Before and after 1 treatment Kybella swelling day by day

Avoid aspirin for 10 days, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), other non-steroidal medications (Aleve) and Vitamin E, St. John’s Wort, and fish oil supplements for 5 days prior to the procedure, because these medications will make you more likely to bruise. If you have been prescribed one of these medications, ask your doctor before you stop taking it. Tylenol will not cause bruising and is preferred for the week prior to treatment. To avoid possible discomfort, you may take 1g of acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol) one hour prior to your scheduled appointment.

Plan your procedure so that you can have 4 full days before returning to work or important social engagements. Consider having a scarf or other neck covering available to camouflage any swelling or bruising.

Have Zyrtec (or any antihistamine) available at home for discomfort and itching that may result from the procedure.

After Treatment with Kybella

After your treatment, you should expect swelling and redness. You may also experience bruising, pain and numbness. This will normally last less than 5 days, with the most severe swelling during the first two days, and may last up to 14 days.

Do not participate in strenuous activity for 3 days following treatment.

Massaging the Neck – After 3 days

After the first three days, you may begin massaging your neck to help the lymphatic system drain the treated area.

Lymph drainage is very different from traditional massage therapy. Here are some things to know:

–Your touch needs to be very light, 70% of the lymphatic vessels are located just underneath the skin. If you use too much pressure, you bypass these vessels. The lighter the touch, the more powerful the effect on the lymphatic system. Think about stroking a cat as you move through the steps.

–You’re not gliding across the skin. Rather, you’re very lightly stretching the skin. The lymphatic vessels are attached to the skin with small elastic fibers. When you stretch the skin, you’re manually pumping the lymphatic vessels simultaneously.

–The stretch will always be in the direction that the lymph flows normally, and it’s important to lift your hands off the skin at the end of the stretch. Otherwise, you’re simply moving the lymph back and forth.

–The lymphatic rhythm is slow. Take three full seconds to stretch the skin. Release your touch completely for three seconds. Then, repeat.  

Step 1: neck, just below the chin line

Hand Placement: Place the fingertips of one hand just under the point of your chin and stroke towards your earlobe. Make a few passes at progressively lower levels, each row moving towards your earlobe on the same side. Repeat other side.

Step 2: lateral neck (also called spinal chain)

Hand Placement: Place the pads of your fingers along the sides of your neck, just under your earlobes. Using light touch, stretch your skin slightly forward (anterior) and then down (inferior). Repeat stretch four times per side.

The steps can be performed a few times a day, as needed, starting on day 3 post injections treatment with Kybella and throughout the healing process as the body continues removing destroyed fat cells.

If you’ve looked into Kybella, the newest FDA-approved treatment for fullness beneath the chin, you’ve probably read about side effects and the end result: reduction of double chin. But what happens in the days and weeks in between your treatments? We asked one of our patients to keep a journal and tell about her experience with Kybella all along the way after her first treatment!

Day of:

What made you want to get this treatment:

I have never had a chiseled jar line even when I was young. I don’t have a double chin and I’m not overweight but I always hated my profile. I have avoided profile pictures my entire life.  Dr. Sherman told me that I had a fat pad under my chin that I was probably born with and Kybella would help give me a better profile.

What are your expectations of this treatment:

I’m hoping to have a more chiseled jaw line.

How did you feel prior treatment:

I was terrified after reading all the information on the internet.

How did you feel during treatment:

They had me ice the area prior to the injections and I really didn’t feel anything during the injections until about the 20th injection.  Then they had me ice it again, and they finished the injections.  I was pleasantly surprised that just icing the area would numb it.  I’m not going to say it was painless but it really wasn’t bad, maybe a 2, on a 10 point pain scale.  Right after the procedure, the area felt weird.  I can’t really explain the feeling.  It didn’t hurt, it just felt unusual.  The feeling only lasted 15-20 minutes.  It started swelling and became numb in the area of the injections immediately, but I expected that.

I elevated myself that night while sleeping to help with swelling, and I was fairly swollen in the morning but not as bad as I expected. I took two Tylenol for pain the first night but that was the only time I took anything for pain.

Please rate treatment and post treatment tolerability and add any comments you want on the side- on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being highest:

Pain: 2-4

How long did pain last: 30 minutes

Numbing: 10

Swelling:     8

Comments:

The injection site became numb immediately and began swelling immediately. The injections really were not painful because they had me ice the area first.  However, the injection area felt strange for about 30 minutes after the injection.  It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable.  After about 30 minutes, it was fine except it was tender to the touch.

4 hours POST treatment:

Comments on how you feel NOW:

The injection area felt numb and was swollen. It was sensitive to touch but didn’t really hurt unless I touched it.  I took two Tylenol when I went to bed and slept fine.  I did sleep elevated to try and reduce swelling.

Day 2

Pain: 0

Numbing:  10 -injection area was numb

Swelling: 7

Comments: I had some pin point bruising but it was easily covered with makeup.  The injection area felt wobbly, but I went about my day as usual with no problems at all.  I had my daughter take pictures for me, and she had already forgotten I had it done.  I did wear my hair down which helped to camouflage the fullness under my chin, but honestly I don’t think anyone noticed at all.

Day 3

Pain: 0

Numbing:  10- injection area remained numb

Swelling: 7

Comments: I could already see some improvement.  It was still sensitive to the touch around the injection site.

Day 4:

Numbing: 10 -injection area remained numb

Swelling: 6- swelling improving

Comments: The swelling seems to be improving slightly every day.  The area is not as wobbly today.

Week 2:

Numbing: 10- injection area remained numb

Swelling: 3-swelling significantly improved

Comments:

The injection area remains numb and is still sensitive to direct touch but doesn’t hurt. Nobody can tell anything has been done unless I point it out to them.  The area that remains numb has reduced in size from a silver dollar area to about an area the size of a quarter.  The injection area is not wobbly, just not firm.

Week 3:

Numbing:  10- injection area remained numb

Swelling: 2- swelling minimal

Comments:

The injection area remains numb and is still sensitive to direct touch, but I don’t notice it except when I wash my face or actually touch the area. The numb area is still about the size of a quarter.  The injection area is starting to firm back up and feels kind of bumpy, but you can’t see anything; it just feels that way.

Week 4:

Numbing: 10- injection area remained numb

Swelling: 1- swelling minimal

Comments:

The swelling is almost gone. The numb area is still about the size of a quarter.  It is no longer sensitive to touch at all.  It still feels kind of bumpy.  I would say that I’m back to where I started, and now I will start to see REAL changes!!  So excited!

How long after Kybella first treatment should I see swelling?

How long does it take Kybella to swell down?

Is second Kybella treatment less swelling?

What happens after first Kybella treatment?