Update: Fat dissolvers dissolve

Sadly, countless people have learned the hard way that youthful, thin appearances are not worth the costs. This past summer, JFS first reviewed the medical concerns surrounding lipolysis (also called lipodissolve), those injections promising to melt fat. Even though they lacked scientific efficacy, didn’t have FDA approval and were not recommended by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, they’ve swept the country in popularity, making about $2,000 per treatment for the cosmetic clinics. Many people believed that the bad outcomes wouldn’t happen to them.

However, people have been having adverse reactions, infections, scarring and other complications. Others found they were unable to get their money back, despite the guarantees, when the results were poor. The Better Business Bureau of Greater St. Louis alone reported it had received 150 complaints just last week, in addition to 145 in the past three years, from clients of the largest lipodissolve provider in the country. Friday, this provider (reviewed here last month) announced that it had ceased operations at all 19 centers across the country, laid off all employees and was filing for bankruptcy.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery have jointly released information to help the countless lipodissolve clients across the country, stuck in the middle of their treatments and unsure what to do, and to help those suffering complications...

Information is available at:

ASAPS at 1.888.272.7711 or surgery.org

ASPS at plasticsurgery.org

They urge: “If you are in pain, have a complication such as swelling or bleeding or nneed immediate attention please contact your nearest hospital emergency room.”

For prospective customers: “Consumers should not ignore the proliferation of blogs and media that are reporting the ineffectiveness and the complications experienced by fat-melting injections,” said Richard A. D'Amico, ASPS President. “This mixture is not FDA approved nor has it been formally tested for predictable results or safety. That alone should steer consumers away from the marketing hype.”