How Does Kybella Work

Dr. Christopher Manios offers Walnut Creek patients KYBELLA® as a non-surgical option for getting rid of a double chin. The treatment addresses moderate-to-severe fat in the submental area, improving the chin’s profile and giving you a fitter and younger-looking appearance.

KYBELLA is a targeted and non-invasive approach. It is currently the only FDA-approved injectable for adults that can eliminate fat that causes a double chin. Learn more about how KYBELLA works and how Dr. Manios uses it in his practice.

The Role of Deoxycholic Acid in Fat Reduction

A synthetic version of deoxycholic acid is the active ingredient in KYBELLA. Walnut Creek patients who receive the treatment are benefiting from years of research into this molecule.

Deoxycholic acid occurs naturally in your liver, an organ in your body that is partially responsible for storing and breaking down nutrients. When your body recognizes that it needs these nutrients, your liver secretes deoxycholic acid. The acid targets fat cells that carry the nutrients and reduces them into usable components. Your immune system also goes into action, cleaning up the remaining pieces of the fat cell.

Advances in Treating a Double Chin

Deoxycholic acid’s ability to recognize and eliminate fat makes it effective in treating unwanted fullness around the chin. Until KYBELLA, however, doctors hadn’t had an ideal method for leveraging its benefits.

In years past, some doctors employed a treatment derived from animals—mesotherapy—to deliver deoxycholic acid where it was needed. Their goal was the same as with KYBELLA: targeted fat reduction. However, Dr. Manios does not recommend or use the mesotherapy approach. Mesotherapy may include deoxycholic acid, but it also can contain other components that cause serious side effects. This is part of the reason that the FDA has withdrawn its approval of mesotherapy-based products.

KYBELLA uses a different design than mesotherapy. It is an FDA-approved treatment that provides Walnut Creek patients only what they need to eliminate submental fat. It relies on synthesized deoxycholic acid and doesn’t have any of the unwanted components that led to side effects in mesotherapy patients. In other words, KYBELLA is a safer, more refined, and more targeted approach to getting rid of a double chin.

Your Treatment with KYBELLA

Dr. Manios will spend extensive time in consultation with you before you receive KYBELLA injections. This will give you the opportunity to discuss your goals, have your needs evaluated fully, and learn about the care you will receive.

Dr. Manios will follow a staged approach to your treatment. He will inject KYBELLA in specific amounts and areas around your chin over a series of office visits. Spacing out these appointments will allow him to review your results after each session, adjust your treatment plan, and target your areas of greatest need.

Following each visit, the synthetic deoxycholic acid in KYBELLA should destroy some of the fat cells around your chin. This fat shouldn’t return as long as you maintain a healthy weight. As a result of your treatment, you should benefit from a more defined jawline, less prominent jowls, and a softer transition zone between your lower cheeks and lower mouth.

Walnut Creek patients can learn more about how KYBELLA works by making an appointment with Dr. Christopher Manios. Get in touch online or by phone at 925 989 6560.