New Nonsurgical Solution Doubles Down on Women's Jiggly Chin Flab

Nobody likes a double chin, and yet many women have them. Wobbly wattles are more likely if you're over 40 and overweight, and genetics is the likely cause.

More than half of people responding to cosmetic surgery polls say the chin fat is one of their least favorite flaws.

The previous "solutions" might have included facial exercises that may or may not work, and disguises such as scarves or makeup contouring.

Science is on the case, though, and a relatively new procedure makes quick work of sculpting that chin fat into a toned profile that will help you look years, and maybe decades, younger.

Breaking down fat naturally

Kybella, approved by the FDA in the United States in 2015, is a deoxycholic acid, or a secondary bile acid, which the body uses naturally to break down fat. To trim the chin fat, a doctor injects it into fat tissue under the jawline.

It gained a celebrity endorsement from Khloe Kardashian, who blogged about it and was the face of a "chin up" campaign. While the treatment is mostly targeted toward older women who are more likely to have chin flab, it's considered medically appropriate for anyone older than 18.

It was recently approved in Australia, where it is marketed under the name Belkyra.

How it works

Treatment may take two to four sessions of 20 minutes, with each session involving 20 or more prickly injections. It involves swelling that can last several days afterward. The treatment kills off the surplus fat permanently. Clinical trials have also shown skin tightening around the treated area, according to an article in Medill Reports Chicago.

The fat dissolving injection destroys the fat cell membrane, and the body just excretes the excess flab.

Healthy cells, nerves, and muscles near the fat site are unaffected.

Treatment in Sydney

In Sydney, Australia, cosmetic surgeon Dr Joseph Ajaka offers Belkyra treatments among his many specialties at Cosmos Clinic. Dr Ajaka has been interviewed widely about the new promising fat-dissolving treatment.

The nonsurgical process

is a little painful, but the area is numbed and cooled before the procedure to make it less so.

More than 75 percent of patients report being pleased with their profiles after treatment, Dr Ajaka's website says.

It's common to have two to four treatments, with about six weeks between treatments, Dr Joseph Ajaka said on The Morning Show.

While Cosmos Clinic also offers CoolSculpting, another double-chin treatment, Dr Ajaka said there are many benefits to the newer fat-dissolving injection treatment.

Cost starts at about $1,500. Results can vary by patient.

In addition to initial discomfort, which Dr Ajaka described on The Morning Show as "like a stinging," other side effects might include swelling that decreases over two or three weeks, bruising, and numbness with the formation of some small hard areas.

Cosmos Clinics offers fat-dissolving injections at these locations: Double Bay, Sydney; Deakin, Canberra; North Adelaide, Adelaide; and Benowa on the Gold Coast.

Cosmetic surgeon Dr Joseph Ajaka has more than 10 years' experience in liposuction and body sculpting.

So if you dislike your flabby jaw, as do 68 percent of Americans according to one survey, the fat-dissolving procedure could improve your profile and make you look younger, with no knives needed.