over 20 years.  For uncomplicated liposuction under the chin (submental  suction lipectomy), we charge $2750. This includes the preoperative appointment, procedure, and all postoperative followups. We have laughing gas available for $50.  The procedure requires a single 4 mm (less than 1/4") incision and takes about 45" to an hour.  You will have to wear a compression garment 24/7 (minus showers) for 2 weeks and 16/7 for an additional 2 weeks. Please read the realself reviews of our practice, as many of our patients have posted pre- and postoperative photos of liposuction under the chin.
Kybella is a very reasonable alternative for those patients who do not wish to undergo liposuction.  However, it requires more treatments, more downtime, and greater expense.  Kybella typically requires 2 to 4 treatments, each with at least 2 weeks of associated social downtime due to bruising, swelling, and redness and typically runs $2000 to $4800.
I do not personally have sufficient experience with Kybella to determine its efficacy relative to liposuction.  My impression at this point, however, is that liposuction is generally more effective.

Both Kybella and liposuction can effective for treating excess fat under the chin. The advantages of Kybella are that it is a non-surgical procedure with little to no down time. However, it does take multiple treatments. The right procedure for you is really going to depend on your expectations. My best advise would be to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who can assess you in person. 

Kindly,

Kouros Azar