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Where looking good is understood!
MARCH NEWSLETTER
Lipodissolve – the skinny on fat reduction.
This month’s topic is lipodissolve. You have seen the hype on the billboards, now its time for the real information.
What is Lipodissolve?
Lipodissolve involves an injection into adipose (fatty) tissue to dissolve fat. This treatment slowly breaks down fatty deposits with subcutaneous injections of an adipocyte dissolving formula. Lipodissolve injections are suitable for nonobese patients with localized fat accumulation, which cannot be reduced with diet or exercise. (The stubborn fat you just haven’t been able to exercise off.) Lipodissolve injections do NOT result in weight loss. It also does not improve cellulite, although it can improve the skin texture where there is cellulite.
The Right Patient for Lipodissolve
The appropriate candidate for lipodissolve is a person who is very healthy, has a small area of localized fat accumulation, and already has attempted diet and exercise to lose the local fat accumulation.
Patients who are ideal candidates also have a BMI (body mass index) of less than 25. Body mass index is a method of determining body fat in adult men and women. It is only a method of estimation, and is fairly easy to do. For more information and to calculate your BMI, check out the following website: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.
The lipodissolve procedure is not a substitute for liposuction (which is a brutal procedure that nearly everyone has seen on TV on the medical channel!) Lipodissolve is a less invasive procedure that is an alternative to liposuction for smaller areas of fat accumulation. Larger fat deposits are not amenable to lipodissolve, and liposuction is a more appropriate procedure for this problem.
People who should not have lipodissolve include people with serious medical problems, including diabetes, kidney, heart or liver disease. Persons that are seriously overweight or obese (as mentioned above), persons who are on blood thinners, or pregnant patients.
What’s in the Lipodissolve?
The active ingredients of lipodissolve are a mixture of phosphatidylcholine (PC), a natural substance derived from soybean lecithin, and deoxycholate (DC), a bile salt. Alcohol and saline may be added to keep the mixture soluble.
Phosphatidylcholine is also known as lecithin, and is derived from soybeans. Those persons allergic to soy are not candidates for lipodissolve. Phosphatidylcholine is a substance that makes up about 40% of the human cell membrane. It is involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism.
Deoxycholate is a bile acid that is found in human bile and has the effect of emulsifying the fat, a detergent effect. The effect of this formula causes an inflammatory response, breakdown of cell membranes, and fat necrosis (death of the fat cell.) The body then has to reabsorb this tissue, and fat is thus reduced. Sometimes other ingredients, such as botanical agents, vitamins, and other medications may be added, but this can increase the risk of an allergic reaction.
The Needling (we know you’re excited about this part!)
The actual process of lipodissolve is as follows: the patient comes in and gets a proper medical history and exam to determine if they are a good candidate. We recommend that this would be performed by a physician. The patient is measured and the skin is marked using a medical marking pen. The skin is then prepped and cleaned multiple times, with betadine and then alcohol. The patient is injected at the problem site using a tiny needle, with a small amount of medication injected in multiple sites. The treatment itself is usually not very painful.
There are multiple local side effects of lipodissolve, and they vary from patient to patient. Most patients report swelling, redness, itching, and pain at the site of injection. This is very common in most patients. Some patients report some systemic side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, and perspiration. This is more common with higher doses. Medications can be prescribed to help with nausea or pain.
The area may also bruise, or develop a hematoma. Tiny nodules or “dents” may occur in the skin, which can take weeks to disappear. This is a normal part of the inflammatory response.
There is also the potential for allergic reaction, as there is with any injected medication. I would certainly ensure that there are appropriate medical personnel / equipment available “just in case.”
A rare, but serious complication of lipodissolve is infection or ulceration of the skin. This may happen even with thorough cleaning and good technique. There should be close interaction between the physician and patient to watch for any problems, and follow the clinical progress.
Sessions of lipodissolve are usually spaced 3 to 6 weeks apart, based on the patient’s response. We usually wait for nodulation to diminish or disappear before the next set of injections. Injections can be repeated two to five times per clinical area. Common sites that are treated include the abdomen, love handles, and thighs. A proper diet and exercise appear to enhance results.
Long term side effects of lipodissolve are not known at present. However, no long term adverse effects have been reported from Europe or South America, where these injections have been performed for over a decade.
The short version of all of this is-does it work? Yes, but it has to be the right patient, and the patient has to have realistic expectations. Lipodissolve is NOT for weight loss. The process is very slow, and takes months to make a difference. The amount of fat reduction is small, but if you have a little “problem area” and are otherwise healthy, it may be a good choice for you. We would also certainly recommend having it performed by a knowledgeable physician, with close medical follow-up and care. Be very wary of promises of “weight loss”, “fast results”, or “easy with no problems.” Run; don’t walk, as fast as you can to get away! You are smart enough to know better. It is a medical procedure, and should be done safely.
If you have any further questions regarding lipodissolve, or are interested in having this procedure, call us at 816.505.5550. You can also email us any questions.
(Reference: Goldman M, et al. (Eds.) (2006) Cellulite Pathophysiology and Treatment. New York: Taylor and Francis.)
Our monthly newsletter has drawn to a close. We hope you enjoyed the information.
Sincerely,
The Staff at Integrated Skin Solutions- “Where looking good is understood!”
7424 NW River Park Drive (Hwy 9)
Parkville, MO 64152-5028
816.505.5550 Fax 816.505.4550
www.integratedskin.com
Questions or comments- info@integratedskin.com
