05 Jul 2007, ST, Urban
A new treatment, lipo-dissolve, is less invasive than liposuction. But is it safe?
Beauty sometimes demands toughness, but Suzanne Thomas had never imagined she would agree to have 72 injections of a fat-burning chemical cocktail in her neck and chin.
Yet that is the treatment called lipo-dissolve that the 35-year-old American preschool teacher underwent - twice - several months ago to eradicate the jowls and double chin she hated. She said the discomfort was worth it because 'I absolutely love my results'.
'I just really didn't want to do anything invasive like liposuction,' said the mother of three children younger than six. She would have had little time to recuperate from cosmetic surgery.
Her procedures, which cost a total of US$1,000 (S$1,522), were performed at MedSculpt, a six-month-old centre in Rockville, Maryland, that specialises exclusively in the controversial fat-loss technique.
Marketed as a safer and less invasive alternative to liposuction, proponents say lipo-dissolve is useful for treating small 'problem areas' such as love handles, bra fat and a softening jaw line.
A growing number of doctors, nurses and even spa personnel are offering the procedure known in medical circles as injection lipolysis - and more colloquially as the 'flab jab'.
But critics, among them officials of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), say there is no convincing evidence that lipo-dissolve is effective - or safe.
The procedure is similar to mesotherapy, an older treatment that involves injections of various drugs, vitamins or herbs to banish the dimpled flab known as cellulite.
Lipo-dissolve injections typically contain two ingredients believed to work synergistically. As with mesotherapy, the formula, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is prepared by compounding pharmacies, which are subject to little regulation.
Lipo-dissolve 'is catching on because it works', said Robert Adrian, one of the Washington area's best-known and busiest cosmetic dermatologists, who says he has treated 400 patients in the past three years.
Adrian, whose website says the procedure 'literally melts away fat in just a few short treatment sessions', maintains that most of his patients have achieved good long-term results.
Officials of ASAPS vehemently disagree. The group cited 'numerous reports of complications including bacterial infection, granulomas (disfiguring masses of chronically inflammed tissue) and localised necrosis (tissue death)'.
What some proponents tout as impressive results, said Alastair Carruthers, president of the dermatologic surgery society, appear to be temporary.
And patients who shell out thousands of dollars for fat-loss injections, critics note, are more likely to watch what they eat and to exercise, which may explain why lipo-dissolve patients say they are satisfied with their results.
Safety remains a paramount concern, according to Carruthers. He said he recently treated a woman in her 40s who nearly lost both lower eyelids after she developed a complication following lipo-dissolve injections administered by a physician. The shots killed tissue under her eyes.
Lipo-dissolve typically contains a mixture of phosphatidylcholine, or PCDC, which is derived from soybeans, and sodium deoxycholate, a bile salt that aids waste removal.
This cocktail is prepared in compounding pharmacies, which typically make small quantities of drugs for specialised treatments. Quality control and sterility can be spotty or nonexistent, experts say.
Using a fine needle, the PCDC solution is injected into fat deposits, typically in the abdomen, face, hips or back.
PCDC shots cause redness, temporary burning or pain and considerable swelling. The injections are believed to trigger an inflammatory response that results in the breakdown and excretion of fat; proponents say the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown.
Two to six treatments are usually required, each of which costs US$300 to US$1,500.
Lipo-dissolve proponents, including MedSculpt officials and Adrian, say that no deaths have been reported anywhere from the procedure and that their shots are carefully prepared in reputable pharmacies.
But in cosmetic dermatologist Elizabeth Tanzi's view, basic questions about the treatment remain unanswered.
'If I thought it worked and was safe, I'd have it,' she said.
--------------------------------
Lipo -dissolve
What: Lipo-dissolve is a new treatment which dissolves fat in small problem areas such as love handles and sagging jawlines.
How: Like mesotherapy, lipo-dissolve works on fat through injections of two ingredients that are thought to work together to burn fat.
Cost: Two to six treatments are usually required; each treatment costs US$300 (S$457) to US$1,500.
Side effects: Swelling and pain are typical. Also, the chemical cocktail has not been approved by the FDA.
