Doubles usually aren’t bad. Certainly not in baseball or for the famous actor facing a tricky stunt. But when it comes to your chin, doubles are the enemy — double chins.

We all like to think “other people” have double chins, people like Chris Christie or Jobba the Hut, but the reality is that most of us have some excess baggage under the chin.

Now, if the term double chin makes you cringe, go ahead and call it submental fullness. That’s the clinical term for “double chin.”

When you consider how prevalent double chins are, it’s surprising the aesthetic industry hasn’t paid more attention to the problem. Short of surgery — a facelift or neck lift — there’s really been little else you could do to get rid of a double chin.

Now that has changed with Kybella®, a prescription medicine available from Deschutes. Kybella® is the prescription brand name for an injection formulated with deoxycholic acid that dramatically improves the appearance and profile of moderate to severe fat below the chin, the proverbial double chin.

You’re not alone with that double chin

If you have a little submental fullness going on, you’re not alone. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery conducted a survey in 2015 and found that 67% of people said they’re bothered by a double chin. That’s two thirds of the country! And people in the survey were equally bugged by their double chin as they were about wrinkles and other signs of aging.

There are a variety of factors that play a part: the pull of gravity, simple intrinsic aging (where decreasing production of collagen means the skin has less underlying support), genetics (some people simply have looser skin below the jawline), and weight gain. All of these factors cause our skin to droop. And because the skin under the chin has no underlying bone or muscle beneath it, it’s even more obvious when it becomes lax and hangs downward.

Enter Kybella®

Surgery was the only way to address your double chin, but that changed in 2015. In April 2015 the FDA approved Kybella®, the only injectable treatment to improve the appearance and profile of a double chin.

The basis of Kybella® is deoxycholic acid. Deoxycholic acid is a naturally occurring molecule in the body whose job is to aid in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat. When injected into the fat beneath the chin, Kybella® (and its deoxycholic acid) destroys the fat cells. After those cells are gone, there is no longer a storage mechanism to accumulate fat in the area. Once gone, your double chin shouldn’t return.

Multiple treatments yield the best results

At Deschutes we customize your Kybella® treatments. Some patients see the results they want after two to four treatments; others require six. The number of treatments will depend on the amount of fat stored under your chin, along with your desired final profile. Each treatment is spaced four weeks apart.

Kybella® has no side effects and requires no recovery time. As with any injection, there can be some swelling at the injection sites, but that passes quickly.

Because Kybella® destroys the fat cells, results are permanent. However, if you gain weight, submental fat can return.

Doubles are for Bruce Willis in Diehard 7, not your chin. Call us at (541) 330-0900 and ask us about Kybella®.