Injection lipolysis, marketed under a number of trade names, including most prominently lipodissolve, promises to dissolve fat, giving you a slimmer, shapelier figure without liposuction, abdominoplasty, or other surgery. You might describe it as the anti-filler. Instead of being injected into wrinkles, it is injected into fat, literally dissolving it. Many forms of the compound also include chemicals intended to induce skin retraction after the fat dissolves.
What is it?
Injection lipolysis isn’t any one single thing, since it doesn’t have a standard, FDA-approved formula. Instead, most doctors practicing injection lipolysis custom-mix their own cocktail and may have different blends for different fatty areas. But most of the formulas include phosphatidylcholine (PPC) and sodium deoxycholate (SDC). PPC, a soybean derivative, is described by the FDA as a substance generally recognized as safe for ingestion, but does not list any approval for it for a specific medicinal purpose. It has, however, approved language for it as part of a nutritional supplement saying it “has the potential to support healthy liver enzyme and antioxidant function, as well as membrane fluidity.”
Does it work?
The FDA has not received clinical data supporting its safety and effectiveness. Most published studies are performed by people with significant personal investment in the product. One supporter published a study showing that 99 % of patients injected with a particular formulation showed some positive results and as many as 87 % of patients were satisfied with the results.
Is it safe?
This is still unknown. Since the majority of published studies have been performed by the actual formulators and investors themselves, there is very little objective data about the safety of any of the formulations. Supporters claim the formulations are safe with only minor side effects, including diarrhea, hives, or persistent pain at the site of injection for up to three months. Detractors claim more serious side effects, ranging from localized tissue death to fatty buildups in the liver, leading to scarification and ultimately liver failure.
What is known about the compound is that both major ingredients play a role in digestion, and tissue studies have shown that together they result in nonspecific cell death. This means that injection lipolysis is essentially a toxic injection, like BOTOX® Cosmetic, but unlike Botox, there are no studies about how far and via what routes the toxin can travel through the body.
What the actual facts are about this process are unknown. If you are considering getting injection lipolysis, you have to use a great deal of care, not only in selecting your plastic surgeon, but in making sure that the injection you receive will be safe. Here are some questions to be sure to ask:
- What ingredients are in the injection I would receive? What is their intended function and why do you believe they will function in this way?
- Are there any possible interactions with medications I am currently taking?
- How many treatments will I have to undergo to see results?
- Who will be performing the actual injections?
- How many times has this person performed this procedure with this particular formula?
- Can I see before and after pictures of all patients who have undergone injection with this formula?
- What side effects have you seen with this formula and how frequent are they?
- Can I talk to other patients who have undergone this procedure with this formula?
Selecting a surgeon you can trust is the first step in the process of getting good treatment. To get in touch with a plastic surgeon in your area, schedule an injection lipolysis consultation today.