It’s controversial but many women and men have had the procedure done.
What is it: Lipodissolve, a non surgical method of removing fat cells. It seems like a dieter’s dream. Walk in the clinic, have a treatment and walk out 8 pounds thinner. Well not quite.
The procedure was developed in South America and involves the injection of a soya oil based product which dissolves the cell wall of the fat cells thereby releasing the fat. The body eliminates the fat through normal functions of the liver. In other words when you visit the restroom.
Hundreds of micro needles are used to inject the medication into the fall cells over a body area, say the lower abdomen. The cells burst, releasing the fat.
The area swells, sometimes rather considerably. The swelling subsides for the most part within 48 hours. There has been some pain and tenderness reported within the body part treated. Applying a local anesthesia cream to the area before the treatment cuts down on any discomfort from the micro needles.
Small nodules can be felt within the treated area and can take up to 4 weeks to disappear.
Long term effects on the body area being treated aren’t known, nor is the long term effect on the body and body organs in general.
More than one treatment of an area is usually required and the full effects of the treatment aren’t always apparent until 10 to 12 weeks afterwards.
When comparing before and after photos, a definitive difference can be seen. The effect doesn’t seem to be as dramatic as liposuction. Lipodissolve has been used in the under chin area, the neck and under the eyes, areas where liposuction is not often used.
Costs vary considerably depending on geographic area, amount of medication used per treatment and the number of treatments required. The costs can vary from several thousand dollars to over $10,000.
While lipodissolve has been touted as the lunch time alternative to liposuction, there is some down time. Most patients report not being able to work for a day or two afterwards because of the swelling and the soreness.
Post treatment care varies. Some clinics recommend ice applications, some say hot baths, and some say do absolutely nothing to the area for 48 hours. Sometimes massaging the body part and compression is recommended and sometimes compression is definitely not recommended.
It might be if you just have a problem area or two of stubborn fat and you can afford the treatments. It’s not for you if you have more than 10 pounds to lose, or if the fat is not concentrated in any one body area.