Submental fullness, or “double chin” as it is most commonly known, bothers around 67% of people in the US today. Although weight loss can help to reduce the appearance of a double chin, stubborn fat often remains in the chin no matter despite being a healthy weight, and it can seem as though neck lift surgery is the only solution.
The thing is, not many people know about
Kybella, a non-surgical, injectable product that works to destroy and absorb excess fat. After a series of injections in the lower jaw, excess fat dissipates to create a permanently smaller, more lifted and more defined jawline. It’s such an innovative treatment that many people are choosing it over neck lift surgery – and here’s exactly why.
1. Surgery is significantly more painful
As with any type of injectable cosmetic procedure, there is a certain amount of discomfort associated with Kybella injections. However, this is significantly less than the pain experienced during neck lift recovery. Neck lift surgery usually requires incisions to be made up behind the ears, before liposuction is performed to remove excess fat beneath the chin. Tissues and muscles are often re-positioned, before the skin is lifted back and upwards towards the ears, excess is cut away, and sutures are made to secure the skin in its new position. It’s a complex and highly invasive procedure, so it’s inevitable that recovery is painful. Although patients are provided with painkillers to help manage pain, medication can only do so much and many people are in a great deal of discomfort for many days after surgery.
When undergoing Kybella injections, the area will first be numbed with ice packs or a topical local anesthetics to minimize discomfort during the treatment. Afterwards, you may find the area to be a little tender for a few days until the mild bruising and swelling subsides, but overall, the treatment is far more gentle and easier to recover from than surgery.
2. There is no downtime after Kybella treatments
With any type of surgery including a neck lift, you can expect to be out of action for a least a couple weeks. To begin with you have to recover from the general anesthetic, and for some people it can take two or three days until they really feel themselves again. With neck lift surgery patients are usually advised to avoid strenuous activity, including bending over or heavy lifting, for at least 7 days in order to avoid worsening the swelling and bruising. It takes at least 2 weeks for the swelling and bruising to significantly subside, and during this time many people prefer not to be seen, which might mean having to take leave from work.
With
Kybella, downtime is minimal – there’s no general anesthetic to recover from, and although its common to experience mild swelling in the injected area, there’s no need to change your usual routine or avoid vigorous activity.
3. Kybella is significantly cheaper
Neck lift surgery typically costs in excess of $10,000, and in some cases neck lifts need to be revised later down the line as they skin continues to age, which involves even more expense. For some, it is simply not a financially viable option, no matter how unhappy they are with the appearance of their double chin.
Kybella is a fraction of the cost of the cost of surgery, and once you reach your desired look, re-treatment is usually unnecessary. The cost of the procedure varies from patient to patient depending on the severity of their submental fullness and the number of procedures needed to achieve the desired results, so be sure to arrange a consultation to understand how much you can expect to pay for Kybella.