Can you inject a "double-chin' away?

The dreadful double-chin's days may be numbered because of a lipolytic treatment called ATX-101. KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals announced Monday (7/11/11) that the results of its phase 2 trials of the injection, an adipolytic agent that reduces the amount of fat that develops under the chin, were positive.

ATX-101 is a formulation of deoxycholate, a natural compound found in the body that breaks down dietary fat. Over a series of several sessions, you get about 50 tiny injections of the treatment into your chin area. In the injection form, it works at a cellular level to eliminate fat below the skin’s surface. Side effects have included mild pain, swelling, numbness, bruising (associated with the injection site) and hardening of the area treated. But overall, the experts report that it’s well-tolerated.

80% of patients in the study saw a significant reduction of fat under their chins after the first two years of the five-year trial.

“While these results are still preliminary, they support our expectation that ATX-101 may result in a long-term aesthetic correction,” said KYTHERA’s chief medical officer Patricia Walker, MD, PhD. “We look forward to continuing to follow these patients and to further characterizing the long-term safety and efficacy profile of ATX-101.”  Please remember that this treatment is not FDA-approved and these mesotherapy-like, lipolysis treatments remain controversial