TAKING IT ON THE CHIN
New to New Zealand is Belkyra, an appearance treatment designed to treat a double chin without surgery. Involving a series of injections of deoxycholic acid, a synthetic version of an acid found in stomach bile, the treatment “dissolves” the fat, with results seen within weeks. Made by Allergan, the company that created Botox, the treatment is FDA approved and has been available in the United States for three years (known there as Kybella) and said to work best on patients who have an average BMI but stubborn, pouchy fat beneath the jawline. The question that initially springs to mind is will it be made available for other areas of the body? The official line is that it’s only been adequately tested for the area specified, but word is that further testing is currently underway. Could it be a game-changer? We’re waiting and watching. Belkyra is now available at a number of skin clinics throughout New Zealand, where it is prescription only and administered by a registered healthcare professional. It costs around $2700 per treatment and most people require at least two treatments but, unlike Botox or dermal fillers, it won’t need to be repeated.