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 is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.