Kybella injections offer 'double chin' remedy

ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- No matter how much you try to lose weight, experts say there are some areas, like underneath your chin, that are difficult to slim down.

But a new cosmetic treatment helps target double chins with injections.

Kybella is a multi-injection procedure that increased in popularity after it was approved by the FDA in April 2015. The main ingredient of Kybella is deoxycolic acid.

Deoxycolic acid helps break up fat cell walls so that the fat cells can dissolve and get absorbed into the body.

Each session requires 20 shots and patients need about two to four visits. So in total, a patient is looking at between 40 to 80 injections.

Doctors use topical anesthesia to numb some of the needle sticks, but patients may feel some burning and pain as the medication makes its way to the fat cells.

"The burning is a good thing. That actually means that your fat is getting destroyed and the more treatments you do the less burning you'll have because the less fat cells you have to destroy," Dr. Shirley Chi explained.

Chi said in studies, 80 percent of patients saw noticeable improvement. She also stated side effects include temporary numbness, swelling and pain.

Chi also recommends going to a board certified dermatologist because of the marginal mandibular nerve. It's an important nerve that runs along the side of the jaw, and if it's accidentally nicked, it could leave you with a weird smile.

The cost of Kybella runs between $3,000 and $6,000, depending on how much medication is used.