Photograph by Eliesa Johnson
Elizabeth Dehn's chin
“You’re the perfect candidate,” she said. “No amount of diet or exercise is going to get rid of that fat pad under your chin, and your skin is still elastic enough to respond to treatment.”
She is dermatologist Bailey Lee, the treatment in question is Kybella, and for the first time in my life I am proud of my little fat pad.
Kybella is a non-surgical injection for improving the appearance of moderate to severe submental fullness (read: double chin). It’s been around for a few years, but only received FDA approval in 2015, and was promptly acquired by pharmaceutical behemoth Allergan who has been pumping marketing dollars into the brand ever since. Suddenly, Kybella is blowing up while wattles everywhere disappear.
“It’s the new Botox,” Lee says. “Remember when you’d look at someone and wonder why they look so well-rested? With Kybella you’ll wonder how they seemingly lost 50 pounds overnight.”
It’s no doubt the reason I’m the fourth patient of the day that Lee has injected with Kybella. But there’s also Lee’s perfectly chiseled chin and reputation for laser-like precision—both incredibly comforting when she’s aiming a needle into your neck.
After numbing me up with ice, Lee uses a temporary tattoo and colored pencil to mark the treatment zone. (A word to the wise: Skipping this critical step could lead to nerve, gland, or blood vessel damage). Once she’s marked my neck for safety, Lee administers the Kybella with a series of swift injections.
“Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?” she says.
Yes, it does. But the pain dulls over the next hour, aided by an unsightly but highly effective ice pack strapped under my chin.
I diligently wear my chin bra for the next few days but the swelling is unavoidable—and completely counter-intuitive. I look like a bullfrog. Or a football player.
“You’ll look a lot worse before you look better,” says Lee.
Kybella uses a non-human and non-animal formulation of deoxycholic acid, a naturally occurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat. The swelling is a result of those fat cells dying and causing temporary inflammation, never to return. Needless to say, I celebrate the swelling, trusting that in a few weeks my neck will be one step closer to a swan’s.
But first, I will most likely need another round of Kybella, typically spaced at a month apart. While I wait for my metamorphosis, I pore over the dramatic before/after photos at mykybella.com and admire my 40-something friend, one of Lee’s first Kybella patients, who only looks like she spent a month at a weight loss spa in Switzerland.
Cost varies by patient. Average for two treatments: $2,400. Associated Skin Care Specialists, 9600 Upland Ln. N., #250, Maple Grove; 18315 Cascade Dr., #150, Eden Prairie, 763-571-4000, associatedskincare.com
