Reduce a double chin with Belkyra
By Dr. Janna Bentley, Medical Director, Lakeshore Vein & Aesthetics Clinic
Submental fullness, aka a double chin, can make you look older and heavier. It is simply excess fat under the chin – sometimes made worse by ageing and lax facial skin (eg cheeks / jowls). According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, nearly as many adults are bothered by their double chin (67%) as by lines and wrinkles around the eyes (69%).
It can be very difficult to get rid of on your own, because submental fullness can be influenced by multiple factors – such as genetics, weight gain and aging – sometimes, no matter how much you diet the fat in this area may not go away. Unfortunately, there is no home remedies, creams or exercise regimes to lose the fat under your chin.
Non‐surgical treatment options (that Health Canada and the FDA approve) are available that target and eliminate fat under the chin are Belkyra™ and CoolSculpting®.
Belkyra (aka Kybella in the USA) is made by Allergan, the producers of BOTOX and Juvederm HA fillers. This is a quick and easy injectable treatment that can be completed in the clinic in 15 to 20 minutes. The treatment’s main ingredient is deoxycholic acid, a naturally occurring molecule identical to the ones produced in the gallbladder that aid in the digestion and absorption of fat. With targeted injections into the submental fat, the fat cells break open. Then, the body does its normal and continual cycle of getting rid of old and damaged cells. Once destroyed and flushed out, the cells can no longer accumulate fat. Belkyra treatment starts at around $1,400, depending on dosage. Most patients will need two to four treatments. Side effects include swelling, bruising, pain and numbness, all which typically subside within days; results then start to appear after several weeks.
CoolSculpting is another option, especially for larger fat deposits. CoolSculpting is an interesting technology that involves no needles or scalpels – it freezes the fat away. Seriously cool. Using a device that targets just the fat cells, CoolSculpting uses controlled cooling to crystallize them. These fat cells gradually die off, then are naturally eliminated from the body over the next several weeks. CoolSculpting Mini treatments start around $700, and a typical patient may require two treatments. There is little-to-no discomfort or down-time, and treatment takes about an hour.
With either, long lasting effects are normal. Procedures are customized to each patient to achieve their treatment goals, and once they are achieved, re‐treatment is not expected.
There is real interest among male patients, who frankly may not care as much about weathered skin or wrinkles – but who are annoyed or even embarrassed by a double chin.
Treating the double chin was largely ignored until recently because we simply didn’t have many good choices. Now with CoolSculpting Mini technology and Belkyra we have some great options for re-defining the jawline.
If you are one of many who are bothered by a double chin, there are now at least two non-surgical options that might be right for you. Consult with a physician and cosmetic medical expert for the options that are right for you to put your best chin forward.
By Dr. Janna Bentley, Medical Director, Lakeshore Vein & Aesthetics Clinic
