FDA approves a noninvasive way to get rid of double chins

A syringe.
(Image credit: iStock)

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new injectable drug that gets rid of double chins in a noninvasive way, eliminating the need to go under the knife.

Kybella is a version of deoxycholic acid that dissolves fat underneath the chin. Dr. Derek Jones told ABC News that the drug destroys a fat cell's membrane, causing it to burst. "When it disappears, it disappears permanently," he said. The entire process should take about five minutes, with doctors marking areas of the chin with small dots and then injecting tiny amounts of the substance into the dots. Patients will heal over the course of three days, and won't even need any bandages. The drug's manufacturer, Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, believes Kybella will be commercially available starting in June.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.