If you are considering getting lipodissolve, also called mesotherapy and liposhape, please first consider the recent FDA warnings issued against this untested, unproven procedure. In April, 2010—shortly after our article warning readers that lipodissolve has not been proven safe—the FDA contacted six different medical spas in the US to warn them not to make misleading claims about lipodissolve. Lipodissolve and the other catchy names it goes by are becoming popular trends in some circles, but the procedure raises ethical questions against those who persist on providing it despite lack of medical support.
Liposuction Before and After Photo
What is Lipodissolve?
Lipodissolve and its many other titles involves injecting chemicals into locations where one hopes to lessen the amount of fat present. There are many chemicals and combinations of chemicals that may be injected into the body, and the most common two are phosphatidylocholine and deoxycholate. The medical spas and even some physicians who advertise this procedure call it safe and effective; some even claim it is better than liposuction. This is dishonest at best, because lipodissolve has not been demonstrated to be safe or effective. Because there is not enough scientific basis to medically sanction this procedure for human use, it is not FDA-approved. Furthermore, the reported complications make it unlikely that the FDA will approve it anytime soon, and they probably won’t ever.
What Are the Risks of Lipodissolve?
With such little scientific knowledge about lipodissolve, we cannot quantify the risks of lipodissolve, but those receiving it have experienced complications such as scarring, skin irregularities, blood vessel damage, and subcutaneous nodules that cause pain. Perhaps even more dangerous than these reports is the fact that those who insist on offering lipodissolve may have little respect for other scientific and medical safety conventions.
Without a broad and precise understanding of the exact risks and effects of lipodissolve, it is virtually impossible to administer the treatment using the amount of control needed to deliver the best results, and it is also difficult to know the best way to treat complications. Science is not on the side of lipodissolve injectors, so the best a practitioner of lipodissolve can do is guesswork.
What Warnings Did the FDA Give?
In April we saw that the FDA gave warnings to the following spas:
• Monarch Medspa in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
• Spa 35 in Boise, Idaho
• Medical Cosmetic Enhancements in Chevy Chase, Maryland
• Innovative Directions in Health in Edina, Minnesota
• PURE Med Spa in Boca Raton, Florida
• All About You Med Spa in Madison, Ind.
A Brazillian company also received warning letters because of its marketing tactics online:
• www.zipmed.net
• www.mesoone.com
The FDA takes false advertising seriously, as it should, because misleading the public about their health is a serious and dangerous offense. In these cases, spas and websites were reprimanded for making unsupported claims. Take, for example, the letter that went to All About You Med Spa that included this statement: “The claims made for your lipodissolve products are false and misleading in that they are not supported by substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience.” The FDA further instructed the above businesses to cease their unproven and misleading claims, and to notify the FDA within 15 work days of how they are correcting their violations.
What Are the Alternatives to Lipodissolve?
Lipodissolve has been touted as a safe and nonsurgical alternative to liposuction, but the truth is that liposuction is the safe, proven, and effective alternative to lipodissolve. Liposuction has an established and respected reputation for a reason; as a body-sculpting technique, it improves the distribution of fat across your body, and it has been tested, studied, practiced, evaluated, and demonstrated to be a very valuable and effective treatment.
There has been much misinformation about liposuction safety, which has likely driven many to seek new fads like lipodissolve. But when we look at the facts, we find that tumescent liposuction is a reliable and safe procedure associated with swift recovery time. This type of liposuction is performed under local anesthesia, which is not only easier on the body, but also enables the doctor and patient to communicate with each other and ensure that the muscles beneath the fat are not damaged or are only slightly, and there is almost no blood loss.
The bottom line is that a few media reports that have spread like a child’s game of telephone have scared many people away from a safe procedure and toward one that is potentially dangerous. In this case, it is essential that you seek reliable medical advice from a qualified doctor who respects medical safety practices and FDA advice.
Liposuction Can Achieve Your Desired Contour
If you have a stable weight with a few stubborn problem areas that dieting and exercise have not improved, you may be a good candidate for liposuction in Los Angeles. Liposuction is not a weight-reduction method, but a proven way to shape and contour the body and correct those bulges that just won’t go away, making the fat distributed across the body in a more attractive way.
As a specialist in tumescent liposuction, Dr. Steinsapir does not perform liposuction under general anesthesia because tumescent liposuction has been proven even safer. He is a highly trained oculofacial plastic surgeon and cosmetic surgeon with multiple fellowships, and he currently practices in both Beverly Hills and at UCLA where he works as an assistant clinical professor at one of the most respected medical hospitals in the world. Dr. Steinsapir always approaches you as an individual, taking the time to listen to your concerns, needs, and goals, while medically evaluating your situation to find the least invasive solution and custom-plan your treatment. Please contact us today to learn about how a no-risk, no-commitment personal consultation with Dr. Steinsapir can help you understand the best scientifically based solution for you.
