Top Treatment Options: Neck Lift vs Kybella

The skin around the neck is one of the most common problem areas for both men and women. Over time, the skin under your neck will lose its elasticity, which can cause a loose, sagging appearance. Additionally, the area under your chin is also a common location for the body to store fat. While fat storage does differ from one person to the next, even a small amount of fat stored in this area can cause a thicker appearance to the neck and underside of the chin. It’s also one of the last areas your body will shed weight when working out and cutting calories. This means, for many, no matter how much work you put in at the gym and how great your diet is, the stubborn, sagging neck skin might remain. Thankfully, this is not something you need to accept. Addressing sagging neck skin is a common skincare treatment. Two viable options at your disposal include a neck lift and a method known as Kybella. But which is better for you? Here is what you need to know about a neck lift vs. Kybella.

What is a Neck Lift?

A neck lift is a surgical procedure that directly targets the problem area around your neck. A neck lift procedure can vary, depending on what it is you want to address. If there is an abundance of sagging, flappy skin, a small amount of the skin can be removed, with the remainder then tightened. For many, though, the issue isn’t just sagging skin but a surplus of fat under the jaw and around the neck. In this instance, fat distribution may also be a part of the neck lift. Fat cells might be shifted from the neck to another location, or they might be removed entirely.

What is Kybella?

Unlike a neck lift, a surgical procedure, Kybella does not require you to go under the knife. Instead, it is made up of a series of injections. Kybella is a synthetic acid that replicates an acid your body produces naturally. During digestion, acids are produced to break down the food and help it pass through the body. Kybella is based on this same principle.

When the injection is performed in the target area, fat cells are killed off. Once the fat cells are dead, the body will process them, removing them from your body. Fat cells do not reproduce and do not return. The fat cells you have now are the same cells you had as a baby. Unlike other cells, which reproduce and replicate, fat cells store surplus caloric energy, causing the cells to expand. So in times of a caloric surplus, the fat cells in your body will expand. Then, when there is a caloric deficit, stored energy in these fat cells is used, allowing you to reduce fat cells’ size (and cut down on your weight). However, as long as the fat cells remain in place, the cells continue to have the ability to expand and contract, based on your caloric intake (and usage).

In neck lift vs Kybella, with Kybella, when the fat cells are killed, they will not return, which means you likely will not have to deal with a baggy, sagging area around the neck.

How Often Is Treatment Required?

With a neck lift, you will go in for the procedure. You will then be asked to come back for a follow-up to ensure the healing is going on as expected. Outside of that, it generally is a one-time procedure. So if you are looking for a quick method of tightening the skin around the neck and removing fatty tissue, this may be the way to go.

With Kybella, it may take several dozen injections during your first visit. The acid used in the treatment needs to be finely targeted so the skincare technician performs precise injections. It only takes a few minutes for the injections to be performed, but you’ll need to wait several weeks to realize the full results. You may also need to return for subsequent injection sessions, depending on the initial results and how your body responded to the Kybella injections.

Which is Right For You?

With a neck lift, there is more fine-tune control. It also helps with redistributing the fat cells, if this is necessary. It also provides faster, more direct results. Once your neck heals (and any swelling goes down), you will be able to showcase your results sooner than with Kybella, which can take some time for the acid to kill the fat cells and the body to process the fat.

In the end, it may depend on what kind of results you’re looking for, the specific issue, and how invasive you want the procedure to be. Many like to avoid going under the knife as much as possible, while others don’t mind, just as long as it is done quickly. At times, both a neck lift vs Kybella injections may be used in unison, but this depends on your current situation and the results you desire.

Schedule Your Own Consultation

The best way to determine which of the two is right for you is to schedule a consultation. Both neck lift vs Kybella treatments are simple and don’t take long. Additionally, while a neck lift is a surgical procedure, it is minimal in its impact compared to nearly all other cosmetic procedures. During the consultation, your doctor will go over the stubborn problem area and talk about potential results and the appearance you’d like to achieve. From there, it will be possible to identify which of the two (if not both) is right for you. To get the ball rolling, there’s never been a better time to rid yourself of that sagging skin or surplus fat under your neck than right now. So contact Charlotte Plastic Surgery today.