Despite medical warnings from the FDA, patients across the country are clamoring for lipolysis, a cosmetic procedure that literally “melts” fat off the body.

Lipolysis: The Basics

The lipolysis treatment originated in the early 1990’s after being tested on patients with hardened arteries. Today, cosmetic surgeons know it as Lipodissolve™ and it is rapidly becoming the most popular “quick-fix” against fat.

During treatment, patients are given microinjections of the pharmaceutical compound phosphatidylcholine deoxycholate (PCDC) directly into areas where fat deposits exist.

The main components of PCDC are derived from soybean extracts and bile acid that is produced in the liver of cattle. The resulting combination destroys fat cells which are then removed by the body via normal waste disposal.

FDA Concerns

Doctors warn patients that the procedure is not a cure-all for obesity, but rather for those who are already at the peak of their physical conditioning and are having trouble getting rid of specific fat deposits.

The use of Lipodissolve has become so popular that some magazines have reported that stars like Britney Spears have undergone the treatment.

Even with so much hype surrounding it, the FDA has yet to rule on the safety of the process, and have thus far urged doctors not to administer the injections.

Defense for Lipodissolve

The International Society of Lipolysis Therapy (ISL) has publicly defended the use of the treatment in patients.

In a letter published in the February issue of Aesthetic Medicine, the Medical & Scientific Advisory Board for ISL refuted theories that the drug is unsafe.

“The Lipolysis Network has a database of… approximately 60,000 treatments administered by professional medical practitioners. Our Treatment Failures Research Group has, to date, documented just four cases of improper treatment.”

The specific cases in which failure occurred did not stem from treatment itself, but from individual errors made by the doctor. These errors included a lack of needle sterility or injections into tissue that had already been remedied with liposuction.

The ISL has argued that it is not medically “professional” for a doctor to suggest that liposuction is the only alternative.

“From our standpoint it is part of every doctor's duty of care to advise patients of ALL treatment alternatives for their specific problem or condition. Advising a patient that liposuction is the sole remedy for fat is now, professionally, simply not acceptable.”

Liposuction is considered an invasive procedure but has been approved by the FDA.

ISL agreed that liposuction procedures are generally “very safe in expert hands,” but they also caution that they have, in some cases, lead to “death, injuries and deformations.”

Only continued research will show if there are any adverse side effects to lipolysis. Until that time, potential patients are urged to ask as many questions as possible, and to be aware of all the risks, big or small.