x
Breaking News
More () »

New treatment can do away with double chins

TAMPA - Social media users who are socially conscious of their double chins are turning to a non-surgical procedure to melt away the fat.

<p>A new procedure involving the use of acid is helping cosmetic surgery. WTSP</p>

TAMPA - Social media users who are socially conscious of their double chins are turning to a non-surgical procedure to melt away the fat.

“It’s just a little fat pocket,” Michelle Couture explained about the area under her chin.

Couture calls it a double chin and says it’s a problem for her. She says after losing all of her pregnancy weight, the fat under her chin remained. She never considered surgery to handle the problem.

“I can’t stick a dumbbell under there and do exercises,” she said.

Social media - and its practice of taking "selfies" - makes it more pronounced to her.

“Pretty much in every photo I notice it if I'm not strategically holding my chin out.”

Couture reached out to Dr. Linda Flynn at South Tampa Dermatology after hearing about a non-surgical procedure to get rid of under-chin fat. She didn’t hesitate to undergo Kybella treatments.

“Why not? If I can melt it away and it’ll be gone within a couple weeks,” said Couture.

Dr. Flynn says Kybella is FDA-approved and it’s safe. Aside from some discomfort, there’s no downtime for patients.

“It kills fat cells permanently, which is pretty cool. It destroys them,” Dr. Flynn explained.

She says because of social media more patients are inquiring and opting for the treatment. Even she liked the results.

“I always try to do everything before I do it on my patients," Dr. Flynn said. "I like to have it done on me so I always do that, but also it's nice when I do look at my profile.

"I like it a lot better."

Flynn explained how the Kybella injections work to get rid of the fat. She says several injections of bile acid go into the small area of fat under the chin. That acid breaks down the fat cells.

“It’s the same stuff, believe it or not, that breaks down our dietary fat,” said Flynn.

Couture’s procedure took less than five minutes. She felt some discomfort and will see swelling around her chin for about four weeks.

“The first three times I was like, ‘Oh, this is nothing!’ and then all of a sudden the achiness kicked in,” Couture told us about the injections.

Dr. Flynn says in about eight weeks, Couture will see a noticeable difference and it will be permanent.

“I think that's the beauty of the Kybella. Once we destroy your fat cells where we put the medicine you don't have to do it again. Once we’re done, we’re done,” Dr. Flynn said.

Not everyone is a good candidate for Kybella. Dr. Flynn says she does have to turn away some patients, especially those with loose skin.

The cost of Kybella depends on how many treatments you need. Couture will need one more treatment in eight weeks, but others could need four or six rounds. That can be anywhere from $600 to $5,000.

Before You Leave, Check This Out