VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Even the hottest Hollywood celebrities can be have the dreaded double chin.
Sometimes it is caused by genetics and sometimes it's weight gain, but now, there's help.
“In my race photos I’d see this chin, kind of being caught flying in the wind," said Chesapeake resident and avid marathon runner, Mary Atwood. She didn't like her photo finishes.
“I have always had a double chin no matter how small or petite I was considered, it was there, it never went away," Mary said.
She heard about a new treatment to treat double chins called Kybella and made a trip down to see Dr. David McDaniel at the Laser and Cosmetic Center in Virginia Beach.
“Kybella is actually a substance that occurs naturally in our body that’s used to help eliminate fat, it’s a purified form that you inject into the fat," said Dr. McDaniel.
Kybella is not only new but it’s the first FDA-approved way to remove fat without surgery.
“It will kill and destroy the fat cells and then they’re naturally reabsorbed in to the body over time," Dr. McDaniel said.
To get rid of her double chin *without* going into the operating room was appealing to Mary.
“We’re a very busy family we have 4 children there’s no time to lay around and heal," she said.
But Mary admits, she was still a little scared, “One of the first things I looked at was the needle, I was a little nervous but it was very thin and I didn’t feel it.”
Mary said she was in and out of the office in an hour, “It was very easy, very painless.”
Mary said it took about a month to see the full effect and she did have to come in for one additional treatment and two touch ups, which is not uncommon according to Dr. McDaniel.
"As the fat shrinks, it can change shapes depending on your genetics," Dr. McDaniel said. As a result, patients may need to have additional treatments to make sure the Kybella is evenly distributed.
And for Mary, it was the right treatment to get rid of a problem area that had nagged at her most of her life.
“I feel comfortable doing selfies which is not something I had done before. And I don’t feel like there’s this chin flapping in the wind when I’m running," Mary said.
