Kybella is an excellent treatment option for stubborn pockets of fat underneath the skin. However, once the fat melts, what happens to the skin? Does the Kybella treatment also tighten the skin that once was stretched due to fat?
In a previous blog, we have covered the basic info you need to know about Kybella. This post goes deeper into the subject and gets more specific. We will cover whether you can use the treatment to tighten the skin and answer more questions.
Let’s get to it!
What Kybella Does
The active ingredient in Kybella is deoxycholic acid – and this ingredient is solely responsible for the effects of Kybella. Deoxycholic acid is a naturally-occurring substance in the digestive system. This acid’s job is to break down the fats that the human body ingests.
By manufacturing deoxycholic acid and injecting it in strategic places beneath the skin, the medical industry has essentially weaponized the substance against stubborn pools of fat. The fact that medical spas (medspas) target with Kybella are the stubborn fat cells that no amount of dieting or exercising can eradicate.
The most common treatment areas for Kybella are the submental areas (the area under the chin – often called submental fats), jowls, underarms, thighs, and more. The Kybella treatment is the only injectable treatment for submental fat reduction approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as of 2017.
Aside from melting stubborn concentrations of fat, what else does Kybella do? Does it also tighten the skin where it reduces fat?
Can I Use Kybella to Tighten Skin?
The short answer is, Kybella is not a skin-tightening treatment. The FDA has never approved the use of Kybella to tighten skin. It is only approved for reducing fat in the submental areas.
However, it can lead to tighter-looking skin, depending on a few factors. A Kybella treatment can result in tighter skin if the individual has enough collagen and elastin in their skin.
Here’s the explanation of why that is the way it is:
Collagen: the All-Important Protein
Do you know the role that collagen plays in your body? It is the foundational building-block protein of many body parts, so you should. Collagen makes up to 30% of the total protein in the body and up to 70% of the protein in the skin. It helps build skin, hair, nails, joints, and connective tissues such as ligaments and cartilage.
Collagen makes the skin firmer – it provides the structure of the skin. If you have sufficient collagen in the skin where you have had the Kybella treatment, there is a good chance that the skin will tighten to fill the space where the fat used to be. The collagen will restructure the skin to become as firm as possible.
Elastin: Collagen’s Partner for Healthy-Looking Skin
Aside from collagen, you will also benefit from having sufficient elastin in your skin. As the name implies, elastin makes the skin more elastic, which gives it the ability to return to its original shape after being stretched. Having enough elastin in your skin after the Kybella treatment melted the fat beneath will tighten the skin.
How to Tighten Skin After Kybella
Whether you have enough collagen and elastin or not, you can always tighten your skin by having other treatments after a Kybella procedure. Kybella is a permanent solution even though it is a minimally invasive treatment. Once the process burns the fat cells beneath the skin, there is very little chance of other fat cells forming in the same area – unless your lifestyle is highly fatty.
When the Kybella treatment burns the fat cells, you have to get other treatments that will tighten the skin all the time in the world. One such treatment is Sculptra, another treatment we here at Kora Aesthetics offer. Sculptra increases collagen and elastin levels in the skin, therefore treating skin laxity, wrinkles, fine lines, and other significant signs of skin aging.
You can increase your collagen and elastin levels after having the Kybella treatment so your skin will tighten. The younger you are, the more collagen and elastin you have in your skin, so the more likely or at least easier it is for your skin to tighten after the Kybella treatment. If you are below the mid-30s, there is a higher chance that your skin will tighten after Kybella melts the fat beneath it.
Does Kybella Have Downtime and Recovery Period
You may not be able to get a skin tightening treatment soon after getting the Kybella treatment because it needs about a month to do its magic. After a Kybella injection, the deoxycholic acid will slowly burn the fat cells in the treatment region. It will only be after about a month that its work will be finished.
During this time, you may not be able to have other treatments that promote tighter skin. Besides, you will only know that you need a skin tightening treatment after the Kybella injection melts the fat cells beneath the skin.
How to Get the Most out of Kybella
Even if Kybella does not tighten the skin, you can still get a lot out of it. To maximize the results of a Kybella fat reduction treatment, consult with a professional. A professional is a way to go if you want your fat reduction procedure to succeed.
Furthermore, if you have other concerns about what is next for your aesthetic journey, such as skin tightening, a professional can help you create a treatment plan. They can show you how to get the best results, which treatments suit you best, and recommend procedures that you did not even know can help you aesthetically.
Kora Aesthetics for All Your Non-Surgical Aesthetic Needs
Kora Aesthetics is the premier aesthetic clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, for all non-surgical and natural solutions to aesthetic problems. To set an appointment for Kybella fat reduction and other treatments, contact us by phone at (480) 630-7566, email at info@koraaesthetics.com, or send us a message through our Contact Us page. We are located at 7077 E: Bell Road, Suite 200, Suite 404, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.