A new treatment, lipo-dissolve, is less invasive than liposuction. But is it safe?
Beauty sometimes demands toughness, but Suzanne Thomas had never imagined she would agree to have 72 injections of a fat-burning chemical cocktail in her neck and chin.
Yet that is the treatment called lipo-dissolve that the 35-year-old American preschool teacher underwent - twice - several months ago to eradicate the jowls and double chin she hated. She said the discomfort was worth it because 'I absolutely love my results'.
'I just really didn't want to do anything invasive like liposuction,' said the mother of three children younger than six. She would have had little time to recuperate from cosmetic surgery.
Her procedures, which cost a total of US$1,000 (S$1,522), were performed at MedSculpt, a six-month-old centre in Rockville, Maryland, that specialises exclusively in the controversial fat-loss technique.
Marketed as a safer and less invasive alternative to liposuction, proponents say lipo-dissolve is useful for treating small 'problem areas' such as love handles, bra fat and a softening jaw line.
A growing number of doctors, nurses and even spa personnel are offering the procedure known in medical circles as injection lipolysis - and more colloquially as the 'flab jab'.
But critics, among them officials of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), say there is no convincing evidence that lipo-dissolve is effective - or safe.
The procedure is similar to mesotherapy, an older treatment that involves injections of various drugs, vitamins or herbs to banish the dimpled flab known as cellulite.
Lipo-dissolve injections typically contain two ingredients believed to work synergistically. As with mesotherapy, the formula, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is prepared by compounding pharmacies, which are subject to little regulation.
Lipo-dissolve 'is catching on because it works', said Robert Adrian, one of the Washington area's best-known and busiest cosmetic dermatologists, who says he has treated 400 patients in the past three years.
Adrian, whose website says the procedure 'literally melts away fat in just a few short treatment sessions', maintains that most of his patients have achieved good long-term results.
Officials of ASAPS vehemently disagree. The group cited 'numerous reports of complications including bacterial infection, granulomas (disfiguring masses of chronically inflammed tissue) and localised necrosis (tissue death)'.
What some proponents tout as impressive results, said Alastair Carruthers, president of the dermatologic surgery society, appear to be temporary.
And patients who shell out thousands of dollars for fat-loss injections, critics note, are more likely to watch what they eat and to exercise, which may explain why lipo-dissolve patients say they are satisfied with their results.
Safety remains a paramount concern, according to Carruthers. He said he recently treated a woman in her 40s who nearly lost both lower eyelids after she developed a complication following lipo-dissolve injections administered by a physician. The shots killed tissue under her eyes.
Lipo-dissolve typically contains a mixture of phosphatidylcholine, or PCDC, which is derived from soybeans, and sodium deoxycholate, a bile salt that aids waste removal.
This cocktail is prepared in compounding pharmacies, which typically make small quantities of drugs for specialised treatments. Quality control and sterility can be spotty or nonexistent, experts say.
Using a fine needle, the PCDC solution is injected into fat deposits, typically in the abdomen, face, hips or back.
PCDC shots cause redness, temporary burning or pain and considerable swelling. The injections are believed to trigger an inflammatory response that results in the breakdown and excretion of fat; proponents say the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown.
Two to six treatments are usually required, each of which costs US$300 to US$1,500.
Lipo-dissolve proponents, including MedSculpt officials and Adrian, say that no deaths have been reported anywhere from the procedure and that their shots are carefully prepared in reputable pharmacies.
But in cosmetic dermatologist Elizabeth Tanzi's view, basic questions about the treatment remain unanswered.
'If I thought it worked and was safe, I'd have it,' she said.
--------------------------------
Lipo -dissolve
What: Lipo-dissolve is a new treatment which dissolves fat in small problem areas such as love handles and sagging jawlines.
How: Like mesotherapy, lipo-dissolve works on fat through injections of two ingredients that are thought to work together to burn fat.
Cost: Two to six treatments are usually required; each treatment costs US$300 (S$457) to US$1,500.
Side effects: Swelling and pain are typical. Also, the chemical cocktail has not been approved by the FDA.
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