Kybella for Men May Mean Buh-Bye Beards

If Allergan’s double-chin melting injectable Kybella were to really take off among men, we may be seeing a lot fewer beards, jokes bearded Washington DC –based dermatologist Terrence Keaney, MD.

Male aesthetics is a growing market, and Kybella may be the gateway treatment for men just as Botox was for women, says Keaney, also an assistant clinical faculty at George Washington Hospital in Washington, DC. He made these comments at a New York City brandy-tasting/media event sponsored by Allergan.

“Many men grow beards to camouflage their double chin and we may see many get rid of the beard because we now have a solution. Kybella is a home run for men,” he says. “There is no concern of feminization. We can make a jawline more defined and get rid of that double chin.” The active ingredient in KYBELLA® is deoxycholic acid, which is a naturally occurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown and absorption of fat.

Submental fat persists despite exercise and diet.  “These are gentleman who exercise and take care of themselves but due to the way the body distributes fat, there is a higher concentration in that area,” he says.

In 2015, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that procedures for men were up 63 percent over a five-year period. Men had more than 1.2 million procedures performed, representing 9.5 percent of the total procedures in 2015. As it stands, Botox is the most popular noninvasive cosmetic treatment among men.

Keaney, a pioneer in the field of male aesthetics,  also discussed the results of a survey of the aesthetic concerns and goals of 600 men.  The most bothersome features were tear troughs, double chin, crow's feet lines and forehead lines respectively, the survey showed.

The primary motivators for considering a facial aesthetic injectable for men were to "look good for my age" and to "look more youthful, while the main barriers to undergoing injectable treatments in the next two years include cost concerns, fear of looking unnatural, fear of side effects and safety including injecting a foreign substance into their body and thinking they did not need it … yet.

 “The interest is there, but the messages haven’t reached male ears yet,” he says.

To that end, Allergan recently launched a new print and TV campaign for Kybella aimed at men. If men come in for Kybella, doctors can also discuss other injectable treatments that can address the full scope of their aesthetic concerns.