Looking for the Magic Shot that will Melt your Fat away?

We’ve all wished for that! Forget the dieting; forget the exercise, just take a shot and the fat is gone.

Well, there IS such a thing, and it’s called injection lipolysis, an increasingly popular treatment in the US that’s considered a non-surgical solution to localized body fat. It’s also known as lypolysis, mesotherapy, or under the brand names of Lipodissolve and Lipostabil.

Patients who receive injection lipolysis receive a series of shots in their bellies, thighs, upper arms, neck or any other fatty area that they want to shrink. Depending on the target area and the particular clinic, patients require multiple visits, spaced two to four weeks apart and get between five and 25 shots per visit. The costs can run between $1,000 to #3,000. Patients say the shots can feel like a bea sting to something much more painful. According to practitioners, this type of treatment is only for people who have very localized, small amounts of fat to lose. If people have larger amounts, they should look into liposuction.

Now, it all sounds great, huh? And, according to those to sell this service claim there is a lot of great research supporting its use. However, most of the research supporting it was conducted by the person who developed the procedure and experts in plastic surgery are not convinced, yet.

In fact, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is so concerned about the risk of harm from these treatments; they have officially released a patient safety warning on their website. In a nutshell, the concerns are several: First of all, in many clinics, staff injecting the patients are not qualified health professionals, but often just trained employees. Also, the ingredients injected are not yet standardized and not approved by the FDA. So you don’t really know what you’re being injected with! Finally, it is not entirely understood what happens to the fat that is dissolved. The developer of the procedure has a theory, but this theory has not been proven, yet. And of course, there have been reports of complications.

Getting a shot to get rid of that little extra body fat sounds great! My clients are always dreaming of the ‘quick fix’, even as they sweat and lift and monitor their intake. But just wait a little longer. Plus, just because you may be able to one day get a shot to get rid of those love handles, this still won’t strengthen your heart or decrease your cancer risk.
Below are links to various studies and statements:

Patient Safety Warning
UK Departmemt of Health Statement
Injection lipolysis for effective reduction of localized fat in place of minor surgical lipoplasty
Clinical safety data and standards of practice for injection lipolysis: A retrospective study