Double chins are rarely desirable, and now a new drug might be reaching clearance that promises to get rid of them without using traditional methods of surgery. Instead the substance would be injected into the skin and would then proceed to dissolve that fat.

The Food and Drug Administration advisory committee unanimously recommended that the drug get approval, but are still waiting for the final word in the matter.

The drug works by using a version of deoxycholic acid that they are calling ATX-101. Deoxycholic acid can be naturally found in the body and reportedly aids in the process of breaking down fat. The drug will work by destroying the fat cell membrane of the cells in comes in contact with and then will cause it to go away for good. The leftover stuff after the membrane is disrupted will be naturally absorbed back into the body.

There have already been 19 trials using the drug on over 2,600 people. The injections take about five minutes to do and require going into the double chin through a few different marked spots. The injections only require a little icing before hand to be comfortable, and recovery is pretty mild with a healing turnaround of a couple days.

Dr. Susan Weinkle, a dermatologist in Florida, has been working on the drug trials since 2007. She discussed its potential.

 

“Options at the moment for submental fat [double chins] are [to] cut it out or suck it out. However, this is going to be a noninvasive in-the-office procedure that can be performed by your dermatologist and excellent results.”

This procedure will not necessarily help all patients however, as it doesn’t seem to help people with a lot of excess skin in the area. Of course it is also not a fix for the reasons why someone might have developed a double chin to begin with.

Side effects are generally mild but can include temporary numbness, swelling, and bruising. The procedure will not be covered by insurance.