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Fat-Dissolving Injections Too Good To Be True?
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
September 25 2007 | 29,826 views

Lipodissolve, a non-surgical alternative to liposuction, is attracting a steady stream of customers looking to trim problem fat from their bodies, while health officials debate the product’s safety.

From 50,000 to 100,000 Lipodissolve treatments have been conducted in the United States and Europe, according to The American Society of Non-Surgical Aesthetics.

Liposuction is currently far more popular -- there were 300,000 procedures performed in the United States in 2006 -- but Lipodissolve procedures are expected to grow to 500,000 a year in the United States.

During a Lipodissolve treatment, a chemical found in lecithin (phosphatidylcholine deoxycholate) is injected into fatty areas such as “love handles” and “bra rolls,” where it dissolves fat cells.

However, the injectable compound is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and no long-term studies have been conducted on Lipodissolve’s safety.

Among the chief questions about the procedure is where do the fat cells go once they are dissolved. Lipodissolve practitioners say the cells are excreted by your body naturally, but no one really knows for sure.

According to the FDA, Lipodissolve is a “buyer-beware situation.”

After receiving complaints related to Lipodissolve, including pain, nausea, diarrhea, elevated liver enzymes, and lumps at the injection site, the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, which regulates Kansas doctors, has moved to ban marketing and sales of Lipodissolve. They are the first state to do so.

Proponents of the procedure maintain that it is safer than liposuction because it doesn’t involve surgery, and, according to The American Society of Non-Surgical Aesthetics, Lipodissolve does not require FDA approval because it isn’t a drug, but a treatment.

USA Today September 10, 2007


Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just visit your doctor and get a shot or take a prescription pill and make your fat disappear? 

Of course it would!

And with all the AMAZING miracles we have in technology it would seem that this is a reasonable advance. Many of you know that I am a major gadget and technology geek, more so than most of the people I personally know. I subscribe to, and read, about half a dozen blogs and review hundreds of posts a day in this area.

I have also studied medicine for many years and am in a unique position to have developed proficiencies in understanding the latest innovations in both fields. Not many people have this experience. 

With this background I can confidently tell you that you will never see a simple technological solution to obesity in your lifetime.

It is just not going to happen.

It might occur at some distant point, but even then I am skeptical. Might be easier to time travel than to have a “magical” solution for weight loss.

You simply have to address the underlying cause of obesity, which is insulin and leptin resistance. If you lose weight without addressing this issue you will not get the benefits associated with normal weight. You see, weight is just a symptom; it is rarely the reason people die (unless they weigh more than 400 pounds).

It is the leptin and insulin resistance that caused the weight gain that produces the bulk of the pathology associated with extra weight.

Superficially, Lipodissolve appears as a very favorable alternative to the more invasive liposuction, but it is not without its own risks. Redness and swelling, with temporary burning and pain, have all been reported after Lipodissolve treatments.

Further, Lipodissolve is so new that long-term studies have not been conducted… so no one really knows what impact these shots will have on you over time.

Now, I can certainly understand some of you VitalVotes readers who commented that Lipodissolve may give your self-esteem a boost, which then may spur you to transform your eating habits and exercise in positive ways.

But I have a hard time accepting that a chemical injection is the best form of a self-esteem boost.

I would recommend that anyone who’s considering Lipodissolve, or any cosmetic procedure for that matter, first take these steps to improve their self-confidence and physical form:
Aesthetic beauty is clearly important to many of you -- nearly 60 percent of Americans 65 and older are pursuing anti-aging methods, and men and women between the ages of 35 and 50 spent $20 billion on plastic surgery and non-surgery skin treatments in 2003 alone -- but I want to leave you with some food for thought.

If your goal is simply to LOOK younger, cosmetic procedures will certainly give you what you want, but the problem is that these procedures will do nothing to help you FEEL younger.

And what good is it to look like you're 30 if you feel like you're 100?

This is why the lifestyle changes I outlined above always beat cosmetic procedures, hands down. They may not work as quickly, but with some dedication on your end these recommendations will improve your physical form and, best of all, make you FEEL years younger and add QUALITY years to your life.


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