There Is A Remedy That Means No More Double Chins

Double chins beware. There is something coming to get you.

Kybella, a fat-melting injectable drug created by Kythera Biopharmaceuticals Inc., was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April and became available June 15 to dermatologists and plastic surgeons who completed training at the drug company’s offices in California.

Kybella is made from deoxycholic acid, which is a chemical produced in the body to help absorb fats. When injected into the fat below the chin, known as submental fat, it destroys the fat cells.

Patients can receive up to 50 injections in one single treatment, with up to six treatments administered no less than one month apart.

“I’ve never seen a demand like this, except for Botox,” Derek Jones, a dermatologist on the faculty at UCLA and lead investigator in the clinical FDA trials of Kybella, told the Hollywood Reporter. “We have a waiting list of people who have been calling for months.”

Allergan who are the pharmaceutical company behind Botox have taken notice. They are set to acquire Kythera Biopharmaceuticals this week for $2.1 billion.

Pprofessionals estimate the injections will cost between $US500 and $US600 per treatment.

According to Kybella’s website, 79 per cent of patients treated with Kybella reported satisfaction with the appearance of their face and chin, as well as a marked improvement in self-perception. Possible side effects including swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, redness, difficulty swallowing and nerve injury in the jaw that cases facial muscle weakness.