Key takeaways:
Kybella (deoxycholic acid) is a prescription medication that’s injected by a healthcare provider. It can dissolve extra fat cells under your chin.
Kybella’s most common side effects are pain, swelling, and bruising where it was injected. Other injection site reactions are also common.
Rare but serious side effects are also possible. This includes more serious injection site reactions, difficulty swallowing, and nerve damage.
Save on related medications
If you’re thinking about getting a facial cosmetic procedure done, you may be familiar with treatments like Botox Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA), Jeuveau (prabotulismtoxinA), and dermal fillers. They are well-known for providing wrinkle relief or structural support.
However, these treatments may not be right for your desired results. If wrinkles aren’t your concern, you may be among the 7 in 10 people in the U.S. who think twice about extra weight that’s under their chin.
If so, you might be curious to try Kybella (deoxycholic acid). It's an injectable medication that’s been available since 2015 to treat the appearance of moderate-to-severe submental fat — better known as a “double chin.” It’s a go-to option for this purpose, but that doesn’t mean it comes without any risks.
Here, we’ll run through the side effects of Kybella — what’s common, what’s severe, and what you can do to control them.
What is Kybella?
Kybella is a prescription medication that’s FDA-approved to improve the look of fat that has built up under the chin. It’s currently the only medication that’s approved for this use. And it should only be used by adults.
More specifically, Kybella is an under-the-skin injection. It’s injected directly into the fat cells that live under the chin. But you can’t inject it yourself — it has to be injected by a trained healthcare provider.
If you end up with a prescription for Kybella, the number of doses you’ll get depends on the results you want. You can get up to 6 total treatments that are spaced apart by 1 month. But each treatment may consist of up to 50 small injections at a time.
How does Kybella work?
Kybella is a cytolytic medication. It helps dissolve fat cells that are under the skin. Some clinics and medical spas like to market it as a “fat melting” medication. But what does this mean?
Kybella’s main ingredient is deoxycholic acid, which is a type of bile acid. Bile acids are chemicals that are commonly found in your body, especially your digestive tract. Bile acids have many roles, but one of their key jobs is to break down and absorb fat.
When a bile acid, like deoxycholic acid, is injected under your chin as a form of treatment, it destroys fat cells in that area. These fat cells shouldn’t come back. Over time, Kybella injections can help improve the appearance of a double chin by getting rid of these extra cells.
10 Kybella side effects you should know about
Many people find Kybella to be an effective treatment option, but it still has a number of risks to be aware of. Some of these side effects are common and temporary, but others are more serious.
If you’re thinking about receiving Kybella, here are 10 side effects to keep in mind.
1. Injection site pain, swelling, or numbness
Injection site reactions are Kybella’s most common side effect. In fact, in clinical trials, injection site reactions happened to over 95% of people who received it.
Pain, swelling, and numbness where Kybella was injected are some of the most common reactions that people experience. Other possible injection site reactions are:
Redness
Warmth
Skin hardening
Itchiness
Tingling
Skin growths
Skin tightness
These injection site reactions typically get better in the days to weeks after your injections.
2. Skin bruising
Bruising where Kybella was injected is also common. Bruising happens when blood pools under the skin. In clinical trials, it happened to over 70% of people who received it.
But compared to other types of injection site reactions, bruising is more likely to happen if you take platelet-fighting or blood-thinning medications. This includes medications like aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin), or apixaban (Eliquis). This is also true if you have a medical condition that makes it easier for you to bleed.
3. Headache
Headaches are a common side effect of many medications, including Kybella.
Although headaches aren’t as common as the side effects above, they’re still possible. They’re estimated to happen in close to 10% of people who receive Kybella.
4. Mouth and neck pain
Although uncommon, mouth and neck pain — also known as oropharyngeal pain — are possible. This includes a sore throat.
5. High blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) is another possible side effect, but it’s not common. If you notice that your blood pressure goes up — and stays up — after you get Kybella, make sure to reach out to your healthcare provider.
6. Nausea
Kybella can cause nausea, but it isn’t super common. In most cases, nausea from Kybella is mild and goes away with time.
7. Difficulty swallowing
This is considered to be a more serious side effect of Kybella. Problems with swallowing (dysphagia) have happened in the past. Thankfully, in most cases, these problems got better after a few days.
If you notice any changes in your ability to swallow, make sure to talk to your healthcare provider right away. And if you have a health condition that makes it hard for you to swallow, such as Parkinson’s disease, you should use Kybella with caution. Kybella may make swallowing problems worse.
8. More serious injection site reactions
Kybella has the potential to cause skin ulceration or necrosis. A skin ulcer is like an open wound, and skin necrosis is like a patch of dead skin cells. Skin infection is also possible. If you develop these types of symptoms, let your healthcare provider know right away. You shouldn’t get Kybella again until these symptoms are gone.
The risk for these goes up if Kybella is injected incorrectly or in the wrong location. This is an important reason why you should only receive Kybella from a trained healthcare provider.
Another injection site reaction worth mentioning is hair loss. If you develop hair loss where you received your injections, your healthcare provider may recommend holding off on additional doses until hair loss symptoms go away.
9. Potential for nerve injury
Serious side effects can also happen if Kybella is injected too close to a part of your facial nerve that runs under your jaw — the marginal mandibular nerve. If an injection goes into this nerve, or too close to it, you could develop facial weakness. You could also form a crooked smile.
When cases of this have been reported in the past, symptoms got better on their own after a few weeks, but it could take over a month. If you think this is happening to you, talk to your healthcare provider right away.
10. Potential for tissue injury
Kybella should only be injected into the fat cells that are under your skin. Similar to above, it can be dangerous if it’s injected into a muscle, vein, or artery. It also shouldn’t be injected into a lymph node or salivary gland. Kybella can damage these areas.
When should I contact my healthcare provider about side effects from Kybella?
Thankfully, there aren’t too many side effects to worry about. Injection site reactions are usually the main concern.
But if you notice any serious side effects — such as severe skin problems, difficulty swallowing, or facial weakness — make sure to contact your healthcare provider right away. You should also contact them for any other side effects that are bothersome or don’t go away.
What can I do to manage the side effects of Kybella?
If you’re having pain or swelling where you got your injections, consider using the following suggestions with your healthcare provider’s OK:
Wear a chin strap for a few days after each treatment to help with swelling
Apply an ice pack or cool compress
Take an over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication — like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) — if needed
Try an OTC topical anesthetic — such as lidocaine cream — if needed
But if you’re experiencing more severe pain that doesn’t go away, reach out to your healthcare provider. They can help make sure nothing more serious is going on. They can also give you more personalized tips for controlling your discomfort.
The bottom line
Kybella is an injectable prescription medication. It helps dissolve fat cells under the chin. It may be a helpful treatment for you or a loved one, but side effects are possible. Pain, swelling, and bruising where the medication was injected are the most common. But serious side effects, like difficulty swallowing or nerve problems, can also happen.
If you notice any bothersome side effects after getting Kybella, make sure to reach out to your healthcare provider.
Why trust our experts?
References
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