Non-Surgical ‘Liposuction’ – promising a lot, delivering very little
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just recently issued warning letters regarding false or misleading statements about drugs claiming to eliminate fat in a procedure called “lipodissolve.” The procedure, also referred to as mesotherapy, lipozap, lipotherapy, or injection lipolysis has been advertised as a painless, non-surgical method to remove fat.
“The agency urges this company and all companies and individuals to stop making misleading or false claims about the drug’s benefits,” said Kathleen R. Anderson, PharmD, deputy director of the Division of New Drugs and Labeling Compliance, with the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
According to Dr. Anderson during an FDA press briefing yesterday, claims have been made that the lipodissolve procedure can eliminate unwanted fat, has an outstanding safety record, and is superior to other fat-loss procedures. She added that claims have been made stating that lipodissolve products can treat medical conditions, such as male breast enlargement, benign fatty growths, and surgical deformities. “FDA is not aware of any credible scientific evidence to support any of these medical uses,” she emphasized.
ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) and ASAPS (the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) have also stated concerns about the short- and long-term safety of the products used. The drugs used for injections most often included in the lipodissolve injection regimen are phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate. Other ingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts, may also be incorporated.
Complications that may result from this ‘outstandingly safe’ procedure can included include injection-site reactions, such as prolonged swelling, redness, and pain; skin reactions, such as panniculitis, ulceration, abscess, necrosis, and scarring; and skin infections. According to the FDA, these adverse events may be caused by the drug itself, the injection technique, and/or the formulation of the solution.
In addition to misleading safety claims, these procedures have yet to demonstrate real results in controlled scientific studies.
Less is less, and more is more. You can’t expect liposuction-like results from non-liposuction techniques. In fact, there are no real studies we are aware of that do show any real improvement in fat reduction following these studies.
