Kybella Chicago, Illinois

Areas to Treat

Neck

The neck area is the only FDA approved indication for kybella.  Kybella works only on the superificial fat which is superficial to the platysma muscle.  Deep fat can not be injected by kybella or affected. Dr. Shah is a facial plastic surgeon and can determine based on your goals and anatomy various options.  We see many patients in our office who have used 8 or more vials without a result. The main reason for this is that patients without the proper anatomy will not respond, especially deep fat and prominent submandibular glands. In addition, patients with large amounts of fat and loose neck skin can often benefit from alternative procedures which can be more effective and cost effective.  Our practice is one of the busiest kybella practices in Chicago IL for necks (we are Diamond level for Allergan), however we choose our patients wisely.

Jowls

Jowls can lead to heaviness along the lower part of the face.  Injection of jowls is considered an off-label use of kybella.

The jowls are one of the trickiest areas to inject.  Nerves from the lower part of the neck converge on the mouth.  For this reason, only an expert anatomy physician facial plastic surgeon should inject here.  

Dr. Shah has written 3 landmark articles on facial anatomy and is a board certified facial plastic surgeon.  He injects jowls on select patients, espeically where there is prominent puffiness along the marionette line.  The mistake most injectors do here is to keep adding filler and creating a blowfish look. Recreating a younger face often involves removing volume from the lower portion (with exception of jawline) and adding to the upper and midface.

Prominent N/L folds

Fullness above the nasial labial folds or smile lines can make it difficult or impossible to remove the lines in some patients.  While fillers are the mainstay of reducing nasal labial folds, reduction in the amount of volume can be helpful in some patients.  Options for reduction include liposuction, buccal fat removal, and kybella. Liposuction is often not the best choice since facial liposuction can lead to divots and dents.  Buccal fat removal is better at chiseling a face then removing true excess fat above the fold but can contribute in some patients. Kybella, in the right patient and in the right hands, can lead to a subtle reduction in fullness allowing for filler or other procedures to be more effective.  Kybella in the face must be performed by an expert in facial anatomy, preferably a facial plastic surgeon or surgeon who specializes in facial aesthetics.

Bra Fat

Bra fat can contribute to difficulty wearing certain shirts, dresses, and workout gear.  Isolated fat of the bra area has many options including liposuction, kybella, bodytite, amongst others.  Kybella is a nice option in that it has little to no downtime and this area tends to be more responsive to kybella than other areas.  Dr. Chughtai specializes in use of kybella in non-facial areas. She enjoys use of nonsurgical options to help women feel their most confident.

Love handles and abdomen

Perhaps the most common area for desired fat reduction is the lower abdominal area and love handles.  With hormonal changes, diet, exercise and a multitude of factors lower abdomen fat can be the most difficult to remove.  There are fortunately a variety of options including liposuction, coolsculpting, bodyfx, kybella, and bodytite amongst others.  Many patients are seeking nonsurgical methods of removal.

Kybella can be helpful for patients with spot areas that desire removal.  Kybella can also be helpful in etching abdominal muscles after a session with coolsculpting or bodyfx,  Injection lipolysis has been shown in combination with cryolipolysis (link to recent coolsculpting article) to reduce fat more effectively than either alone.  The benefit for patients seeking kybella is that with Dr. Chughtai and Shah there are plenty of options. 

Dr. Chughtai is an expert in body contouring noninvasively.  She works with patients on ways of creating improvements in their shape with minimally invasive techniques, often combining treatments.

Arms

Women often complain of having fat in their arm area.  Hormones and other factors can lead to excessive fat in the arm area, despite diet and exercise.  Surgical options are not ideal since they can involve a scar and unnatural contours. Nonsurgical options such as coolsculpting, kybella, and bodytite can help contour the arm area with objective changes.

Dr. Chughtai uses kybella in the arm area.  In her experience, she has noticed that in many women, kybella causes a contracture of the surrounding skin, creating a lift like effect.  She chooses best option based on women’s anatomy, age, and goals.

Legs

Legs are the most difficult area to treat, either surgically or nonsurgically. Cellulite, spot fatty areas and other factors can contribute to fat in the leg and thigh area.  Spot areas can often be treated with kybella. These areas are often too small for more invasive procedures but can lead to improvements in contour and shape.

Recovery Time

The recovery time for kybella varies from person to person.  Early on patients might notice some swelling and discomfort. This is a result of the nature of kybella which is acidic (it is a bile acid).  The fat cells are permanently destroyed but it takes a period of weeks and months for the fat to be absorbed and the area treated to remodel. Most patients see results as early as 4 weeks and can see a final result in about 6 months.  We don’t recommend kybella a few days prior to a big event but 2-4 weeks should be sufficient to attend a 3 months to start to enjoy your results.