New Drug Treats Unwanted Chin Fat

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- In today's beauty-obsessed society, having a double chin can bring up feelings of insecurity. Even so, that unwanted area of fat, that can be related to aging, weight gain or just genetics, commonly goes untreated.

According to a survey by the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, more than two-thirds of consumers are bothered by a double chin.

Now, there's a new FDA-approved drug for the treatment of chin fat.

It's called Kybella.

At the Baumann Cosmetic and Research Institute in Miami, Dr. Leslie Baumann was one of the first doctors to see the results of Kybella, the only FDA drug approved for the treatment of fat under the chin. Dr. Baumann participated in the drugs 4-year trial.

"I'm so excited about Kybella," said Dr. Baumann. "It's really a game changer. We finally have something that shrinks fat, that always works and that's safe. So it's really exciting."

Kybella is now known as the ultimate fat buster for the chin. It's injected into fat and it dissolves the fat permanently.

"You might have bruising and swelling but you don't have scarring like you do with liposuction, and the downtime is so much easier," Dr. Baumann continued.

Doctors can't use it just to tighten loose or flabby skin. It's only meant for fat cells.

Roberto Devillacis, a fashion designer, had his first treatment. He says for a long time he's noticed the extra skin. "I tend to go up and down in weight. After age 21, it's all downhill."

Dr. Baumann first numbs the area and then injects small amounts of the medicine directly into the fat cells that have been marked out on the grid under the chin. The whole procedure took less than 10 minutes. The average patient undergoes four treatments over four months. Dr. Baumann says patients see some results three weeks after the first treatment.

But Kybella isn't cheap. It's about $100 per injection. The average person can pay from $3,000 - $6,000 for a treatment course.

You may be wondering, since Kybella kills fat cells, can't we inject it into other body parts with fat like the abdomen or under the arms?

The answer is no.

Kybella has not been approved for anything else but chin fat. So Dr. Baumann would definitely not recommend that. When and if it does, you'll hear about it.