My Kybella Experience
I am a woman in my forties, about 5’6” and weigh 135 lbs. I didn’t necessarily have a large double chin. I had a small amount of fat and loose skin that was apparent only from a profile view between the tip of my chin and my neck column. Still, this bothered me, and I wanted to do something about it. Here is a before photo, so you can the area that was concerning me.
I first heard of Kybella® from Glosshouz, an impressive spa and medspa facility near Park Meadows Mall in Centennial, CO. They provide everything from blowouts and nails to massage and medspa services like BOTOX, lip injections, and more. This is where I first learned about Kybella, a product that they were offering from Allergan, the company that also makes BOTOX.
I did some research online, and looked at a lot of before and after photos which seemed impressive for larger sized persons that did have a lot of fullness under their chin. So, I wondered how this would work for me? Then, I made an appointment at Glosshouz for a consultation.
I met with the Glosshouz cosmetic injector, Marcy. We discussed my concerns with my neck appearance. She suggested, based on goals of firming and tightening, that I would not need much product, perhaps one or two treatments 4-6 weeks apart would do the trick and that this would cost me up to $2400 for the results I wanted to achieve. Also, she told me that Kybella is a permanent solution! No need to keep getting it redone periodically, which was very exciting to hear. I decided to go for it.
Next I asked, when can I make an appointment and how do I need to prepare for the treatment? I was surprised when she said no preparation is necessary and we could do it right now in about 30 mins! She said there were just a few things to watch out for when considering Kybella such as current infection under the chin, people with excess skin or scar tissue under the chin, people with any bleeding disorders, or women pregnant or breastfeeding. Since none of these things applied to me, it was determined I was a good candidate. Interestingly, she told me almost all clients with all skin types could benefit from Kybella depending on their aesthetic goals.
We then had a more in depth conversation about the cost and amount of treatments that would be recommended to satisfy my personal goal which was to firm up and reduce the skin and bit of fatty tissue under my chin. I was told that since I did not have a lot of submental fullness (fat under the chin) then two treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart is expected to be optimal for me to achieve the desired results. This would cost me $2100 in one payment up front for my two appointments using a total of four vials of Kybella. The 4 vials would be administered with 2 vials per each of two treatments that would be spaced 4-6 weeks apart. I could even use CareCredit (a form of medical creditcard they offer) to pay for it. Glosshouz offers the best savings on Kybella if you purchase the whole treatment plan up front, although that is not required. Alternatively, I could simply purchase each vial for a flat rate of $600 each, which would be $2400 in total. I thought I would like to see the results for the first treatment before I decided to buy more, so I opted to pay for the single session of two vials of Kybella which was on sale at the time for $1100.
Now that my decision was made, it was time for the treatment. The Glosshouz Cosmetic Medical Injector, Marcy, told me how the procedure would be performed. To my surprise, she said that the whole process would take about 15 mins! She had an iPad charting system on which I read about the Kybella product, signed my consent to receive the treatment, and then she took some before photos of my neck and chin.
To begin the treatment, I was reclined on the electric treatment table while she proceeded to draw lines on my face and neck with a pencil that was like a light blue eyeliner pencil. I had a handheld mirror (and my iPhone) and captured the moment. She explained that the lines were used to help her determine the target skin surface area and number of injection points for the treatment. When she finished the drawing, she then pressed a white paper with red and blue dots onto the underside of my chin, and she wet it with water to transfer the dot grid, like a temporary tattoo, onto my skin. Now, I had a red and blue dot grid under my chin. (That's the photo at the beginning of this blog post) She said the red and blue dots were used as a guide for her to evenly inject the Kybella product in small doses across the treatment surface area.
After the dots were in place, she began the injections. I believe it took only about two to four minutes for her to give me approximately 20 little injections in the grid pattern under my chin. Her method was to pinch my skin together and then inject into the skin using a very tiny insulin type needle. OK. So, she was right when she said the actual injections would not hurt. I agree with that, because the injections themselves were not that uncomfortable. However, I’m not going to lie – the stinging from the Kybella product itself, after injecting it, was surprisingly quite uncomfortable. Yikes! But the good news is, the pain peaked right away after about 1 or 2 minutes after the injections, and then it only lasted about 5 minutes before it did substantially subside. After about 7 or 8 minutes, the pain was quite gone and the whole area was feeling quite numb instead.
Once I’d received the injections of the Kybella product, the area under my chin began to swell. The swelling increased in the next few hours, and I would say peaked between that evening and the next day. I definitely looked worse, before I looked better! Here's a photo of me with the swelling.
In the next few days and weeks to follow, my under-chin area was very numb, and I could not feel myself touch it with my fingers. In addition, the area under my chin became sort of watery feeling, like there was fluid under my skin. It was an interesting and unusual feeling, but it was not painful at all. I’ve seen others who have received the treatment since then, and they may have had a little bleeding at the injection site or may have been bruised substantially under the chin from the treatment. However, I did not experience any bleeding nor bruising.
After a couple of months, I was pleased with the result just from one treatment. The area under my chin did not droop as it had before. It did seem firmer and less jiggly. I determined that the Kybella injectable product had worked! Here are a couple of photos of my under-chin area 2 months after getting the Kybella injections.
Here is an update about my treatments with Kybella at Glosshouz. Since the initial treatment, I've since had two more treatments. However, in the second and third treatment I had the product injected in the fat that was slightly drooping down across my jawline. Nurse Jessica at Glosshouz performs this advanced treatment and it is quite quick and simple and works like a charm! The sides of my face have slimmed considerable after the two treatments to that area. Only concern you should have when getting Kybella is the social downtime. Interestingly, each time you do it, the downtime gets shorter and shorter. For example after my first treatment I was swollen considerably under my neck, the second treatment in jowls of my jawline made me quite swollen like a chipmunk, but the area under my neck did not swell as much, my last treatment to jawline also did not swell as much as the first. I would say it ony lasted about one week. Still, that is something to consider each time you get Kybella.
Here are some after photos of my neck and jawbone. Since I know it works, this is a product I feel good about and would highly recommend for anyone who needs to reduce fat under and around the chin and jawline which makes a huge and improved difference in your facial appearance.
Ready to try Kybella at Glosshouz? Book your no-charge consult today.
Just call or text 303-459-4210
For more information and current pricing, please see Kybella pricing.
