Oh, the pesky double chin! Caused by aging, genetics, weight gain — or any combination of these factors — there is now a new treatment for this "aesthetic condition." The Food and Drug Administration approved Kybella (deoxycholic acid) for moderate-to-severe fat below the chin. Kybella, a drug that is injected directly into the chin area where it destroys fat cells, is now the first and only approved non-surgical treatment for reduction of submental fullness.

“Using Kybella for the treatment of fat outside of the submental area is not approved and is not recommended,” the FDA warned in its announcement. Kybella is identical to the deoxycholic acid that is produced in the body to help absorb fats.

The most common side effects of the drug include swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, redness, and areas of hardness. Kybella, which is manufactured by Kythera Biopharmaceuticals of California, also can cause nerve injury in the jaw or destroy skin cells if it is accidentally injected into the skin. Two clinical trials with 1,022 volunteers established the safety and effectiveness of Kybella.

Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, which has not announced the price of their product yet, says the newly approved Kybella should become available during late summer. To get a chin lift, then, people will see a properly trained dermatologist or plastic surgeon. The effects of the drug are enduring, according to the company. The kind of routine return treatments that are typical of most injectable cosmetic treatments, such as Botox, will not be necessary.

Kybella is being provided in single patient use vials and should not be mixed or diluted. During a treatment, a patient will be given a local anesthetic and then be injected directly in their submental fullness up to 50 times. A limit of six such treatments, no less than one month apart, are permissable.

“Caution should also be used in patients who have had prior surgical or aesthetic treatment of the submental area,” noted the FDA. Interestingly, to thwart drug counterfeiters, Kybella will be distributed in a dispensing pack with a unique hologram on the vial label.

The “common yet under-treated aesthetic condition” of chin fat bothers 68 percent of consumers, says the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. On its website, Kythera Biopharmaceuticals notes that it is working on a treatment for hair loss, while actively researching skin aging and fat biology.