Kybella - My Experience

It’s been a couple of years since my kybella procedure and I never got around to posting a truly final result. The funny thing is, you really don’t realize just how long the swelling truly takes to go down, nor that it can take about a year to see the difference.

Day two. I’m definitely more swollen and kind of uncomfortable. The neck pain is different now and feels like it’s radiating into my jaw and upper chest, as well as causing tightness in the back of my neck. Overall, I feel like I have a sore throat and am achy, similarly to when you’re sick, and have a dull headache. It’s really odd.
When I woke up this morning, the whole area felt very stiff and I couldn’t elevate my chin more than about 30 degrees without experiencing discomfort. The area is also very numb, yet tender to the touch.
You can see from the photos that the area is much more swollen today. Hopefully, it’ll dissipate a bit by Christmas!

I’ve always had a genetically fuller chin and cheeks. Despite my weight, it’s never really been very defined—even at my thinnest (128lbs 5’8). I’ve hated my profile in pictures and have struggled to feel confident enough not to “pose” in every picture, in attempts to hide my chin.
I decided to give Kybella a shot today. Went in for my consult and my doc explained all the details. He felt I was a good candidate as my skin has enough elasticity to bounce back, once the fat has dissolved. He also believes the procedure can create subtle skin tightening, in some patients with slightly loose skin, as the “trauma” to the area creates tightening effect of its own.
I was given a great deal of numbing to the area, which was a combo of lidocaine and epinephrine—the epinephrine causes blood vessels to constrict to lessen bleeding/bruising during and after the procedure. If you’ve ever had a lidocaine shot prior to an IV being placed, that’s what it felt like, about 10 times in various areas of the neck and chin. The numbness felt very strange and left me with a sensation of having cotton in my throat. It quickly dissipated though.
The Kybella injections themselves were very quick. Despite having a grid of 20-30 dots (in my opinion) on my chin, he went thru the injection process much quicker than the time spent for numbing. While the injections didn’t really hurt, per se, the medication itself does burn. I’d be lying if I told you I felt nothing. Unfortunately, I’ve never experienced a comparable sensation, because along with burning, it felt like my neck/chin muscles were on the verge of spasming, but it would go away before it would actually happen—maybe 20-25 seconds long. That’s the most accurate description I can come up with.
The procedure itself took about 20-25 min (give or take) and I was provided with a chin compression wrap and a soft gel cold pack. That really helped with the immediate after-burn. Kybella only burns, post injection, for about 20 min. By then you can remove your ice and use it as needed, for swelling.
The swelling happened almost immediately, by the way. By the time I paid and walked to my car, it was there. It’s been steady at about 3 times the size of my normal fullness....squishy and giggly, when I walk or hit a bump in the road, when driving. It’s also uncomfortable to look over my shoulder when driving. The feeling of the skin stretching is an odd sensation. It doesn’t really hurt, it’s just strangely tight—I assume because of the swelling.
Anyway, that’s where I’m at, on day one, within 6 hrs of my procedure. I’ll post more pics as I progress. Feel free to ask any questions!