Should MedSpas Stop Offering Kybella? (I Did)
Should MedSpas Stop Offering Kybella? (I Did)
You book the treatment, you pay for it, and you do everything right. So why does the mirror look exactly the same?
For years I offered Kybella at my spa. I believed the early studies, and I wanted a way to soften a double chin without surgery. Then one patient showed me why I couldn't keep doing it.
A Shot Instead of Surgery
"There were good studies saying that it worked, and I believed them." — Dr. Kate Dee, Med Spa Confidential
Kybella got FDA approval for under-chin fat back in 2015, right around the time I opened GLOW. The idea sounded good to me. It's deoxycholic acid, a bile acid your body already uses to break down fat. You inject it under the chin, the fat cells break apart, and your body clears them out over the following weeks.
The catch is what it puts you through. After each round you swell up like a bullfrog for a couple of weeks. Sometimes you bruise. And the studies said you'd need four to six sessions to see a real change.
When Results Don't Show
"Some places are still offering it, and I have no idea why, because it basically doesn't really work." — Dr. Kate Dee, Med Spa Confidential
After treating a wide range of patients for years, I saw a pattern I didn't like. A few people did well. Most saw a tiny change. And a big chunk saw nothing at all, no matter how many rounds they went through.
I also couldn't predict the cost. A small pocket of fat sometimes needed more sessions than a large one, with no rhyme or reason to it. So a patient could spend thousands of dollars and weeks of downtime with no promise of a result.
The Patient Who Changed Everything
"The fat was clearly gone, but the skin hung in exactly the same spot. It was just looser." — Dr. Kate Dee, Med Spa Confidential
She was 32, with young skin and a small pocket of fat she hated. On paper she was the perfect candidate. After three treatments, her before-and-after photos told the truth. The fat had melted away, but her skin sat right where it started.
She wasn't angry. She was just out the money, with nothing to show for it, and so was I. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I stopped offering Kybella at that point and haven't gone back.
Why I Say No
"If liposuction is cheaper, faster, and more reliable, I'd rather have that for my patients." — Dr. Kate Dee, Med Spa Confidential
For under-chin fat, liposuction is usually one and done. A skilled surgeon can remove the fat in a single visit. It's more invasive, sure. But it's predictable, and I'll take predictable when someone's money and face are on the line.
Before Your Next Appointment
If a provider pushes a fat-dissolving shot for your chin, ask how many sessions you'll really need, what it will cost if you need more, and what happens if it does nothing. Those questions protect your wallet and your face.
In the full episode of Med Spa Confidential, I walk through the whole story and why I don't think Kybella is unethical.
